22 Cottage Cheese Recipes (You need to try these!)

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These cottage cheese recipes are going to change your life!

Why? Because cottage cheese is an insanely healthy and versatile ingredient much loved in the fitness and weight loss worlds. If you know how to use it, you can make it part of your healthy diet and reap the rewards!

What’s the deal with cottage cheese then? What makes it one of the healthiest dairy products out there?

Cottage cheese is a fresh cheese, made by curdling milk, straining the large curds and keeping some of the whey. The texture of cottage cheese is creamy and soupy.

The taste of cottage cheese is comparable to greek yogurt, however low fat cottage cheese will taste more like sour cream.

Cottage cheese has a pretty impressive nutritional profile. A cup of cottage cheese (low fat – 1% milk fat) provides 163 kcal, an incredible 23 grams of protein (70% of the calorie content comes from protein) and only 2.3g fat. It also contains considerable amounts of vitamin b12, selenium and riboflavin.

Benefits of high protein!

The high protein content particularly is what makes cottage cheese so good for weight loss or muscle building. Protein is a crucial building block of muscles, so if you are trying to build muscle, eating enough protein is super important.

For this reason, and for the fact that protein is very filling, so good for appetite control, eating a high protein diet can also help promote weight loss.

But lots of food is high protein, what makes cottage cheese special? The fact that it is also low calorie and low fat! Essentially, you are getting a lot of bang for your buck by eating cottage cheese!

The high quality protein you consume does not come at the expensive of unhealthy fat levels or large portions of your calorie allowance.

Check out our FREE 7-day Weight Loss Meal Plan or High Protein Meal Plan, if you want to learn more!

The only downside to cottage cheese is its relatively high sodium content. We all need a bit of sodium to function, but too much sodium can raise your blood pressure, which has dangerous implications. Try and buy low sodium cottage cheese if you can!

Enjoy trying these, the best cottage cheese recipes on the internet!

Let’s get into the recipes!

I’ve got savoury and sweet cottage recipes for you to try. See what I mean when I said it was a versatile!?

Savory cottage cheese recipes

Bonus: simple, creamy

Avocado Toast with a creamy, cheesy twist! Cottage cheese is the perfect partner to mashed avocado and makes lunch healthy and tasty. Add an extra dose of protein to your favorite brunch dish.

Bonus: quick to prep, healthy

Looking for a super-speedy, tasty high-protein lunch? This cottage cheese and pear salad is ready in just 12 minutes!

Protein: 16g
Calories: 241kcal
Ready in: 1 hour
Recipe by: WhatAGirlEats
Bonus: gluten-free, filling

Cheesy mushroom spinach egg casserole is easy to make, great for a gluten-free high-protein breakfast casserole, and it’s meatless!

Protein: 4g
Calories: 23kcal
Ready in: 10 minutes
Recipe by: ThroughTheFibroFog
Bonus: creamy, light

This cottage cheese dill dip is creamy and delicious, with the best herby onion tang! The best part is it can be ready in just ten minutes (or less!). Serve with potato chips, crudites or crackers for a tasty vegetarian and gluten free appetizer or snack.

Protein: 7g
Calories: 92kcal
Ready in: 40 minutes
Recipe by: WhatAGirlEats
Bonus: bitesize, light

Egg Bites, or low-carb egg muffins, are a delicious and healthy grab-and-go breakfast. Make them on a Sunday night, and enjoy them throughout the week when you need a quick nibble. Check out our tips for extra creaminess!

Protein: 5g
Calories: 37kcal
Ready in: 10 minutes
Recipe by: ThroughTheFibroFog
Bonus: flavorful, healthy

A fun and flavourful appetizer or party food idea, this cottage cheese tzatziki is simple to make and perfect with breads or crudites. So much better than what you could buy in grocery stores!

Protein: 8g
Calories: 138kcal
Ready in: 30 minutes
Recipe by: TrialAndEater
Bonus: quick, satisfying

Broccoli crescent wrap – broccoli and cheese goodness all wrapped up in crescent roll dough. Easy, quick vegetarian dinner, made healthy by swapping out the mayonnaise!

Protein: 24g
Calories: 400kcal
Ready in: 2 hours 10 mins (40 mins active)
Recipe by: ChampagneTastes
Bonus: lighter than the original, cheesy

This easy Baked Eggplant Parmesan is a lightened-up version of the original fried Italian casserole, and is perfect for both weeknight dinners and Date Night!

If you’re vegetarian, make sure you look out for vegetarian parmesan! Many parmesans are not vegetarian as they include ‘rennet’. A veggie-friendly alternative would be those with ‘artificial rennet’ instead.

Protein: 15g
Calories: 146kcal
Ready in: 10 minutes
Recipe by: Cooktoria
Bonus: cool, refreshing

This Creamy Cucumber Salad is a cool & fresh dish that’s perfect for the summer. Its crisp cucumber slices & flavorful herbs will wow your taste buds.

Protein: 6g
Calories: 210kcal
Ready in: 55 minutes
Recipe by: TipsNRecipes
Bonus: full of veggies, flavorful

Do you love paneer recipes but looking for a unique one? Try this paneer with vegetables recipe – you will never look back.

Protein: 22g
Calories: 737kcal
Ready in: 20 minutes
Recipe by: SouthernAndModern
Bonus: simple, comforting

This super simple comfort food comes together in about 20 minutes. One of my favorite things to eat for dinner.

Protein: 14g
Calories: 366kcal
Ready in: 25 minutes
Recipe by: IndianAmbrosia
Bonus: spicy, speedy

Paneer pepper fry is an easy party appetizer or starter with fried paneer cubes, green bell peppers and onions. With just a few ingredients, this is a dry and spicy but very flavorful dish that comes together fairly quickly. Your guests will love it!

Protein: 9g
Calories: 141kcal
Ready in: 25 minutes
Recipe by: MomFoodie
Bonus: light alternative, party favorite

Cottage Cheese Potato Salad recipe that is easy and nutritious. One of the best things you can bring to a party!

Sweet Cottage Cheese Recipes

Bonus: lighter than normal cheesecake, simple prep

Now you really can have your cake and eat it with this healthy high protein cheesecake. Low on sugar but not low on yum! One of my favorite ways to make cheesecake. Pro tip: using granola instead of biscuits as a base really ups the healthiness of this dessert!

Bonus: high protein, gluten-free

34g of natural protein. Just three ingredients: Cottage cheese, eggs and oats. 12 minutes from start to finish. You won’t be disappointed! Next time you make it, add a drizzle of maple syrup or a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of sugar! Easily one of the best ways to eat cottage cheese.

Protein: 2g
Calories: 107kcal
Ready in: 1 hour 15 minutes
Recipe by: OneHotOven
Bonus: buttery, hot

Butter, flour and cottage cheese are the base to these tender bite-sized Cottage Cheese Crescent Rolls that are topped with a sweet almond icing. Bake a batch of crescent rolls for a brunch, dessert or just for snacks.

Protein: 14g
Calories: 413kcal
Ready in: 1 hour 20 mins (20 mins prep)
Recipe by: HappyKitchenRocks
Bonus: beautiful, tasty

Easy Russian Vatrushka Recipe: Delicious, fluffy and healthy cottage cheese individual sweet buns with fresh berries. They look impressive and take a bit more than an hour to make!

Protein: 46g
Calories: 379kcal
Ready in: 16 minutes
Recipe by: RandaDerkson
Bonus: gluten-free, super high protein

Learn how to make flourless protein cottage cheese pancakes. They’re gluten free, high in protein and delicious, too.

Protein: 16.7g
Calories: 283kcal
Ready in: 15 minutes
Recipe by: YummyAddiction
Bonus: wheat-free, protein packed

These cottage cheese packed waffles are not your ordinary unhealthy waffles. These are wheat-free (made with oats) and are literally packed with protein! A great alternative to standard waffles.

Protein: 6g
Calories: 101kcal
Ready in: 20 minutes
Recipe by: DrugStoreDivas
Bonus: high protein, simple breakfast

Sheet Pan Pancakes are so simple to make and have an incredible fluffy texture. And these Cottage Cheese Sheet Pan Pancakes are a great way to add protein to breakfast.

Protein: 16g
Calories: 279kcal
Ready in: 40 minutes
Recipe by: HappyKitchenRocks
Bonus: fluffy, light

Russian syrniki are cottage cheese pancakes, fluffy, pillowy and tender, topped with sweet strawberry vanilla sauce. My Russian mother’s breakfast recipe.

Bonus: filling, delicious

The reason smoothies are so unendingly popular is because of all time classics like this. This high protein recipe has a creamy texture and is both delicious and nutritious. Whack everything in the food processor and enjoy!

FAQs

Do you have any questions about how to use cottage cheese? Hopefully I’ve answered them!

How many calories in cottage cheese?

1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese contains 163 kcal. It also contains 23 grams of protein, 2.3g fat and 59% of your daily vitamin B12 requirements.

Is cottage cheese good for vegetarians?

Yes! It is an excellent meat-free source of low fat protein and B12, two things that can be hard to get enough of in a vegetarian diet.

What do you use cottage cheese for?

You can use it in lasagna recipes and other pasta bakes. You can use it to replace yogurt in a cottage cheese breakfast bowl. You can add it to pancake batter or smoothies. A more solid version of cottage cheese is also known as paneer and used in dry and wet curries.

What mixes well with cottage cheese?

Many things mix well with cottage cheese because it has a relatively mild flavor. It works in sweet and savoury dishes. You can use it wherever you would use ricotta or any other creamy cheese!

Does cottage cheese melt when heated?

Cottage cheese does not melt when heated. It will break down but it won’t become stringy and gluey like cheddar.

Did you enjoy trying these delicious cottage cheese recipes? Healthy eating has never seemed so good, am I right?