Best low fat cheese – 6 cheeses you can buy which are tasty but lower in fat
Just about everyone loves cheese - it is bought regularly by 98% of households in the UK, and vegans often cite it as the one food product they miss when they ditch dairy. Here in the UK, we're spoilt for choice when it comes to cheese, and we produce some of the best cheese you can buy.
The only downside of most cheese is that it's packed with fat and because it's so delicious, you can very quickly consume a lot of fat from a few mouthfuls. Luckily, there are lots of low fat cheeses out there, many of which are almost as delicious as the full fat versions. We thought it would be useful to highlight the best low fat cheese that we've found and tried in the UK, let's get into it:
Eatlean grated cheese
The Eatlean range of cheese is very impressive, but we were particularly impressed with the grated cheese we tried from the brand. With just 172 calories and 3g of fat per 100g, it is super low in fat but still manages to be really tasty. It's also high in protein with a whopping 36g of protein per 100g, which helps to keep you feeling full. Learn more and buy it here - amazon.co.uk
Cathedral City Lighter Mature Cheddar (30% less fat)
Cathedral City is one of the biggest cheese brands in the UK and has been producing award-winning cheddar cheese from its base in Cornwall for more than 50 years. The Mature Cheddar from Cathedral City is probably the best cheese we've tried from the brand, so we were really happy to see that a version of this cheese with 30% less fat has been released. And we're also happy to report that this cheese has the same full flavour as the normal Mature cheddar, just without all the fat. You can buy it as a block (pictured), or in a grated version, or in slices. Learn more and buy it here - tesco.com
Leerdammer Light
Leerdammer is an excellent sandwich filler, and the Dutch cheese has a distinctive nutty taste and look which is instantly recognisable. We're big fans of this cheese, and we're delighted to say that the Leerdammer Light cheese, which contains a whopping 50% less fat than standard cheddar, tastes almost as good as the original Leerdammer. Better yet, each slice of the Leerdammer Light contains just 52 calories, which is 18 fewer calories per slice compared to the normal Leerdammer. Learn more and buy it here - leerdammer.co.uk
Co-op Lighter Grated Mature Cheese
We've made no secret of how good we think much of the food from the Co-op is - we've previously raved about the great pizza from this supermarket and the Co-op irresistible prosecco to a slightly embarrassing degree. We're equally as impressed by the cheese from the Co-op, particularly the Lighter Grated Mature Cheese. Not only is this 30% lower in fat compared to the standard Mature Cheddar from the Co-op, but it also manages to be very tasty and has an excellent texture which makes it very versatile. Learn more and buy it here - shop.coop.co.uk
Essential Waitrose Mature Grated 30% Reduced Fat
Most of the food from Waitrose is good, so we weren't too surprised by how good the lower fat cheese was from this supermarket. We tried the grated version of the Essential British Cheddar from Waitrose, which contains 30% less fat than the standard Essential Waitrose Mature British Cheddar. It was creamy and tasty, but only contains 7g of fat per 30g. This cheese is made at the Taw Valley Creamery and we loved the flavour. Learn more and buy it here - waitrose.com
Aldi Emporium Lighter Mature Cheese
We'll never stop being impressed by the quality of products from Aldi, given the small size of this supermarket. The Emporium Lighter Mature Cheddar is one of our go-to products from Aldi, because it's very tasty and contains 30% less fat compared to the standard Mature Cheddar. This cheese is produced by the Joseph Heler Dairy and has a wonderful creaminess to it. Learn more and buy it here - groceries.aldi.co.uk
Pilgrim's Choice Mature Lighter
Of all the mature cheddars we've tried, we think the cheese from Pilgrims Choice is the best we've had. It has a really strong flavour which is admittedly not for everyone, but we love it. This cheese contains 30% less fat compared to the standard cheese from Pilgrims Choice and only 100 calories per 30g. We also tried melting this cheese for nachos and found it to melt very well. As an added bonus, the shape of this cheese - a bit more rounded than your standard cheese block - seems to make it easier to grate and cut, which is much appreciated. There is a lighter version of the Extra Mature cheese from Pilgrims Choice too, which we're very excited to try. Learn more and buy it here - tesco.com
Sainsbury's Lighter Mozzarella 35% less fat
If you're looking for a delicious low fat mozzarella cheese to enjoy, then the Lighter Mozzarella by Sainsbury's is really impressive - with 35% less fat compared to the standard Mozzarella by Sainsbury's, this cheese. is still very rich and creamy and still slices and melts beautifully. It's full of flavour and really doesn't taste like a low fat cheese, despite containing just 2.3g of fat per 30g of cheese. Learn more and buy it here - sainsburys.co.uk
Hopefully, this guide proves that you can enjoy low fat cheese without compromising on flavour. If there are any other low fat cheeses that you think we should try, let us know in the comments!
Finn H
Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.