Most cheeses are moderately to high in sodium, with a typical serving landing between 150 and 450 mg per ounce. That’s roughly 7% to 20% of the 2,300 mg daily limit recommended by the American Heart Association. But the range is enormous: Swiss cheese has just 53 mg per ounce, while processed American cheese packs 468 mg in the same serving. The type of cheese you choose matters far more than whether you eat cheese at all.
Why Cheese Contains So Much Salt
Salt isn’t just for flavor in cheesemaking. It controls moisture, prevents harmful bacterial overgrowth, and shapes the final texture. When salt is added to cheese curds, it draws out whey and changes how the proteins interact, creating a firmer, more stable product. Without enough salt, cheese spoils faster and develops an entirely different consistency. This is why virtually every cheese variety contains at least some sodium, and why the saltiest cheeses tend to be the ones aged longest or designed for long shelf life.
Sodium by Cheese Type
Here’s how popular cheeses compare per one-ounce serving, based on data from Penn State Extension:
- Swiss: 53 mg
- Cream cheese: 89 mg
- Goat cheese (soft): 130 mg
- Brick: 159 mg
- Monterey Jack: 170 mg
- Brie: 178 mg
- Mozzarella (whole milk): 178 mg
- Cheddar: 185 mg
- String cheese: 190 mg
- Gouda: 232 mg
- Provolone: 248 mg
- Feta: 260 mg
- Blue cheese: 325 mg
- Parmesan: 390 mg
- Cottage cheese (1% milkfat): 459 mg
- American cheese (processed): 468 mg
The gap between the lowest and highest is striking. You could eat three ounces of Swiss cheese and still take in less sodium than a single ounce of American cheese.
Processed Cheese Is in a Different Category
Processed cheeses like American slices contain far more sodium than natural cheeses because extra sodium-based ingredients are added during manufacturing to improve melting, texture, and shelf stability. At 468 mg per ounce, a single slice of processed American cheese delivers about 20% of the recommended daily sodium limit on its own. For comparison, a slice of natural cheddar has less than half that amount at 185 mg.
If you’re watching your sodium intake, this is the single easiest swap you can make. Replacing processed cheese with a natural variety cuts sodium significantly without changing how much cheese you eat.
Cottage Cheese Deserves Special Attention
Cottage cheese often surprises people. It has a mild, almost bland taste, so it doesn’t seem like a high-sodium food. But a full cup of low-fat cottage cheese contains roughly 918 mg of sodium, nearly 40% of the daily recommended limit. Even the one-ounce comparison (459 mg) puts it alongside processed American cheese. The high sodium comes from the salting and washing steps in production. If you eat cottage cheese regularly, look for “no salt added” or reduced-sodium versions, which are widely available.
Lower-Sodium Cheeses to Look For
A few cheese varieties are naturally low in sodium. Swiss is the clear standout at just 53 mg per ounce. Cream cheese (89 mg), soft goat cheese (130 mg), and brick cheese (159 mg) are also on the lower end. Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and brie all fall in a moderate range around 170 to 178 mg per ounce.
A general rule of thumb: softer, less-aged cheeses tend to contain less salt than harder, aged varieties. Fresh mozzarella, ricotta, and soft goat cheese all fit this pattern. Parmesan, aged cheddar, and blue cheese sit at the opposite end because their longer aging process requires more salt for preservation and moisture control.
How to Read the Label
The FDA uses percent Daily Value (%DV) as a quick way to gauge whether a food is high or low in any nutrient. For sodium, 5% DV or less per serving counts as low, and 20% DV or more counts as high. Since the Daily Value for sodium is 2,300 mg, that means anything under about 115 mg per serving is low-sodium, and anything above 460 mg is high.
By that standard, most natural cheeses fall in the moderate range. Swiss and cream cheese qualify as genuinely low-sodium. Processed American cheese and cottage cheese hit or exceed the high-sodium threshold. When comparing brands, check the serving size carefully. Some labels use one ounce, others use a quarter cup or a specific number of slices, which can make the numbers look artificially low.
Keeping Cheese in a Lower-Sodium Diet
You don’t need to give up cheese to manage your sodium intake. A few practical strategies make a real difference. Choosing Swiss, mozzarella, or goat cheese over feta, blue cheese, or parmesan saves you 100 to 300 mg per ounce. Avoiding processed cheese products eliminates one of the highest-sodium options entirely. Grating hard cheeses like parmesan rather than slicing them lets you use less while still getting plenty of flavor, since a little goes a long way.
Portion size also matters more than people realize. Most sodium tables list values for one ounce, which is roughly the size of four dice. A generous cheese plate or a loaded sandwich can easily contain three to four ounces, tripling or quadrupling the numbers above. Being realistic about how much cheese you actually eat in a sitting gives you a more accurate picture of your sodium intake than the per-ounce numbers alone.