Kraft Natural Pepper Jack Cheese: 7g Protein, Labelgrade C (62/100)

The short answer

Kraft Natural Pepper Jack delivers 7 g of protein per 1 oz (28 g) slice at 110 calories (USDA FDC 1592624) — about 25 g of protein per 100 g, which is dense for a cheese and rivals cooked meat gram-for-gram. It is genuine Monterey Jack with diced jalapenos folded in: the word Natural on the label is doing real work, because the panel is just milk, culture, salt, enzymes, pickled peppers, and a surface mold inhibitor — not the milk solids, phosphates, and starch that make Kraft Singles a “cheese product.” It also carries a calcium bonus (about 200 mg per ounce) that a chicken breast or a scoop of whey doesn’t. The Labelgrade is C (62 / 100), and the reason is structural rather than anything Kraft got wrong: full-fat aged cheese is high in saturated fat (5 g per ounce) and high in sodium (about 680 mg per 100 g), and both score an F. Best-fit use: a flavorful, meltable, keto-friendly protein-and-calcium hit in one- or two-ounce portions.

Why the C

The honest read: nothing here is a Kraft failure. The protein density (A-) and the short label (B-) are genuinely good. What pins it at C is that you can’t make a 5-g-saturated-fat, 680-mg-sodium food score well no matter how clean the panel is — and that’s true of every full-fat aged cheese on the shelf.

”Natural” vs Kraft Singles — the distinction that matters

This is the most useful thing to know about this specific SKU. Kraft Natural Pepper Jack and Kraft Singles sit a few feet apart in the dairy case and share a brand, but they are not the same kind of food. Pepper Jack is standardized cheese — milk, culture, salt, enzymes — that has to legally be called “cheese.” Singles are a pasteurized prepared cheese product: real cheese is the base, but it’s blended with added milk solids, emulsifying salts (phosphates), and sometimes starch so it stays glossy and pliable, which is why Singles can’t use the unqualified word “cheese.” For a protein shopper the practical upshot is that Pepper Jack gives you 7 g of straightforward dairy protein with a four-part cheese base, while the processed equivalents trade some of that for shelf and melt engineering. If you care about the ingredient line, this is the version to buy.

It melts — and that’s the use case

Pepper Jack earns its spot in the fridge less as a snack than as a cooking cheese. Monterey Jack is high-moisture and semi-soft, the profile that melts smooth and stretchy without splitting or weeping oil, so it’s the default for quesadillas, smash burgers, grilled cheese, and anything broiled. The pickled jalapenos (jalapeno, water, salt, acetic acid) bring a mild, even warmth as it melts rather than the sharp bite of fresh chili — Pepper Jack reads as gently spicy, not hot. Functionally that makes it a flavor-and-melt upgrade over plain Jack or mozzarella at the same ~7 g protein per ounce, and a smoother melter than sharp cheddar, which can break and turn greasy under high heat. The macros are identical whether you buy the block, shreds, or slices.

How it compares

Two comparisons are worth drawing. Against Cabot Sharp Cheddar, Pepper Jack is a near-twin — same 7 g protein, same 110 calories, same 200 mg calcium, a hair less saturated fat (5 g vs 6 g) and a hair more sodium (190 vs 180 mg). They land one point apart on Labelgrade (C 61 vs C 62); the real choice is sharp-and-firm-for-a-board versus mild-and-meltable-for-a-pan. The more instructive gap is against part-skim string cheese: Kraft and Sargento sticks hit the same 25 g protein per 100 g but cut saturated fat to 2-3 g per stick and come pre-portioned, which is why they grade a full tier higher (C+) — overeating is harder when the cheese is rationed into 60-70 calorie sticks. If you want cheese protein with a lighter fat load and built-in portion control, string cheese wins on the grade; if you want melt and flavor, Pepper Jack wins on the plate.

Ingredients

Monterey Jack cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), jalapeno peppers (jalapeno peppers, water, salt, acetic acid), natamycin (a natural mold inhibitor). (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 1592624.) Three real components: the cheese base is the same four ingredients as a plain Monterey Jack, the heat comes from pickled diced jalapenos, and natamycin is a naturally-derived surface mold inhibitor that keeps the block from spoiling — the one additive, and the reason ingredient quality lands at B- rather than higher. As always, check the package for the milk allergen and any reformulation.

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Scope: This page applies specifically to Kraft Natural Pepper Jack Cheese (8 oz (226 g) block) · UPC 021000001965. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.