Easy Cottage Cheese Fritters with Salsa: 21g Protein!

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These mouthwatering cottage cheese fritters make the perfect healthy lunch or dinner.

Served with zingy pomegranate salsa and a superfood lentil and chard (or whatever delicious veggies you like) mix, I am sure you are going to fall head over heels for this unique recipe!

I am a big fan of cottage cheese. Seriously, it’s so healthy and such a good protein source for vegetarians. I would honestly whack it in most dishes if I could ( and I do!).

What’s all the hype about, you ask? Well, let’s for starters, cottage cheese is high in calcium, phosphorus, selenium B vitamins, and vitamin A.

As a fermented food, it also has plenty of gut friendly bacteria.

Finally, it is high in protein and low in fat. Whew! What more could you ask for?

It’s in part thanks to the cottage cheese in this recipe that these fritters are so delightfully healthy.

It helps get the protein up to 21g per serving, all while lending a delicious tart creaminess to the fritters themselves.

That 21g protein is a fantastic amount – in fact, it’s increasingly clear that low-protein, processed foods are NOT the way to go. Check out this article from Forbes on low-protein and obesity.

Combine that with all the fresh goodness of the pomegranate salsa and the healthy green chard and lentils – you’ve got quite the meal of champions on your hands!

Ingredients

There are 3 elements to this recipe: the fritters, the salsa and the chard (or broccoli) and lentil side. What are the main ingredients for each element?

Fritters

Potatoes

Grated potatoes are the main base of the fritter. I recommend pressing them through a sieve and then salting them, in order to dry them out, so your fritters will turn golden brown and crispy when you fry them!

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs add bulk and also help to absorb some of the moisture in the fritters. You can use shop bought or homemade.

As ever, homemade is always best, especially if you use whole wheat bread to make them. It’s a great way to use up stale bread!

Cottage Cheese

A healthy dollop of cottage cheese makes these fritters creamy and high protein!

Paprika + Caraway Seeds

I use paprika and caraway seeds to give a smoky flavor to the fritters, but you are free to experiment. A dash of garlic powder, or maybe a sprinkling of chili flakes could also go down well!

I also love using the pre-made spice mixes, there are some really great flavours! Same goes for herb mixes, like Herbs de Provence.

Pomegranate Salsa

Pomegranate Kernels

I recommend buying the kernels/seeds frozen – far easier (and far less messy!).

Mint Leaves

A sprig of mint leaves adds a delicious freshness to the salsa. Make sure to chop them finely so they release as much flavor into the salsa as possible.

Chili Pepper

A chopped chili gives this salsa a kick! You can use whatever type of chili you prefer, depending on how spicy you like it! Feel free to scale down and scale up on the heat, according to preference.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Vinegar gives a salsa that unmistakeable sharpness that cuts through the creamy cottage cheese fritters. If you don’t have apple cider to hand you can also use rice vinegar.

Tasty Veggies

Chard

Chard is a kind of leafy green. You can use whichever variety you can access, and if you can’t access any, you are welcome to swap it out for another substantial green, like kale! Or chopped broccoli florets. Whatever your fave is really!

Lentils

Brown or green lentils work best for this recipe, as they hold their shape and their nutty flavor complements the earthy chard. Avoid red lentils!

Vegetable Broth

Cooking the chard in vegetable broth adds a rich, salty flavor. As you are not using any other seasoning, this is a vital component!

How many calories are in cottage cheese fritters?

A meal of cottage cheese fritters with pomegranate salsa and chard contains 429 calories per serving, and it contains 21g protein per serving.

kcal 429kcal

Carbs 53g

Fat 16g

Protein 21g

At 21g protein per serving this is the perfect high protein meal, to fuel up after a workout!

Health benefits

The amount of protein in this meal is a massive health benefit! Protein is such an important macro, it is fundamental for maintaining muscle mass and energy levels.

One serving contains 21g protein, which is roughly half the daily protein requirements for the average woman!

What’s more, a lot of the individual ingredients have numerous health benefits.

For example, leafy green vegetables, like chard, are some of the most nutrient dense foods out there. Chard contains extremely high levels of vitamin K, as well as very solid levels of vitamin C, vitamin A and magnesium.

Pomegranates are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, and may offer benefits such as improving heart health and preventing cancer!

Cottage cheese is full of gut friendly bacteria and low fat, high quality vegetarian protein. Lentils are also a source of plant-based protein, as well as fiber.

How to make cottage cheese fritters with pomegranate salsa and chard

Let me take you through the process of preparing this meal! It’s super quick and easy – ready in just 35 minutes!

How to make fritters

• Grate: Grate the potatoes and onions, place in a mesh sieve, sprinkle with salt and leave them. This helps to dry out the potatoes.
• Mix: Mix the breadcrumbs, eggs, seasoning and cottage cheese in a large bowl.
• Drain: Go back to the potatoes and press as much liquid out of both as you can manage.
• Combine: Add potatoes to egg mix.
• Fry: Add vegetable oil or olive oil to a large frying pan. Fry fritters over a medium heat until they turn golden. It should be about 1.5 – 2 tablespoons of the batter per fritter. I recommend squashing the fritters down so they are thin and waiting a full 8 minutes to flip (this helps them stay together!).

How to make lentils and chard

• Chop: Remove the leaves from the chard and chop up the leaves and stalk. The leaves can be chopped roughly, but the stalk should be finely sliced.

• Cook: Pop the chard in a large pot with vegetable broth and lentils. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

How to make pomegranate salsa

• Chop: Chop the chili and mint, and add to a medium bowl with all the honey, vinegar, olive oil, pomegranate and a good pinch of salt.
• Mix: Stir it all together and serve with the warm fritters.

FAQs

Can I make these ahead?

You can make these ahead and store either the batter or the cooked fritters in the fridge for a couple of days. The fritters will lose the crispiness in the fridge, but they will still taste nice!

You can also store frozen fritters in the freezer (what a tongue twister!) for up to a month.

How to store and reheat fritters?

Keep fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days then reheat in the oven or microwave. Alternatively, store the batter in the fridge and fry them up fresh.

How do you get fritters to stick together?

You need to use a binding agent, like egg. Alternatives to eggs include 1 tbsp flax seeds or chia seeds mixed with 2.5 tbsp water. You also need to make sure you mixture isn’t too wet.

What to serve with cottage cheese fritters?

Salsa or other sharp sauces go really well with the mild flavors of cottage cheese fritters. You should also serve them with a side of fresh veg, like chard, spinach or salad.

What is fritter batter made of?

Plain batter for traditional fritter recipes are made of flour, milk and eggs, fried in oil on the bottom of a frying pan over a medium-high heat.

However, there are many variations on fritters, and the term is usually used to refer to fried patties of any mixture of ingredients that have been breaded or battered (ie. grated potatoes, cheese, carrots, onion, meat, fish)

Why are my fritters falling apart?

Your batter is probably too wet, or you haven’t used an adequate raising agent. If your fritters contain vegetables, like potatoes, make sure to strain and salt them first so they aren’t watery.

Another problem might be that they are sticking to the pan and falling apart when you try to flip them, so make sure you use sufficient oil and don’t flip them too soon.

Why are my fritters not crispy?

They are probably too damp. A wet mixture leeches water as it cooks and prevents your fritters from crisping up.

Variations and alternatives

If you want to make this gluten-free, you could swap out the breadcrumbs for crumbs made from gluten free bread. This should work the same as normal bread.

There are lots of different ways you could serve cottage cheese fritters. Why not try them with sour cream, and chopped chives or sliced spring onions sprinkled on top? They also go really well when dipped in sweet chilli sauce!

If you don’t want to fry, you could bake these fritters in the oven instead! It will take a lot longer than frying though – around 30 minutes should do the trick!

Unfortunately these are not easily made vegan, without changing them beyond recognition, as cottage cheese is the main component.

However if you want an easily vegan-izable patty/fritter recipes, check out our lentil patties, or these Indian parathas instead!

More recipes

If you are loving cottage cheese, why not try one of my other delicious cottage cheese recipes?

I have a super quick cottage cheese salad, a brunch-ready avocado and cottage cheese toast recipe, and for those of you with a sweet tooth, I’ve got a cottage cheese cheesecake, a cottage cheese smoothie and even cottage cheese pancakes!!

If this pomegranate salsa has you dying to try more salsa recipes, our simple red salsa is what you need!

I hope you have enjoyed these delicious cottage cheese fritters! If you have any feedback or questions, just drop me a line in the comments below!