Is Cheese High in Potassium? Your Ultimate Guide to Cheese in a Kidney Diet

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Cheese is often one of the first foods people question after being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Is cheese high in potassium? Should you avoid it because of phosphorus? What about protein and sodium? The good news is that many types of cheese can fit into a kidney-friendly diet. What matters are your labs, portions, and the form of kidney disease you’re managing. In this guide, written by a renal dietitian, you’ll learn how cheese affects CKD, which nutrients to watch for, and how to choose options that support your long-term kidney health.

Cheese and Kidney Disease Prevention

Did you know that eating cheese can help protect against chronic kidney disease?

Including cheese in moderation may lower the risk of developing kidney disease by 29%.

Benefits of Cheese for People with Kidney Disease

There are certain times in which dairy can be an acceptable part of a renal diet.

What matters most is that you are creating a diet that is sustainable and enjoyable for you while being protective of your kidney health.

Kidney Stones

A kidney stone diet actually relies on dairy for the prevention of kidney stone formation.

Calcium helps prevent the formation of calcium oxalate stones by binding to the oxalate in foods.

Cheese is often a great source of calcium and is recommended for people who develop kidney stones.

Read more about kidney stones here.

Dialysis

When a person is on dialysis due to kidney failure, the diet needs to be changed. 

One of the biggest changes from kidney disease without dialysis to starting dialysis is the increased need for protein.

However, it’s also important to know that sodium, potassium, and phosphorus limits are generally needed due to the limitations of the dialysis treatment and any residual kidney function.

If you’re on dialysis, talk with your dialysis dietitian and team about the best types of food choices you should make for your best health.

Chronic Kidney Disease

For many people with chronic kidney disease, dairy and cheese may be something that is allowed.

As we will cover in this article, there are different kidney-friendly options that can be low in protein, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium if you have been told to limit any of these nutrients.

You’ll have the most direct guidance by working privately with a renal dietitian to see exactly how much protein, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium you can and should be having.

After learning about the nutrient amounts best for you, it’s a matter of keeping to portions that will allow those foods to fit.

How much cheese is okay for a kidney-friendly diet?

General guidelines recommend enjoying 1 to 2 ounces of cheese per day.

By sticking to this, even people with kidney disease can enjoy cheese in a kidney-friendly way.

There may be some nutritional considerations a person with CKD needs to be aware of.

In the next section, we’ll discuss nutrition facts about cheese and which cheeses can best fit different nutritional concerns.

Nutrition Facts about Cheese & A Renal Diet

As mentioned, cheese has more than just protein. This is especially important to consider when it comes to the renal diet.

Saturated Fat

Cheese is a source of saturated fat. This is because of the base of cheese – milk.

Too much saturated fat can increase the risk of albuminuria (protein leaking in the urine).

The Healthy Eating Guidelines from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) recommend limiting saturated fat to no more than 10% of your daily calories.

This means a person eating 2,000 calories per day should limit to 200 calories from saturated fat.

Translating to grams means no more than about 20 grams of saturated fat per day.

Most cheeses have approximately 5 grams of saturated fat per ounce.

This means a single ounce of regular cheese will be about 25% of a person’s daily saturated fat intake.

Therefore, it’s important to keep to 1-2 ounces per day for heart and kidney health.

Protein

We may not always realize it, but cheese can be a good source of protein.

For example, one ounce of swiss cheese has 8 grams of protein.

That may take up a significant amount of protein for someone on a low protein diet.

Low Protein Cheeses

Low protein cheese options can be a nice addition to a renal diet that is focused on keeping kidney health and staying off of dialysis.

That being said, it is still something that should be used sparingly. Think of cheese, like other protein foods, as a garnish to your plate rather than the focus.

Here are 5 low protein cheeses:

• Cream Cheese – 2 grams protein per ounce
• Ricotta Cheese – 3 grams protein per ounce
• Cottage Cheese – 3 grams protein per ounce
• Neufchatel Cheese – 3 grams protein per ounce
• Feta Cheese – 4 grams protein per ounce

Using Low Protein Cheese in a Kidney Diet

Here are some ideas on how to use these cheeses in a kidney diet.

• Spread cream cheese across mini bell pepper halves and sprinkle with Everything but The Bagel Seasoning (no added salt)
• Add feta cheese to a salad
• Dip cucumber slices into cottage cheese

High Protein Cheeses

You may be surprised to see that some cheeses have just as much if not more protein than chicken when compared in equal amounts.

This article is addressing high protein cheeses because of the high protein diet needs in dialysis.

Here are 5 high protein cheese options:

• Parmesan Cheese – 11 grams protein per ounce (note: high in sodium)
• Romano Cheese – 9 grams protein per ounce (note: high in sodium)
• Gruyere Cheese – 8 grams protein per ounce
• Mozzarella Cheese (part-skim) – 8 grams protein per ounce
• Swiss Cheese – 8 grams protein per ounce

Potassium

Dairy and dairy products are also known to be a source of potassium. 

However, cheese is generally not a significant source of potassium.

On average, one ounce of cheese will provide about 35 milligrams of potassium.

The cheese with the most potassium is processed cheese (like the cheese-in-a-can products).

Therefore, sticking to 1 to 2 servings of cheese per day will not likely impact potassium levels.

Low Potassium Cheese

Potassium is a nutrient that some people with kidney disease need to limit.

It is important to know that not everyone with CKD should be limiting potassium as it is an important nutrient to help with things like blood pressure.

That being said, for those that need to stick to low potassium cheese, here are some of the lowest potassium cheese options for you.

• Goat Cheese – 7 milligrams of potassium per ounce
• Feta Cheese – 18 milligrams of potassium per ounce (note: may be high in sodium)
• Fontina Cheese – 18 milligrams of potassium per ounce (note: may be high in sodium)
• Swiss Cheese  – 22 milligrams of potassium per ounce
• Gruyere Cheese – 23 milligrams of potassium per ounce

Using Low Potassium Cheese in a Kidney Diet

Here are some tips on using these low potassium cheese options in a kidney diet.

• Use fontina in pasta dishes instead of mozzarella cheese
• Add gruyere to casseroles or potatoes au gratin
• Whip goat cheese with herbs and use as a veggie dip

High Potassium Cheeses

Here are some of the highest potassium cheeses.

• Paneer Cheese – 204 milligrams potassium per ounce
• Processed Cheese – 82 milligrams potassium per ounce
• Blue Cheese – 73 milligrams potassium per ounce
• Camembert Cheese – 53 milligrams potassium per ounce

Phosphorus

Cheese and dairy products are also a source of phosphorus, both organic and inorganic.

Those that need to follow a low phosphorus diet may need to be selective with the type of cheese.

On average, one ounce of cheese will provide about 117 milligrams of phosphorus.

Chances are you’ve heard about phosphorus in the renal diet. Phosphorus is a compound that can be either organic or inorganic. 

Inorganic phosphorus is also known as phosphorus additives. This type of phosphorus is found in the ingredient list.

In general, cheese can have both organic and inorganic phosphorus.

This is why it is important to read the label. If you find a cheese that does not have any phosphorus additives but does list the phosphorus content of cheese, don’t stress.

Studies show that the organic phosphorus from cheese is absorbed by about 80 percent.

That means your body won’t be able to absorb all of the phosphorus from the cheese.

You can learn more about phosphorus and the low phosphorus diet here.

Low Phosphorus Cheeses

There are actually low phosphorus cheese options available. Here are five that are very low in phosphorus.

• Neufchatel Cheese – 39 milligrams of phosphorus per ounce
• Cottage Cheese (2% milkfat) – 42 milligrams of phosphorus per ounce
• Ricotta Cheese – 45 milligrams of phosphorus per ounce
• Brie Cheese – 53 milligrams of phosphorus per ounce
• Goat Cheese – 73 milligrams of phosphorus per ounce

Using Low Phosphorus Cheese in a Kidney Diet

Here are some ideas on how you can use some of these low phosphorus cheese options in a kidney diet.

• Use Neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese, cutting phosphorus down by almost 60%
• Pair brie with an apple or pear for a filling snack
• Mix cottage cheese into pasta sauce for a creamy flavor

High Phosphorus Cheeses

Some cheeses can be quite high in phosphorus.

As mentioned, we won’t absorb all of the phosphorus. However, if you struggle with controlling your phosphorus levels you may need to limit or avoid these.

• Romano Cheese – 215 milligrams of phosphorus per ounce
• Parmesan Cheese – 178 milligrams of phosphorus per ounce
• Gruyere Cheese – 172 milligrams of phosphorus per ounce
• Swiss Cheese – 161 milligrams of phosphorus per ounce
• Gouda Cheese – 155 milligrams of phosphorus per ounce

Sodium

Cheese is a notorious culprit of adding salt to our diet. The challenge is often due to portion sizes.

If you can stick to a one-ounce portion of cheese, which is generally one ounce, you will see that there are many cheeses that can fit into a kidney diet.

That being said, sodium isn’t often the first thing considered when looking at cheese and kidney disease. Most often the questions and concerns that come up are related to phosphorus and potassium.

Low Sodium Cheeses

Here are some cheese options that are the lowest in sodium.

• Mozzarella/String Cheese – 4 milligrams per ounce
• Ricotta Cheese – 24 milligrams per ounce
• Paneer Cheese – 52 milligrams per ounce
• Swiss Cheese – 54 milligrams per ounce
• Cream Cheese – 94 milligrams per ounce

Using Low-Sodium Cheese in a Kidney Diet

Here are some tips on using these low-sodium cheeses in a kidney diet.

• Try spreading ricotta on toast and topping with berries and honey for a sweet & savory meal.
• Paneer cheese is a great option for Indian cooking and recipes, often used as the main ingredient instead of meat.
• Use Swiss cheese on a sandwich or burger to cut down the sodium by over 60% compared to cheddar.

High Sodium Cheeses

As most people with kidney disease need to limit sodium, these are cheeses to enjoy every now and then, rather than daily.

• White Queso Cheese – 507 milligrams per ounce
• Processed Cheese – 477 milligrams per ounce
• American Cheese – 468 milligrams per ounce
• Parmesan Cheese – 433 milligrams per ounce
• Blue Cheese – 395 milligrams per ounce

PRAL

Potential Renal Acid Load is otherwise known as PRAL.

The PRAL value for cheese is generally slightly positive. This means acid-producing.

Cheese is considered higher in protein and phosphorus than potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

It results in a positive or acid-producing PRAL value because of this imbalance.

Too much acid-producing foods can be harmful for people with CKD.

And therefore, limiting cheese to 1 to 2 ounces per day helps prevent too high a PRAL score.

Low-PRAL Cheese Options

Here are some cheeses that have a lower PRAL score.

• Neufchatel Cheese
• Cottage Cheese
• Brie Cheese
• Paneer Cheese

Remember pairing acid-producing foods like cheese with potassium-rich foods like fruits and vegetables helps to lower the PRAL acid score.

Plant-Based Cheese

A growing trend is the creation of plant-based cheeses. And while some of these can be great options, there are a few things to consider.

Phosphate Additives

Plant-based cheeses may have phosphate additives to help keep them fresh.

If phosphorus is a concern for you, check the ingredients list for phosphates.

Sodium

Just like regular cheeses, plant-based cheeses may be high in sodium.

It can be worth comparing the plant-based one to a regular cheese and see which is lower in sodium.

Saturated Fat

Again, plant-based cheeses are often created to be very similar to regular cheese.

This can mean using an oil/fat base, which can increase the saturated fat content.

Cooking Purpose

Some plant-based cheeses don’t provide the same texture or melting capabilities as regular cheese.

It may be worth trying a few different cooking or prep methods if you want to try a plant-based cheese.

Renal Diet Cheese List

Below is a table of the protein, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium content in one ounce of cheese.

You can sort the table by any of the topics to find options based on your needs.

Description	Protein (g) Per Ounce	Potassium (mg) Per Ounce	Sodium (mg) Per Ounce	Phosphorus (mg) Per Ounce
Cheddar cheese	7	27	174	128
Swiss cheese	8	22	54	161
American cheese	5	37	468	106
Parmesan cheese	11	35	433	178
Ricotta cheese (whole milk)	3	29	24	45
Cottage cheese (2% milkfat)	3	30	103	42
White queso cheese	7	32	507	133
Mozzarella cheese (part-skim), aka string cheese	8	27	4	149
Processed cheese	4	83	477	151
Blue cheese	6	73	395	108
Brie cheese	6	43	178	53
Camembert cheese	6	53	239	98
Colby cheese	7	36	169	130
Feta cheese	4	18	316	96
Fontina cheese	7	18	224	98
Gouda cheese	7	34	232	155
Gruyere cheese	8	23	94	172
Muenster cheese	7	38	176	133
Cream cheese	2	39	91	91
Neufchatel cheese	3	43	95	39
Provolone cheese	7	39	245	141
Romano cheese	9	24	340	215
Goat cheese	5	7	130	73
Paneer cheese	4	204	52	137
Oxaca cheese	7	24	220	114
Queso fresco	6	38	188	117

All nutrition information was obtained from the USDA Food Database.

Summary 

Cheese doesn’t have to be off the table when you’re living with kidney disease.

By understanding how nutrients like protein, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and saturated fat vary between cheeses, you can choose options that align with your lab values and treatment goals.

With guidance from your healthcare team, and portion awareness, cheese can add flavor, variety, and nutrition to a kidney-friendly diet.

Ultimately, the key isn’t removing foods you love, but learning how they fit so you can eat confidently and protect your kidney health.