Cabot Pepper Jack Cheese: Nutrition & Labelgrade C (63/100)
C 63 / 100 — Cabot's pepper-jack variant — same cooperative-made cheese base as their cheddars, with jalapeño peppers added. 5-ingredient panel. Macros and Labelgrade are nearly identical to plain cheddar; the only meaningful difference is the heat and a slightly more interesting flavor.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Cabot Pepper Jack delivers 7 g of protein and 200 mg of calcium per 1 oz (28 g) slice for 110 calories (USDA FDC 2057248) — a Monterey-Jack-style cheese with real diced jalapeño from the farmer-owned Vermont cooperative behind Cabot’s cheddars. It earns Labelgrade C (63 / 100). That grade isn’t a verdict on Cabot; it’s the structural ceiling for any full-fat aged cheese, where strong protein and calcium get outweighed by the saturated fat and sodium that come baked into concentrating milk into a block.
Why the C
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | A- | 88 / 100 | 25 g per 100 g — the standard for aged cow’s-milk cheese |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 82 / 100 | 5 items: milk, cultures, jalapeño, salt, enzymes — no flavors or fillers |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 g sugar |
| Sodium load | F | 35 / 100 | 170 mg per oz (~607 mg/100 g) — inherent to cheesemaking |
| Saturated fat load | F | 19 / 100 | 6 g per oz (~21 g/100 g) — the score that caps every aged cheese |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0 g — no dairy has fiber |
Read this table as two stories competing. The top three rows are genuinely good: dense protein, a famously short ingredient list, zero sugar. The bottom three are the cheese tax — saturated fat at 19/100 is the single heaviest anchor, and it’s non-negotiable for full-fat dairy. Labelgrade weights fat and sodium hard, so a great cheese still lands at C. The honest read: eat it for protein and calcium, portion it for the saturated fat.
What the jalapeño actually changes (and doesn’t)
The pepper is the whole point of buying this over plain cheddar, but it’s worth being precise about its footprint. Nutritionally, the jalapeño is nearly invisible: it nudges carbs from cheddar’s 0–1 g up to 1 g and adds a fifth line to the ingredient panel — that’s it. Protein, fat, and calcium are unchanged from Cabot’s cheddar base.
What it changes is everything else. This is a Monterey Jack cheese, not a cheddar — softer, buttery, lower in acid — and the diced jalapeño is folded through as visible green flecks rather than infused as a flavoring. The result is mild, warm heat that builds slightly as the block ages in your fridge. If you’ve found cheddar boring but aren’t a hot-sauce person, this is the in-between: interesting, not punishing.
The melt is the real reason to cook with it
Pepper Jack outperforms sharp cheddar on the stove, and it’s down to the base cheese. Monterey Jack is higher-moisture and lower-acid than aged cheddar, which means it melts into a smooth, stretchy pool instead of seizing up or weeping oil the way sharp cheddars can. Stack that on top of built-in heat and you get a one-ingredient upgrade: a quesadilla, burger melt, or tray of nachos gets gooey texture and a kick without a second hot component. For a no-cook protein hit it slices clean off the 2 lb block, but the kitchen is where the Monterey Jack base earns its keep.
How it compares
| Product | Protein/100 g | Sat fat/100 g | Sodium/oz | Calcium/oz | Ingredients | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabot Pepper Jack (this) | 25 g | 21 g | 170 mg | 200 mg | 5 | C (63) |
| Cabot Sharp Cheddar | 25 g | 21 g | 180 mg | 200 mg | 4 | C (62) |
| Tillamook Sharp Cheddar | 25 g | 21 g | 170 mg | 200 mg | 4 (incl. annatto) | C (63) |
These three are effectively the same cheese on paper: identical protein density, identical saturated fat, the same 200 mg of calcium, all clustered at C because they all hit the aged-cheese fat-and-sodium wall. Cabot Pepper Jack carries the lowest sodium of the trio (tied with Tillamook at 170 mg) while adding only the jalapeño to the panel. The decision between them isn’t nutrition — it’s whether you want heat (Pepper Jack), classic sharp bite (Cabot Sharp), or Tillamook’s annatto-tinted Oregon cheddar.
Ingredients
Pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, jalapeño peppers, salt, enzymes. Five items, with the jalapeño as the only addition over a plain cheese base — no natural flavors, no smoke, no anti-caking agents. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2057248.)
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 oz (28 g)
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 oz (28 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 110 |
| Protein | 7g |
| Total Fat | 9g |
| Saturated Fat | 6g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 1g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 170mg |
| Cholesterol | 30mg |
| Calcium | 200mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Cabot Pepper Jack Cheese (2 lbs (907 g) block) · UPC 078354715345. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Cabot Pepper Jack?
7 g per 1 oz (28 g) slice, at 110 calories (USDA FDC 2057248) — about 25 g per 100 g. That's the standard density for any aged cow's-milk cheese, and folding in jalapeño doesn't move it. A two-slice (2 oz) sandwich portion gets you 14 g.
Is it actually spicy?
Mild. Pepper Jack is a Monterey Jack base — a soft, buttery, low-acid cheese — with diced jalapeño worked through it, so the heat arrives as warm flecks rather than a wall. Whole pieces of pepper are visible in the block. It reads as 'flavorful with a kick,' not 'hot.' Capsaicin-sensitive eaters should taste a corner first, but for most people this is the gateway spicy cheese.
Why is the calcium so high — 200 mg a slice?
That's 15% of the Daily Value packed into 28 grams, and it's the quietly underrated reason to eat cheese. Aged, pressed cheeses concentrate milk's calcium and protein together; one ounce of Cabot Pepper Jack delivers roughly the calcium of a third of a glass of milk in a fraction of the volume. The USDA panel lists 0 mg iron, so pair it with something else for that.
Pepper Jack vs Cabot's own Sharp Cheddar — is it nutritionally different?
Barely. Both grade Labelgrade C (Pepper Jack 63, Sharp Cheddar 62), both run 7 g protein / 6 g saturated fat / 200 mg calcium per ounce. The real differences: Pepper Jack uses a Monterey Jack base instead of aged cheddar, the jalapeño adds a fifth ingredient and 1 g of carbs (cheddar is 0–1 g), and the sodium is actually a touch lower (170 mg vs 180 mg). Pick on flavor and meltability, not macros.
Does it melt well?
Yes — better than sharp cheddar for most cooking. The Monterey Jack base is higher-moisture and lower-acid, so it melts smooth and stretchy instead of breaking or going greasy. That's why Pepper Jack is the default for quesadillas, grilled-cheese, nachos, and a burger melt where you want gooey texture plus built-in heat without reaching for a separate hot sauce.
Why only a C if the protein and calcium are good?
The C is a cheese-category ceiling, not a Cabot problem. Labelgrade weighs saturated fat and sodium heavily, and every full-fat aged cheese fails both: 6 g saturated fat (F) and 170 mg sodium (F) per ounce are inherent to concentrating milk into cheese. The protein (A-), ingredient quality (B+), and zero sugar (A+) are genuinely strong — they just can't outvote the structural fat and salt.
Is the ingredient list clean?
Unusually so for a flavored cheese. Five items: pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, jalapeño peppers, salt, enzymes. No 'natural flavors,' no smoke flavoring, no anti-caking agents (which you'd find in pre-shredded versions), no added colors. Many supermarket pepper jacks pad the list with 'spices' or flavor blends; Cabot keeps it to the cheese plus the actual peppers.