Which has more protein: Greek yogurt, skyr or cottage cheese?

Per typical US serving, cottage cheese usually wins on absolute grams (17 to 18g), with high protein Greek yogurt lines close behind (15 to 20g, up to 25g for ratio) and skyr at 12 to 15g. Per calorie, plain nonfat Greek yogurt leads: FAGE Total 0% delivers 16g in 80 calories, about 20g of protein per 100 calories.

Is skyr healthier than Greek yogurt?

They are close relatives: both are strained cultured dairy, and skyr is technically a soft cheese strained further still. Nutritionally the plain nonfat versions are near identical per gram. The real differences are texture (skyr is thicker) and flavouring: US skyr cups tend to carry 8 to 11g of sugar in fruit flavours, so the label decides, not the category.

Why does cottage cheese have more sodium?

Salt is part of how cottage cheese is made and seasoned, so tubs typically carry 300 to 400mg of sodium per serving against under 100mg for plain yogurt and skyr. If you are watching sodium, that is the one column where cottage cheese loses clearly.

Which is best for weight loss?

Whichever one you will eat consistently. All three are among the most protein efficient foods in the store, and the differences between them are smaller than the difference between any of them and a granola bar. Protein per calorie favours plain nonfat Greek yogurt; satiety research gives casein rich cottage cheese a slight edge per gram; skyr wins if the thicker texture is what keeps you coming back.

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Greek Yogurt vs Skyr vs Cottage Cheese: Which Has the Most Protein?

Three dairy foods dominate the high protein shelf, and the labels separate them cleanly: cottage cheese wins on grams per serving, plain Greek yogurt wins on protein per calorie, and skyr sits in between with the thickest texture. Verified numbers for all three.

Updated September 2026

Short answer: cottage cheese has the most protein per serving, plain nonfat Greek yogurt has the most protein per calorie, and skyr splits the difference with the thickest spoon. All three earn their place on the high protein shelf; the right one depends on which number you are optimising.

The verified numbers

Typical US serving	Plain nonfat Greek yogurt (FAGE Total 0%)	Skyr (siggi's, Icelandic Provisions)	Cottage cheese (Good Culture, Daisy)
Protein	16g	12 to 15g	17 to 18g
Calories	80	120 to 130	110 to 120
Protein per 100 calories	20g	10 to 12g	14 to 15g
Sugar	5g	8 to 11g	5g
Sodium	Low	Low	300 to 400mg

Figures from the verified US products in our catalog, September 2026, using plain or lightly flavoured versions where they exist. Flavoured cups change these numbers fast: fruit on the bottom can double the sugar of any of the three.

What each one actually is

Greek yogurt is cultured milk strained to remove whey liquid, concentrating protein. Skyr is Iceland's version of the same idea taken further: cultured with different strains, strained more, and technically classed as a fresh soft cheese, which is why it spoons so thick. Cottage cheese skips the straining and instead curdles the milk, keeping the casein curds loose and moist, with a little cream and salt added back.

The protein consequences: yogurt and skyr keep the natural whey and casein mix of milk, while cottage cheese is nearly all casein, the slow digesting milk protein. For muscle, all three are complete, high quality proteins; casein digests more slowly, which reads as lasting fullness.

Which to pick, by goal

Most protein for the fewest calories: plain nonfat Greek yogurt, and it is not close. 20g of protein per 100 calories beats most protein shakes. The full field is on the best high protein yogurt ranking.
Most grams per container: the high protein yogurt lines built for exactly this: ratio PROTEIN carries 25g per cup and the 20g class (Oikos Pro, Chobani 20g Protein) sits just behind, alongside cottage cheese at 17 to 18g. Ranked by grams on the highest protein yogurt list.
On a GLP-1 medication: all three fit; small volume and real protein is the whole game. The cups that meet our GLP-1 standard are on the yogurt for Ozempic ranking, and the casein trade off for cottage cheese is covered in cottage cheese on Ozempic.
Watching sodium: yogurt or skyr. Cottage cheese's 300 to 400mg per serving is its one consistent label weakness.
Evening snack: cottage cheese's slow casein has the strongest overnight logic, though the effect size is modest. Eat the one you enjoy.

The flavour trap

Every brand here sells plain versions with honest numbers and dessert versions wearing the same logo. A vanilla fruit cup can carry 12g of sugar where the plain cup carries 5g, at 40 extra calories for zero extra protein. The style (Greek, skyr, cottage) matters less than whether you grabbed plain or dessert, which is why our rankings show every flavour's verified numbers separately.

Track it, whichever you choose

A 15 to 20g serving only helps if it happens most days. Protein Pal logs any of these in seconds and shows your daily protein total filling up, free to download on iOS and Android.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which has more protein: Greek yogurt, skyr or cottage cheese?: Per typical US serving, cottage cheese usually wins on absolute grams (17 to 18g), with high protein Greek yogurt lines close behind (15 to 20g, up to 25g for ratio) and skyr at 12 to 15g. Per calorie, plain nonfat Greek yogurt leads: FAGE Total 0% delivers 16g in 80 calories, about 20g of protein per 100 calories.
Is skyr healthier than Greek yogurt?: They are close relatives: both are strained cultured dairy, and skyr is technically a soft cheese strained further still. Nutritionally the plain nonfat versions are near identical per gram. The real differences are texture (skyr is thicker) and flavouring: US skyr cups tend to carry 8 to 11g of sugar in fruit flavours, so the label decides, not the category.
Why does cottage cheese have more sodium?: Salt is part of how cottage cheese is made and seasoned, so tubs typically carry 300 to 400mg of sodium per serving against under 100mg for plain yogurt and skyr. If you are watching sodium, that is the one column where cottage cheese loses clearly.
Which is best for weight loss?: Whichever one you will eat consistently. All three are among the most protein efficient foods in the store, and the differences between them are smaller than the difference between any of them and a granola bar. Protein per calorie favours plain nonfat Greek yogurt; satiety research gives casein rich cottage cheese a slight edge per gram; skyr wins if the thicker texture is what keeps you coming back.

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