Cream cheese is a smooth, mildly tangy-tasting, spreadable unripened cheese made from cow's milk, according to Epicurious website. Cream cheese is available whipped for dips or spreads with added fruits, spices and herbs. Whipped cream cheese has fewer calories than an equivalent measurement of non-whipped cream cheese because of its increased volume. For example, a 1-ounce serving of whipped cream cheese contains 84 calories, with the same serving of non-whipped containing 97, according to the USDA.
Calories in Cream Cheese
One tablespoon of cream cheese contains 50 calories. Of that, 5 grams are fat comprised of 3 grams saturated, 1 gram monounsaturated and .2 grams polyunsaturated fat. Carbohydrate content is .6 grams, and total sugar equals .47 grams, which is lactose, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database.
Cream Cheese Nutrients
Cream cheese contains .86 grams of protein per tablespoon. Minerals in cream cheese include 14 milligrams of calcium and 47 grams of sodium, in addition to iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and trace amounts of copper, zinc, selenium and manganese. One tbsp. of cream cheese has 4 International Units of vitamin D and 195 International Units of vitamin A. It also has the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, B-6 and B-12, according to the USDA.
A Better Choice
Low-fat and fat-free cream cheese can save calories. One tablespoon of fat-free cream cheese contains 15 calories consisting of less than 1 gram of fat, including .09 grams of saturated fat. Carbohydrate content is 1.1 gram, and total sugar is .79 grams, according USDA's National Nutrient Database.