How many calories are in Velveeta?
A 1 oz slice of Velveeta is 85 calories, and the block itself runs 303 calories per 100 g. That is within two calories an ounce of ordinary American cheese. The number that actually moves on this page is sodium: 420 mg sits in that single slice, 18% of a day.
You'd need to walk about 17 minutes to burn the 85 calories in a 1 oz slice (28 g).
How long does it take to burn off Velveeta?
A 1 oz slice (28 g) is 85 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 85 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 17 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 11 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 12 min |
| Jogging | 10 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 19 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 (28 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Velveeta quick facts
- US servings, from one slice to half a loaf
- Light, shreds, shells and the other Velveetas
- Sodium is the row to watch
- How does Velveeta compare?
- Most popular velveeta brands
- FAQ
Velveeta quick facts
The row below is SR Legacy 173448, "KRAFT VELVEETA Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread". It is the block you cut on a board, the thing in the photo, and the only USDA entry for Velveeta with a complete panel down to cholesterol and potassium. The branded record built from today's package rounds to 250 calories per 100 g under FDA label rules, and that gap gets its own line further down.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 oz slice (28 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 303 | 85 | — |
| Total fat | 22 g | 6.2 g | 8% |
| Saturated fat | 14.4 g | 4.0 g | 20% |
| Carbohydrate | 9.8 g | 2.7 g | 1% |
| Dietary fiber | 0 g | 0 g | 0% |
| Total sugars | 8.1 g | 2.3 g | — |
| Protein | 16.3 g | 4.6 g | 9% |
| Sodium | 1499 mg | 420 mg | 18% |
% 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 →
Two rows you would see on the package are missing here on purpose. USDA does not publish added sugars or trans fat for this record, so there is no honest figure to print for either; the 8.1 g of total sugars per 100 g is mostly lactose, and total sugars carry no Daily Value. Cholesterol comes in at 80 mg per 100 g, which is 22 mg and 7% of a day in one slice. Potassium is 335 mg per 100 g, 94 mg a slice, 2%.
Read the fat and protein rows together and the picture sharpens. One slice hands you a fifth of the day's saturated fat, per the FDA Daily Values, and less than a tenth of the day's protein. Most hard cheeses do better on that trade.
US servings, from one slice to half a loaf
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz slice | 28 g | 85 kcal |
| Two slices, one sandwich | 56 g | 170 kcal |
| 4 oz melted into a dish | 113 g | 342 kcal |
| Half of a 16 oz loaf | 227 g | 688 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 303 kcal |
The 1 oz slice is the label serving and the only one you can call a USDA household measure. The 4 oz melted portion and the half-loaf line are our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not USDA servings — but they are the two amounts people actually use. Nobody melts one ounce into a casserole.
That is where the calorie math turns unfriendly. Four ounces of Velveeta stirred into a bake, roughly what the dish in the photo below takes, is 342 calories and 16.3 g of saturated fat: 81% of a day from the cheese alone, before the chicken and the pasta. Half a loaf, which is what a party dip swallows, is 688 calories.
Cubing changes nothing. Melting changes nothing. A gram of Velveeta is 3.03 calories whether it is sliced, cubed or poured, so the only honest way to count a pot of queso is to weigh what goes in.
Light, shreds, shells and the other Velveetas
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original loaf, USDA SR Legacy | 303 kcal | 1 oz slice (28 g) | 85 kcal |
| Original loaf, today's package label | 250 kcal | 1 oz slice (28 g) | 70 kcal |
| Velveeta Light | 222 kcal | 1 oz slice (28 g) | 62 kcal |
| Velveeta Shreds Original | 214 kcal | 1/4 cup (28 g) | 60 kcal |
| Velveeta Shredded Queso Blanco | 214 kcal | 1/4 cup (28 g) | 60 kcal |
| Velveeta Shells & Cheese, dry kit | 304 kcal | 4 oz dry (112 g) | 341 kcal |
| Velveeta Cheesy Bowls Bacon Mac & Cheese | 133 kcal | 1 package (255 g) | 339 kcal |
Start with the strangest line. The branded record for the loaf on shelves today reads 250 calories per 100 g, 53 below the SR Legacy laboratory row. Neither is wrong. Label values are rounded to FDA increments and reflect the current recipe; the SR Legacy analysis is a full lab workup of an older sample. If you are counting off the box in your hand, 70 calories a slice is the number printed there. If you want the fuller nutrient panel, you take 85 and the cholesterol and potassium that come with it.
Velveeta Light saves 23 calories a slice, 62 against 85, and it does it by cutting fat from 22 g to 10.6 g per 100 g while nudging protein up to 19.6 g. The trade is salt. The Light record lists 1,586 mg of sodium per 100 g against the original's 1,499, which by our own scaling from those 100 g figures is about 444 mg in a slice instead of 420. Lower calories, more sodium.
The shreds all land in the same place: 214 calories per 100 g, 60 calories for the 1/4 cup (28 g) label serving, whether you buy Original, Cheddar, Mozzarella or Queso Blanco. They are the lightest way to get Velveeta onto a plate per ounce, and they are also the saltiest — 1,643 mg per 100 g for Shreds Original, 1,607 for Queso Blanco.
The two prepared products are a different food. Shells & Cheese is 304 calories per 100 g dry because it is mostly pasta, 50.89 g of carbohydrate per 100 g against 4.02 g of fat, and a 4 oz (112 g) dry serving is 341 calories before the butter and milk the directions ask for. The Cheesy Bowls bacon mac is 133 calories per 100 g only because it arrives with water already in it; the whole 255 g package is 339 calories.
Sodium is the row to watch
Velveeta is a middling-calorie cheese and a genuinely salty one. A slice is 420 mg, 18% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value. Two slices on a grilled sandwich, 840 mg, take you to 37% before the bread. Four ounces melted into a casserole is about 1,694 mg by our arithmetic from the 100 g figure, 74% of the day from one ingredient. Half a loaf in a dip bowl runs to roughly 3,403 mg, past a full day.
Compare that with what the calories are doing. The same 4 oz is 342 calories, about a sixth of a 2,000-calorie day. Sodium outruns calories by better than four to one here, and the CDC's sodium guidance is the reason to notice. If you are watching blood pressure, the portion size matters more with this cheese than with almost anything else in the dairy aisle.
Saturated fat is the second row. Each slice is 4.0 g, exactly 20% of the 20 g Daily Value, so five slices across a day is the whole allowance. MyPlate's dairy guidance points toward lower-fat dairy for most of your intake, which is where the Light version or the shreds earn their place — not because either is a health food, but because the same melt costs 62 or 60 calories instead of 85.
How does Velveeta compare?
| Cheese | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Velveeta, original loaf | 303 kcal | 1 oz slice, 28 g | 85 kcal |
| Pasteurized process American, vitamin D fortified | 307 kcal | 1 oz, 28 g | 86 kcal |
| Mozzarella, low-moisture part-skim, shredded | 304 kcal | 1 oz, 28 g | 85 kcal |
| Queso fresco | 299 kcal | 1 oz, 28 g | 84 kcal |
Our take: calories are not the deciding factor here, and anyone telling you Velveeta is the fattening choice is arguing about four calories. All four sit between 84 and 86 per ounce, and only queso fresco is lighter than Velveeta per 100 g, by 4 calories. Protein is where they separate. Part-skim mozzarella carries 23.63 g per 100 g and queso fresco 18.09 g, against 16.3 g for Velveeta and 16.09 g for generic American. For a melt on a burger or a bake, shredded part-skim mozzarella buys you meaningfully more protein for the same calories. Velveeta's advantage is that it melts smooth without splitting, which is a cooking argument, not a nutrition one.
Most popular velveeta 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) |
|---|---|
| Velveeta Processed Cheese Loaf Original | 250 cal |
| Velveeta Shredded Queso Blanco | 214 cal |
| Velveeta Shreds Cheddar | 214 cal |
| Velveeta Shreds Original | 214 cal |
| Velveeta Shreds Mozzarella | 214 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Velveeta FAQs
How many calories are in a slice of Velveeta?
A 1 oz slice weighs 28 g and carries 85 calories, scaled from the USDA figure of 303 calories per 100 g. Two slices on a sandwich come to 170. That single slice also brings 4.0 g of saturated fat, 20% of a day's worth, and 420 mg of sodium.
How much sodium is in Velveeta?
One 1 oz slice has 420 mg of sodium, 18% of the FDA's 2,300 mg Daily Value, and 100 g has 1,499 mg. Four ounces melted into a casserole works out to about 1,694 mg by our own scaling, or 74% of a day from one ingredient.
Is Velveeta real cheese?
USDA files it as "KRAFT VELVEETA Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread," and today's package reads processed cheese loaf, 250 calories per 100 g on the label. Nutritionally it lands beside the generic USDA row for pasteurized process American cheese product: 307 calories per 100 g against Velveeta's 303. The label language differs; the calories barely do.
How many calories in Velveeta Light?
Velveeta Light is 222 calories per 100 g, so a 1 oz slice is 62 calories against 85 for the original, a saving of 23. Fat drops from 22 g to 10.6 g per 100 g. The catch is salt: the Light record lists 1,586 mg of sodium per 100 g, above the original's 1,499 mg.
How many calories in a cup of melted Velveeta?
USDA publishes no cup weight for this record, so the honest answer is by weight: 100 g of Velveeta is 303 calories and 4 oz (113 g) is 342. Melting changes the shape, not the calories, and a cup of packed cubes will land well above 342.
How many calories in Velveeta Shells & Cheese?
The dry kit is 304 calories per 100 g, so a 4 oz (112 g) dry serving is 341 calories before the butter and milk the directions ask for. That is four slices' worth of calories, and most of it is pasta: 50.89 g of carbohydrate per 100 g.
Does Velveeta have added sugars?
The 8.1 g of total sugars per 100 g, or 2.3 g in a 1 oz slice, is largely lactose from the milk. USDA does not publish added sugars for this record, so no honest number exists for that line. Total sugars carry no Daily Value.
How many calories in Velveeta Shreds?
Velveeta Shreds are 214 calories per 100 g, and the label serving of 1/4 cup (28 g) is 60 calories, 25 fewer than a 1 oz slice of the loaf. Queso Blanco, cheddar and mozzarella shreds all match at 214. Sodium is higher though: 1,643 mg per 100 g for Shreds Original.
Similar foods
- Chuck Roast — 257 cal per 3 oz
- Sausage — 210 cal per link
- Hush puppies — 521 cal for 8 hush puppies
- Mozzarella — 334 cal per cup, shredded
- Italian sub — 610 cal per regular sub
- Ribeye Steak — 495 cal per 8 oz steak
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the board and BodyPal counts the slices for you, melted or not.
