How much protein is in parmesan?
Parmesan has 10 g of protein per 1 oz (28 g) — that's 35.8 g per 100 g, or about 10.1 g per ounce. One 1 oz is roughly 20% of the 50 g Daily Value for protein.
USDA FoodData Central · hard · FDC 170848
Protein & macros by portion
| Portion | Protein | Calories | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz (28 g) | 10 g | 110 | 7 g | 0.9 g |
| 100 g | 35.8 g | 392 | 25 g | 3.2 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 10.1 g | 111 | 7.1 g | 0.9 g |
Values computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 170848, SR Legacy). hard.
Parmesan is the classic “per-100g looks huge, but you sprinkle it” food. By weight it’s the most protein-dense cheese on this site — 35.8 g of protein per 100 g, which beats cheddar and mozzarella (both ~24.3 g) outright, and a full 1 oz serving (28 g) would carry about 10 g of protein for roughly 110 calories. The problem is that nobody eats an ounce of parmesan. The way it’s actually used is grated as a finish: a tablespoon over pasta is about 5 g of cheese, which works out to only ~1.8 g of protein. It’s a complete protein and the headline number is real, but the realistic serving is tiny.
The per-100g number is real — and misleading
This is the cleanest example of why portion size matters more than the label’s per-100g figure. 35.8 g per 100 g is a genuinely big number, the kind that makes parmesan look like a protein food. But parmesan is a hard, intensely savory finishing cheese — you grate a little over pasta, risotto, soup, or salad, and a little is all it takes. At a realistic tablespoon (~5 g), you’re getting about 1.8 g of protein, not 10. Even a heavy hand of two or three tablespoons lands you only in the 4–5 g range. So the honest framing is the opposite of what the per-100g column suggests: parmesan is protein-dense by weight precisely because it’s a concentrated flavoring you eat in small amounts, which means the per-serving protein is small.
Where parmesan genuinely shines (and the salt caveat)
What parmesan does bring, in even a small grating, is flavor and calcium. It’s the most calcium-rich cheese here — about 1,184 mg per 100 g — so it makes a real, if modest, calcium contribution while it seasons a dish, and its deep umami means you need very little to transform a plate. That efficiency is the point: parmesan earns its place as a finishing cheese, not a protein staple. The honest caveat is sodium. Parmesan is salty — about 1,175 mg per 100 g, which is roughly 59 mg in a tablespoon and around 329 mg in a full ounce — so while a normal grating is fine, it adds up quickly if you’re generous. Treat it as the seasoning it is and the salt stays sensible.
If you’re comparing cheeses for actual protein rather than flavor, the firmer block cheeses are the better lens — cheddar and mozzarella give you a meaningful ~7 g in a portion you’d actually eat — and cottage cheese is the standout when protein is the goal, delivering far more per serving with far less sodium than a finishing cheese like parmesan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in parmesan cheese?
About 10 g of protein in a full 1 oz serving (28 g), which is 35.8 g per 100 g (USDA FDC 170848) — the most protein-dense cheese on this site. But the catch is the serving: nobody eats an ounce of parmesan. A realistic tablespoon grated over pasta is about 5 g, which is only roughly 1.8 g of protein.
Is parmesan a good protein source?
Not in practice, even though the per-100-g number is eye-catching. At 35.8 g per 100 g parmesan looks like a protein champion, but it's used as a finishing cheese — a tablespoon or two grated over food — and a tablespoon is only about 1.8 g of protein. It's a complete protein with real density by weight, but the way you actually eat it makes the per-serving protein small. It's a flavor cheese, not a protein source.
How much is a serving of parmesan?
It depends on how you use it. A nominal 1 oz serving (28 g) is about 10 g of protein and 110 calories, but that's far more than anyone grates onto a plate. The realistic real-world amount is roughly 1 tablespoon grated (~5 g), which works out to about 1.8 g of protein. Parmesan is a seasoning cheese, so the small serving is the honest one.
Is parmesan a complete protein?
Yes. As a dairy food, parmesan supplies all nine essential amino acids in usable amounts, so it counts as a complete, high-quality protein on its own. Its quality isn't the issue — the issue is quantity, since you eat it by the spoonful rather than the slice, so a typical serving delivers only a gram or two.
What is parmesan good for nutritionally?
Calcium and flavor, mostly. Parmesan is exceptionally calcium-dense — about 1,184 mg per 100 g, the highest of the cheeses here — and its intense savory flavor means a small grating seasons a whole dish. The honest caveat is sodium: it runs about 1,175 mg per 100 g (roughly 59 mg in a tablespoon, ~329 mg in a full ounce), so the salt adds up if you're heavy-handed. Use it as a finishing touch, not a protein staple.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-03, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 170848 (Cheese, parmesan, hard; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when the underlying USDA entry changes.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data and are not assigned a Labelgrade — that score is for branded packaged products, where ingredients and added sugar/sodium actually vary. See our methodology and how much protein you need per day.