How many calories are in mozzarella?
Mozzarella has 71 calories per 1 oz / 1 stick (28 g) — that's 254 calories per 100 g, roughly 4% of a 2,000-calorie day. Most of those calories come from fat.
USDA FoodData Central · part-skim · FDC 170847
Calories by portion
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz / 1 stick (28 g) | 71 | 6.8 g | 0.8 g | 4.5 g |
| 100 g | 254 | 24.3 g | 2.8 g | 15.9 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 72 | 6.9 g | 0.8 g | 4.5 g |
Where the calories come from
Protein 39% Carbs 4% Fat 57%
Calories computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 170847, SR Legacy). part-skim. The macro split uses general Atwater factors (protein and carbs ≈ 4 cal/g, fat ≈ 9 cal/g) and is approximate.
Mozzarella is the cheese you can snack on without much calorie guilt. A single part-skim 1 oz stick (28 g) carries about 71 calories, and 100 g comes in at 254 calories — genuinely low for a cheese. Because string cheese is just mozzarella in stick form, that 71-calorie figure is also exactly what one stick costs you, and it buys roughly 6.8 g of complete protein. Where most cheeses make you weigh a satisfying portion against a real calorie hit, mozzarella keeps both sides reasonable, and the reason is in how it’s made.
Where the calories come from
The calories split almost evenly between fat and protein. Per 100 g, part-skim mozzarella carries about 15.9 g of fat and 24.3 g of protein, with only 2.8 g of carbohydrate, so there’s little sugar or starch padding the count — it’s fat and protein doing nearly all the work. The lever that keeps the number down is the part-skim part: made with reduced-fat milk, it trims the fat that drives calories up in richer cheeses, while leaving the protein essentially intact. That’s why a stick lands at ~71 calories instead of the higher figure a full-fat cheese would post for the same weight.
The leaner, lower-sodium cheese
Set mozzarella against the cheese case and it’s one of the lighter, lower-sodium picks. At 254 calories per 100 g it sits well below cheddar (around 400) and most aged hard cheeses, because part-skim mozzarella runs higher in moisture and lower in fat. Its sodium is also relatively gentle for a cheese — about 619 mg per 100 g, less than many salty aged varieties — though a few sticks still add up, so it’s a snack for normal amounts rather than grazing. The practical upshot: a 1 oz stick is a pre-portioned ~71-calorie protein you can eat with one hand, and two sticks (~142 calories) make a genuine protein snack without denting a calorie budget. For a richer, higher-calorie cheese by comparison, see calories in cheddar cheese, or get the full muscle-and-snack picture at protein in mozzarella.
Packaged string cheese options, graded
Prefer something off the shelf? Here are the best-graded string cheese in our catalog — each scored on our transparent Labelgrade. Check the calorie line on each label for your goal.
-
Labelgrade 70/100 · 49.9 cal · 7 g protein
Check price on Amazon -
Labelgrade 69/100 · 60 cal · 6 g protein
Check price on Amazon -
Labelgrade 66/100 · 70 cal · 6 g protein
Check price on Amazon
Buy links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Labelgrade is independent of any affiliate relationship. More.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in a 1 oz stick of mozzarella?
About 71 calories in a 1 oz portion of part-skim mozzarella (28 g) — the size of one string cheese stick — based on 254 calories per 100 g (USDA FDC 170847). For that you also get roughly 6.8 g of complete protein, so it's an efficient amount of protein per calorie.
How many calories are in mozzarella per 100 g?
254 calories per 100 g for part-skim mozzarella (USDA FDC 170847). Watch that figure, though: 100 g is about 3.5 sticks of string cheese, far more than most people eat in a sitting. The single-stick number — about 71 calories — is the one that reflects how mozzarella is actually eaten.
Is mozzarella lower in calories than other cheeses?
Yes, part-skim mozzarella is one of the lighter cheeses. At 254 calories per 100 g it sits below cheddar (around 400) and most aged hard cheeses, because part-skim mozzarella is higher in moisture and lower in fat. That's what makes a 1 oz stick a reasonable ~71-calorie snack rather than a calorie splurge.
Where do the calories in mozzarella come from?
Mostly a near-even split between fat and protein. Part-skim mozzarella carries about 15.9 g of fat and 24.3 g of protein per 100 g, with only about 2.8 g of carbohydrate, so fat and protein together account for nearly all the calories. Choosing part-skim over whole-milk mozzarella is what keeps the fat — and the calorie count — down.
How many calories are in two mozzarella sticks?
About 142 calories for two 1 oz sticks (56 g), which delivers roughly 13.6 g of protein. That's where mozzarella starts to function as a real protein snack rather than a nibble, and it's still a modest calorie load for the protein you get.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-18, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 170847 (Cheese, mozzarella, part skim milk; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when USDA revises the entry.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data, not a Labelgrade (that score is for branded packaged products). See our methodology and the TDEE calculator to turn this into a daily target.