Manipulation of food’s macronutrient composition in order to reduce energy content without compromising satiating capacity may be helpful in body weight control. For cheeses, substituting fat with protein may provide such opportunity. We aimed at examining the acute effect of cheeses with different macronutrient compositions on accumulated energy intake and subjective appetite sensation. A total of thirty-nine normal-weight (average BMI 24·4 kg/m2) men and women completed the partly double-blind, randomised crossover study with high-protein/low-fat (HP/LF, 696 kJ), high-protein/high-fat (HP/HF, 976 kJ) and low-protein/high-fat (LP/HF, 771 kJ) cheeses. After overnight fasting, 80 g cheese were served with 70 g bread, 132 g juice and 125 g coffee/tea/water. Ad libitum spaghetti bolognaise was served after 3 h and energy intake assessed. Subjective appetite ratings were assessed using visual analogue scales. Composite appetite scores were calculated and evaluated relatively to energy intake. Total accumulated energy intake was 188·3 (SE 97·4) kJ lower when consuming the HP/LF compared with the HP/HF (P ≤ 0·05), but, compared with the LP/HF cheese, the difference was not significant (177·0 (SE 100·4) kJ lower; P = 0·08). In relation to energy intake, the composite appetite score was lower when consuming the HP/LF compared with the HP/HF (P = 0·003) and the LP/HF (P = 0·007) cheeses. Thereby, no compensatory eating following consumption of the HP/LF compared with the HP/HF cheese was found. The HP/LF cheese resulted in an increased feeling of satiety in relation to its lower energy content compared with both HP/HF and LP/HF cheeses.