Dairy

Cream cheese nutrition, the complete picture.

Weigh out 1 tbsp of cream cheese and you are looking at 51 calories, with 0.9 g of protein inside them. Those numbers describe “Cheese, cream” in USDA FoodData Central. Use the selector that follows to match your own portion; the panel and the nutrient table track it.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

USDA FoodData Central record 173418 supply every value here. The calculation happens in this page.

The calorie count for cream cheese

1 tbsp of cream cheese supplies 51 calories, which scales to 350 per 100 g. Each serving listed underneath was weighed by USDA rather than estimated.

Protein in cream cheese, measured

For protein, 1 tbsp of cream cheese gives you 0.9 g, which fills 2 percent of the daily 50 g benchmark. 7 percent of the energy in cream cheese is protein, which is too little to plan around.

By calories rather than by weight the split is 7 percent protein, 87 percent fat and 6 percent carbohydrate, so in practice it is mostly a fat rather than anything else.

Kitchen notes on cream cheese

Cream cheese is a soft, unripened cheese made from milk and cream. It comes in blocks or whipped tubs. Choose blocks for baking because they contain less air and water. Avoid brands with added stabilisers if you prefer a clean dairy flavour. Whipped versions suit spreading but ruin baking structures.

Gentle warmth softens cream cheese, but high heat causes it to curdle and separate. The most common error is mixing it cold into cake batters or cheesecakes. This results in permanent, lumpy batter. Always bring it to room temperature before beating to ensure a smooth, emulsified texture in your bakes.

This cheese spreads onto toasted bagels with smoked salmon in Jewish-American cuisine. In British kitchens, cooks whip it into sweetened icings for carrot cake. Japanese bakers fold it into airy, souffled cakes. It balances fiery chillies in Mexican jalapeño poppers and thickens savoury sauces for Italian pasta dishes.

The complete cream cheese breakdown

Cream cheese spreads its micronutrients thinly. Every value USDA reports is listed, tied to your chosen portion.

Watch the sodium: 314 mg in 100 g, or 14 percent of the recommended maximum for a day.

Cream cheese against a daily budget

If you eat 2,000 calories a day, 1 tbsp of cream cheese accounts for 3 percent of them, and for 2 percent of the 50 g protein benchmark. To replace 2,000 with your real number, use the TDEE calculator; to turn that into targets, the macro calculator.

Cream cheese recipes, with the numbers

Written by the Calorie Counter Team. The nutrition under each one is not an estimate: every ingredient is matched to its USDA FoodData Central record and the totals are summed from those, then divided by the servings.

Breakfast · British

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Scrambled Eggs

A quick breakfast of scrambled eggs folded with smoked salmon and soft cream cheese.

10 min · serves 2

315kcal

19gprotein

25gfat

2.8gcarbs

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs 200 g
• Cream cheese 60 g
• Smoked salmon 50 g
• Unsalted butter 10 g
• Fresh chives 5 g
• Ground black pepper 1 g

Method

1. Whisk the eggs and black pepper together in a bowl until combined.
2. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
3. Pour in the eggs and stir slowly until they begin to set.
4. Fold in the cream cheese and smoked salmon pieces gently.
5. Cook for one minute until the cheese melts slightly and the eggs are soft.
6. Scatter the chives over the top and serve immediately.

6 USDA records went into this total. It describes the ingredients as weighed, not the dish after cooking losses.

Dinner · European

Spinach and Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Chicken breasts stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese, garlic, and spinach, then baked.

35 min · serves 2

435kcal

38gprotein

29gfat

5.1gcarbs

Ingredients

• 2 boneless chicken breasts 300 g
• Cream cheese 100 g
• Fresh spinach 80 g
• Olive oil 15 g
• Garlic clove 6 g
• Table salt 2 g

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Mix the cream cheese, spinach, minced garlic, and salt in a bowl.
3. Cut a horizontal pocket into the side of each chicken breast.
4. Fill each pocket with the cream cheese mixture and secure with toothpicks.
5. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking tray.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Summed from 6 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Snack · British

Herbed Cream Cheese Spread

A thick savoury spread made by blending cream cheese with sour cream and fresh green herbs.

35 min · serves 4

207kcal

3.6gprotein

20gfat

3.9gcarbs

Ingredients

• Cream cheese 200 g
• Sour cream 60 g
• Fresh chives 10 g
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley 10 g
• Table salt 2 g
• Ground black pepper 1 g

Method

1. Place the cream cheese and sour cream in a mixing bowl.
2. Beat the mixture with a spoon until smooth and combined.
3. Stir in the chopped chives, chopped parsley, salt, and black pepper.
4. Transfer the spread to a serving bowl.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

6 USDA records went into this total. It describes the ingredients as weighed, not the dish after cooking losses.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

What a meal with cream cheese adds up to

Here is cream cheese as part of a plate, with each component taken from its own USDA record and the total added up.

Cream cheese beside its neighbours

Compared gram for gram, with the form of each food stated. Follow any link for that food’s full page.

What people ask about cream cheese

What is the calorie count for 1 tbsp of cream cheese?

The USDA figure is 51 calories, or 350 per 100 g. It is taken from the record “Cheese, cream”, FDC 173418.

How much protein is in cream cheese?

6.2 g per 100 g, so 1 tbsp of cream cheese supplies 0.9 g. Against the Daily Value that is 2 percent.

Is cream cheese good for weight loss?

It can fit any calorie target; no single food decides the outcome. What matters here is that 1 tbsp of cream cheese costs 51 calories and returns 0.9 g of protein, so 7 percent of its energy is protein — useful alongside a protein source rather than as one.

Why does my cream cheese frosting turn runny when I beat it?

Overworking the cheese breaks its structure. Whipping too much or adding liquid colourings turns the mixture liquid. Beat the butter and sugar thoroughly beforehand, then fold the room-temperature cheese in gently until just combined.

Can you freeze cream cheese for cooking later?

Freezing damages the emulsion, causing the cheese to separate into crumbly curds and watery whey upon thawing. Thawed cream cheese is useless for spreading but remains acceptable when baked into sauces, batters, or casseroles.

Sources

• Cheese, cream — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 173418
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9