How many calories are in a Kraft American cheese slice?
One square slice weighs 21 g and carries 64 calories. Per 100 g the same pasteurized process cheese product runs 307 calories, a number that looks alarming until you remember how little a single slice actually weighs. The row worth reading is not calories at all. It is sodium: 269 mg in that one slice.
You'd need to walk about 13 minutes to burn the 64 calories in one slice (21 g).
How long does it take to burn off 64 kcal of American cheese slice?
One slice (21 g) is 64 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 64 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 13 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 8 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 9 min |
| Jogging | 8 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 14 min |
Times are for a 155 lb adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (21 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Kraft American cheese slice quick facts
- US servings from one slice to a stack of two
- Deli slices and lighter singles
- Sodium is the number to watch
- How does American cheese compare?
- Most popular kraft american cheese slice brands
- FAQ
Kraft American cheese slice quick facts
Kraft Singles are not sold as cheese. The wrapper says pasteurized process cheese product, and USDA keeps a matching record for exactly that format: SR Legacy 171289, "Cheese product, pasteurized process, American, vitamin D fortified". That is the record used on this page, because it is the one with a full nutrient panel and it describes the slice most people pull out of a plastic sleeve. A newer Foundation entry for American singles lands at 309.768 calories per 100 g, within about 1% of it, which is a reassuring second opinion.
The standard slice in that record is 21 g, the classic three-quarter-ounce square. Everything in the right-hand column below is that slice.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 slice (21 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 307 | 64 | — |
| Total fat | 23.06 g | 4.8 g | 6% |
| Saturated fat | 12.93 g | 2.7 g | 14% |
| Carbohydrate | 8.85 g | 1.9 g | 1% |
| Dietary fiber | 0 g | 0 g | 0% |
| Total sugars | 6.24 g | 1.3 g | — |
| Protein | 16.09 g | 3.4 g | 7% |
| Sodium | 1279 mg | 269 mg | 12% |
% Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
There is no added sugars line here because the SR Legacy edition of this record does not carry that nutrient at all, and the 6.24 g of total sugars per 100 g is lactose from the milk and whey rather than anything spooned in. Cholesterol works out to 16 mg per slice, 5% of the Daily Value, and potassium to 62 mg, about 1%. The fiber row is a genuine zero, not a rounding artifact.
US servings from one slice to a stack of two
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| One thin deli-cut slice | 19 g | 58 kcal |
| One slice, 3/4 oz square | 21 g | 64 kcal |
| Two slices, one sandwich | 42 g | 129 kcal |
| 1 oz | 28 g | 87 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 307 kcal |
Only the 21 g slice and the 100 g figure come straight from USDA. The 19 g thin cut, the two-slice stack and the ounce are our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g number, not USDA servings, which matters because slice weights on the shelf swing from 19 g to 23 g depending on the line you buy.
That swing is the first thing worth knowing. A heavier slice is not automatically the bigger number, and a lighter one is not automatically the saving. Kraft Deli Deluxe slices weigh less than a Single, 19 g against 21 g, yet the label reads 70 calories against 64, because Deli Deluxe runs 368 calories per 100 g and the Singles-style product runs 307. The product format carries more moisture and whey, so you get more grams of slice per calorie. Crystal Farms and Great Value deluxe slices land in the same place, 70 calories for 19 g, while a Castle Wood Reserve slice is 23 g and 90 calories.
Deli slices and lighter singles
American cheese is a family of records, not one food, and the spread per slice is wide: 31 calories at the bottom, 104 at the top.
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical slice | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasteurized process cheese product, this page | 307 kcal | 1 slice (21 g) | 64 kcal |
| Deli-counter American, vitamin D fortified | 366 kcal | 1 slice (1 oz, 28 g) | 102 kcal |
| American cheese without added vitamin D | 371 kcal | 1 slice (1 oz, 28 g) | 104 kcal |
| Pasteurized process cheese food | 330 kcal | 1 slice (3/4 oz, 21 g) | 69 kcal |
| Reduced-fat American cheese product | 240 kcal | 1 slice (21 g) | 50 kcal |
| Low-fat American cheese | 180 kcal | 1 slice (3/4 oz, 21 g) | 38 kcal |
| Kraft Free Singles, nonfat | 148 kcal | 1 slice (21 g) | 31 kcal |
Two labels do most of the confusing. Cheese product is the lightest of the three main tiers at 307 calories per 100 g; cheese food sits at 330; plain pasteurized process American cheese, the thick slab cut at the deli counter, is 366. Stack those at real slice weights and the deli slice is 102 calories against 64 for the wrapped square, a 60% jump for a sandwich that looks identical once it melts.
Going the other way is more effective than most people expect. The reduced-fat product slice is 50 calories, and Kraft Free Singles are 31, under half a regular slice, while still listing 22.7 g of protein per 100 g. Those per-slice numbers for the reduced-fat and nonfat lines are our own scaling from the USDA 100 g figures at a 21 g slice weight. What you give up is melt and mouthfeel, not protein.
Sodium is the number to watch
Sixty-four calories is a rounding error in most days. Two hundred sixty-nine milligrams of sodium is not. That single slice is 12% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value the FDA uses on the Nutrition Facts label, and two slices in a grilled cheese reach 538 mg, 23% of the day, or roughly a quarter teaspoon of table salt. The sodium is not an accident of seasoning. The emulsifying salts that keep process cheese smooth and meltable are sodium-based, which is why the deli block is higher still at 1,671 mg per 100 g.
Saturated fat is the second surprise. Total fat on one slice is a mild 6% of the Daily Value, but saturated fat is 14%, because 12.93 g of the 23.06 g of fat per 100 g is saturated. Three slices across a day would cover about 40% of the 20 g allowance without registering as a real meal. If you are watching either number, the reduced-fat product slice at 50 calories is the useful swap, and MyPlate's dairy guidance points the same direction on lower-fat choices.
How does American cheese compare?
| Cheese | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| American cheese product | 307 kcal | 1 oz (28 g) | 87 kcal |
| Mozzarella, low moisture part-skim | 295 kcal | 1 oz (28 g) | 84 kcal |
| Mozzarella, whole milk | 299 kcal | 1 oz (28 g) | 85 kcal |
| Mexican blend, reduced fat | 282 kcal | 1 oz (28 g) | 80 kcal |
Our take: on calories these four are the same cheese. Ounce for ounce the gap between the heaviest and the lightest is seven calories, and nobody has ever lost weight by switching from American to mozzarella. Protein is where the choice is real. American cheese carries 16.09 g per 100 g against 23.75 g for part-skim mozzarella and 24.69 g for the reduced-fat Mexican blend, so you get roughly a third less protein for the same calories, and it is the only one of the four with almost 9 g of carbohydrate per 100 g. For melt on a burger, American wins on physics. For a cheese that earns its place in a lunch, shredded part-skim mozzarella does more work per calorie.
Most popular kraft american cheese slice brands in the United States
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United States, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each Nutrition Facts label, checked against USDA FoodData Central.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Kraft Deli Deluxe American Slices | 368 cal |
| Kraft Deli Deluxe American 2-Slice | 360 cal |
| Kraft Deli Deluxe Reduced Fat American | 316 cal |
| Crystal Farms American Slices | 368 cal |
| Castle Wood Reserve American | 391 cal |
| Great Value Deluxe American | 368 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
American cheese FAQs
How many calories are in one Kraft American cheese slice?
64 calories in one 21 g slice of pasteurized process American cheese product, the format Kraft Singles are sold in. That works out to 307 calories per 100 g. The same slice carries 4.8 g of fat, 3.4 g of protein and 269 mg of sodium, which is 12% of the Daily Value.
How many calories are in 2 slices of American cheese?
Two 21 g slices come to 129 calories for 42 g of cheese. That is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure rather than a listed USDA serving. The pair brings 9.7 g of fat, 6.8 g of protein and 538 mg of sodium, which is 23% of the Daily Value for sodium.
How much sodium is in a Kraft American cheese slice?
269 mg per 21 g slice, or 12% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value. Per 100 g the figure is 1,279 mg, high even by cheese standards, because the emulsifying salts that keep process cheese smooth and meltable are sodium-based. Two slices in a sandwich reach 538 mg, about a quarter teaspoon of table salt.
Is Kraft Singles real cheese?
No: a 21 g slice is labeled pasteurized process cheese product, not cheese, and USDA keeps it as a separate record from block American cheese. The numbers differ accordingly: 307 calories per 100 g for the product against 366 for the deli-counter version, with 8.85 g of carbohydrate against 4.78 g. Cheese is still the base ingredient.
How much protein is in a slice of American cheese?
3.4 g in a 21 g slice, 7% of the Daily Value, from 16.09 g per 100 g. That is the weak spot of this cheese, since part-skim mozzarella carries 23.75 g per 100 g for almost identical calories. Two slices reach 6.8 g of protein and 14% of the Daily Value.
Kraft Singles vs Kraft Deli Deluxe: which has fewer calories?
The Deli Deluxe slice is smaller but not lighter: 70 calories in 19 g against 64 calories in a 21 g Singles-style slice, because Deli Deluxe runs 368 calories per 100 g and the product format runs 307. Reduced Fat Deli Deluxe is the lightest of the three, 60 calories per 19 g slice.
Is American cheese high in saturated fat?
By density, yes: 12.93 g per 100 g, more than half of the 23.06 g of total fat. One 21 g slice holds 2.7 g, which is 14% of the 20 g Daily Value, while total fat is only 6%. Three slices across a day would use about 40% of the saturated fat allowance.
How many calories in a slice of fat-free American cheese?
31 calories in a 21 g slice of Kraft Free Singles, from 148 calories per 100 g, under half a regular slice. The trade is texture rather than protein: the nonfat product lists 22.7 g of protein per 100 g, about 4.8 g per slice, alongside 273 mg of sodium. Those per-slice figures are our own scaling.
Similar foods
- Honey — 64 cal per tablespoon
- Cheeseburger — 488 cal per cheeseburger
- Condensed Milk — 122 cal per 2 tbsp
- Wonton wrapper — 23 cal per wonton wrapper
- Maple Syrup — 216 cal for 1/4 cup
- Gouda cheese — 75 cal per slice
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the sandwich and BodyPal counts the slices for you, wrapper or deli cut.
