Dairy and eggs
Quark on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 12 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), low fat, for around 70 calories. A small bowl, about 150 g (5.3 oz), gives roughly 18 g of protein for 105 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from quark alone you would need about 250 g (8.8 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How quark sits on a GLP-1
Quark is the fresh cheese of Germany and Central Europe, and it is the highest protein of the spoonable dairy foods at about 12 g per 100 g (3.5 oz) with almost no fat. It is smooth like a thick yoghurt, not lumpy like cottage cheese, and milder and less sour than either. On a GLP-1 it is close to ideal: cold, soft, dense in protein and light in calories. The only obstacle is finding it, which depends heavily on which country you are in.
When your appetite is small
A small bowl, 150 g (5.3 oz), is about 18 g of protein for around 100 calories, which is more protein per mouthful than any yoghurt. Loosen it with a splash of milk if it is too thick, and add a spoon of jam or honey. It also stands in for sour cream on anything savoury.
Three ways to prepare it
With jam, the German way
A bowl of quark with a spoon of jam stirred through. Sweet, cold, about 18 g, and eaten in a few minutes.
As a sour cream substitute
Over a baked potato, chilli or soup. It behaves like sour cream with four times the protein and a fraction of the fat.
Blended into a cheesecake style dessert
Quark, an egg, a little sugar and lemon baked in a small dish. A dessert that is about 12 g of protein per slice.
What to eat it with
Jam, honey, berries, cinnamon for sweet; chives, smoked salmon, baked potato or a bowl of soup for savoury. It is mild enough to go either way.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quark | about 12 g | 70 kcal | this page |
| Skyr | about 11 g | 65 kcal | See the page |
| Cottage cheese | about 11 g | 100 kcal | See the page |
| Greek yoghurt | about 9 g | 95 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, low fat, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Quark is a UK supermarket staple, sold in tubs next to cottage cheese. In Australia it is available from some delis and small dairies and is otherwise best replaced with skyr. In the US it is rare; farmer cheese is the closest common product, and a few brands sell quark under its own name.
Questions people ask
What is quark and is it high in protein?
Quark is a soft, unripened fresh cheese with a texture between thick yoghurt and cream cheese. Low fat quark is about 12 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), so a 150 g (5.3 oz) bowl gives about 18 g, which is more than the same weight of Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.