Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

One US cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese weighs 113 grams (4 ounces). Going the other way, 100 grams is about 0.88 cups.

Also called Monterey Jack, shredded Monterey Jack, Jack cheese, shredded Jack cheese, grated Monterey Jack.

Shredded, grated and crumbled cheese compared: cup weights side by side, the source behind each, and why they differ.

Shredded Monterey Jack weighs 113 g per US cup (4 oz), a density of 0.478 g/mL, exactly the same as shredded cheddar. USDA, King Arthur and the Sargento and Kroger labels agree within 1 g per cup, so this is a high-confidence single figure.

Monterey Jack is a mild, semi-soft American cow's-milk cheese, a little moister than cheddar: USDA puts it at 41% water against about 37% for cheddar. It melts smoothly, which is why it is a common base of taco and Mexican-style shredded blends, and it shreds into soft ribbons on a box grater or a commercial shredder.

USDA SR Legacy "Cheese, monterey" (FDC 170844) publishes 1 cup shredded at 113 g and 1 cup diced at 132 g. King Arthur's chart lists "Cheese (grated cheddar, jack, mozzarella, or Swiss)" at 1 cup = 4 oz = 113 g, matching USDA exactly for Jack. The Sargento and Kroger bags both list 1/4 cup at 28 g, which works out to 112 g per cup.

A cup of shredded cheese measures mostly air. The cheese itself is about as dense as water, but shreds stack loosely, so a cup holds less than half a cup's worth of solid cheese. USDA's two portions show how much the shape matters: the same cheese diced into cubes weighs 132 g per cup, about 17% more than shredded, because cubes pack with fewer gaps than tangled ribbons.

King Arthur groups four cheeses at one figure. For Jack and cheddar that grouping is right; for Swiss it is close (USDA measures 108 g, within tolerance); for low-moisture part-skim mozzarella, the standard pizza cheese, it is about 30% too heavy, as the shredded mozzarella entry explains. The 28 g per quarter cup on the bags is the label's one-ounce serving written as a volume; here it happens to agree with USDA's measurement, which is not true for every cheese.

Practical guidance: an 8-oz bag holds 227 g, almost exactly 2 cups. For quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos and casseroles, 1/2 cup is 56.5 g and 1/4 cup 28 g. Pepper Jack is Monterey Jack with flecks of chili, a trace ingredient by weight, so it should shred to the same figure. If you shred a block yourself on a box grater, expect the same 110-115 g per cup; a fine grater makes lighter, fluffier shreds and a lighter cup.

The shredded cheese comparison page shows Jack beside cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, parmesan, feta and blue cheese, from the lightest to the heaviest cup.