Trudi Cals in Food 2
Cheese is one of the nation's favourite sandwich fillers - but more than that, cheese is an essential ingredient in so many recipes. With the average serving (1oz/30g) of mature cheddar cheese coming in at 123kcal and 10.3 g fat, we can see why wlr members were requesting a comparison of low calorie cheese.
Always willing to oblige, we've checked out the lower and reduced fat, mature cheeses on offer. We've gone for mature cheddars because a stronger tasting cheese can really help to satisfy any cheese cravings.
The nutritional information is based on a 30g serving and we've put the cheese into 3 groups for you: The Best = 5 Star Rated, OK = 4 Star Rated, and The Worst = 3 Star Rated. That said, 3 stars is still a pretty good rating!
Grating a 30g serving makes it go much further and, with the highest calorie count being 101 calories, these low calorie cheeses mean you can still indulge without worrying too much.
~ The Best: Top Rated Lower Fat Cheese ~
Pilgrims Choice Lighter Mature Cheddar Cheese
This cheese has a good strong flavour, which is what you need when using a mature cheese. It does seem it is the easiest to grate or slice. A good option for those watching the calories and fat.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Review
"I find this cheese good quality and one of the easiest to slice and keep the full block shape. Even though it's 'lighter' it still has a nice strong flavour." Anon review on Tesco
Pilgrims Choice Lighter Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese
If you want that extra mature taste, this option could be for you. Just because you're watching your waistline, doesn't mean you have to miss out on a slice of cheese on toast and, according to reviews, this cheese melts really well!
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"It's goooorgeous!! It melts brilliantly, you can eat it on crackers, sandwiches. It's just 'normal'. I don't think you even notice it's not full fat cheese! Happy days!!!" Mrs Gee in a review on Morrisons
"LOVE pilgrims lighter extra mature I'm glad Morrison's finally sell it. It's got a strong flavour which I like and impossible to tell the difference between full fat cheese and this." The Architect in a review on Morrisons
Cathedral City Lighter Cheddar
This cheese is smooth and mellow and is great in sandwiches or, because it melts well, for cooking. It's creamy, tasty, easy to slice and grates well.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"Excellent substitute for ordinary cheddar for people who needs to lower their cholesterol. Full of taste and ideal for cooking especially cheese sauces. lovely!!!" Anon review on Tesco
"This is the best lower fat cheese I've tasted so far. I will definitely carry on buying this one. I love tasty mature cheese and this ticks all the boxes." Anon review on Tesco
Waitrose Essential 30% Reduced Fat Mature Cheddar Strength 4
This reduced fat cheddar is a great filling for a sandwich and for cooking. It has a smooth aftertaste and a good texture. It is still tasty, despite being low fat, and melts well.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"My family and I think this is a delicious lighter version. Has some real cheesy bite with a smooth aftertaste." Gigi77 in a review on Waitrose
"Really tasty cheese. The lower fat content does not mean any loss in taste, its delicious." Suzy32 in a review on Waitrose
~ OK: Medium Rated Lower Fat Cheese ~
Tesco 50% Reduced Fat Fat Mature Cheese
This cheese is a good choice. It goes great on top of pasta dishes. It may be half the fat, but it is by no means half the taste. A alternative for a full fat cheddar.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"Since buying this I have not been tempted by the full fat cheese in the fridge used by the rest of the family. It's certainly a harder cheese (more like Parmesan to grate etc.) but tastes fine and stops the cheese craving." Anon review on Tesco
"The cheese isn't as strongly flavoured as full fat cheese, but we use it in sandwiches, toasted, etc., and soon got used to the different flavour." Anon review on Tesco
Waitrose Essential 50% Reduced Fat Mature Cheddar Strength 4
For a low fat, low price mature cheddar, this cheese has a more enhanced taste than other competitors. The only thing that lets it down a little is the texture, which is slightly crumblier than full fat.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"I wanted to include cheese in my diet meals and usually I don’t like the taste of low fat cheese but this one is perfect choice with more enhance cheesy flavour with less fat." Nn22ss in a review on Waitrose
"I bought this by mistake the first time , but after eating it found it to be very tasty and so I continue to buy it. You would never know it was 50% less fat." snicksnickers in a review on Waitrose
Essential 30% Reduced Fat Extra Mature Cheddar S6
This strong cheddar has a satisfying creamy taste. It works well for cooking, in sandwiches or on toast. The only difference to full-fat is that it lacks a bit of zing!
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"We buy this cheddar regularly as it tastes just as good as the full fat variety, but has less calories." FJF18 in a review on Waitrose
"This is one of the best reduced fat extra mature cheddars i have tasted. It is creamy and is a high quality product for an Essential brand." PJM77 in a review on Waitrose
ASDA 50% Less Fat Mature Cheddar Cheese
This cheese is perfect for grating on top of things like pasta! The texture is a little different to full-fat, which is to be expected. Nonetheless, it still tastes pretty good.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"Searched high and low for suitable alternative and here it is. None of that weak plastic stuff here...this Asda own brand reduced fat cheese is really tasty and just like normal cheese. Cooks well too." Anon review on ASDA
"Good quality, creamy cheese that's not too strong." Anon review on ASDA
Sainsbury's Lighter Mature Cheese
Low in price and fat, but still a solid choice; this cheese copes with being grated or sliced. It melts well, and the taste is satisfyingly cheesy.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"It isnt rubbery like some i have tried. I like the way it crumbles and, although reduced fat, it has retained enough taste for me to keep returning to it. I also mix it with the full fat version to have the feel of a full fat cheese with reduced calories." Bosun in a review on Sainsburys
"This cheese is lower in fat and price , but higher in taste and value. Grated or sliced its a lovely tasting cheese. Its my family favourite." Highfive67 in a review on Sainsburys
~ The Worst: Bottom Rated Lower Fat Cheese ~
Sainsbury's Mature White Cheddar Cheese, Be Good To Yourself
Whilst a little rubbery, this still has a lovely cheesy taste. It melts well, and would work splendidly with most dishes, especially those which require it grated!
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"Really good strong taste and unlike other half fat cheese it's not like chewing leather!" Supergran in a review on Sainsburys
"The texture is slightly odd, best described as if there are air pockets inside the cheese. Once the pack is nearly finished it becomes quite vile, but there is quite a substantial saturated fat reduction to it, so I'll continue to buy it, but it could be improved. I don't find it very flavoursome or mature." KDL8 in a review on Sainsburys
Morrisons Eat Smart 50% Reduced Fat Mature Cheddar
This cheese has a decent, strong taste and so would be a good alternative for any cheese addicts looking to cut down on fat. It is a little crumbly which makes grating difficult.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"It was better than expected and better than others I have tried. It was a bit crumbly but isn't that much of a problem, I avoided grating it and problem solved. If you wanna cut your fat intake try this alternative, it's the best I've tried." jay9419 in a review on Morrisons
"Looks rough and crumbles really easily so you will struggle to grate it without losing a quarter of the block. With it being low fat, I expect a difference in taste, however this is close to it being another product altogether." Deano in a review on Sainsburys
Creamfields Lighter Mature Cheese
This tastes less mature than it’s competitors, with a softer, more mild aroma to it. It does have a good texture though, and is a pretty decent alternative.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"Has no flavour. Much preferred Tesco Lighter Mature or Lighter Extra-Mature cheese." Anon review on Tesco
"This 'lighter' product is a great substitute. I have found nothing much is lost in taste, and better still it melts particularly well on homemade pizzas and cheese on toast. What's not to like!" Anon review on Tesco
Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Mature Cheese
The Weight Watchers cheddar is alright for taste but has an almost rubbery texture to it. It is quite soft, so may be better as an alternative for cooking rather than for sandwiches or similar meals.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"This cheese has the texture of rubber and has barely any taste, will not be buying again." Anon review on ASDA
"I keep buying this cheese, because it is by far the best-tasting fat-reduced cheese." Anon review on ASDA
Morrisons 30% Lighter Mature Cheddar
With a long lasting taste, this cheese is good for vintage cheese lovers. However, the taste is a little saltier than it’s competitors, and the texture is a little bit dry.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"It has a quite long lasting taste... Very nice.. Smooth texture. Will definitely buy more and recommend it to anyone who needs lower fat but can't stop eating cheese." DakotaStar in a review on Morrisons
"This tasted very “gritty” so much so that even though it had just been delivered I checked if it was out of date." WesleyJ13 in a review on Morrisons
Tesco 30% Reduced Fat Mature Cheese
This has a peculiar texture to it. That said, the taste is definitely right, with a good mature cheddar zing coming through.
Calorie and Nutritional Information
Serving Size 30g
Customer Reviews
"Lovely couldn’t tell the difference... give it a go!" Anon review on Tesco
"It has a weird texture to it and it doesn't taste like cheese at all." Anon review on Tesco
Calories in Reduced Fat Cheese Comparison
We thought you might be interested to see, at a glance, how many calories are in each of the low fat cheeses from each supermarket. Here's the results:
Product | Cals per 30g Serving |
---|---|
Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Mature Cheese | 65 |
Tesco 50% Reduced Fat Fat Mature Cheese | 74 |
Waitrose Essential 50% Reduced Fat Mature Cheddar Strength 4 | 82 |
Sainsbury's Mature White Cheddar Cheese, Be Good To Yourself | 82 |
Morrisons Eat Smart 50% Reduced Fat Mature Cheddar | 83 |
ASDA 50% Less Fat Mature Cheddar Cheese | 83.4 |
Sainsbury's Lighter Mature Cheese | 94 |
Tesco 30% Reduced Fat Mature Cheese | 94 |
Pilgrims Choice Lighter Mature Cheddar Cheese | 94.2 |
Pilgrims Choice Lighter Extra Mature Cheddar | 94.2 |
Creamfields Lighter Mature Cheese | 94.2 |
Morrisons 30% Lighter Mature Cheddar | 97 |
Cathedral City Lighter Cheddar | 99.3 |
Waitrose Essential 30% Reduced Fat Mature Cheddar Strength 4 | 101 |
Waitrose Essential 30% Reduced Fat Extra Mature Cheddar S6 | 101 |