Protein-packed foods like cottage cheese are more popular than ever—just one cup of the tangy curds provides about 24 grams of protein, and a good amount of vitamin B12 and calcium. It’s also incredibly versatile—its creamy texture makes it a great addition to both sweet savory dishes. If you’re looking for new ways to use cottage cheese and give your meals and snacks a protein boost, here’s what dietitians suggest.
To bump up the protein content and creaminess of your favorite smoothie, add some cottage cheese.
Dietitian Amanda Sauceda, MS, RD, likes to add a few dollops of cottage cheese to her smoothies, instead of protein powder. But you can also use the two together: “Stack [cottage cheese] on top of protein powder to reach around 30-40 grams of protein per serving,” said dietitian Steph Greunke, MS, RD, CPT.
Try combining cottage cheese with a blend of frozen fruits, like raspberries and bananas, along with a milk of your choice for a simple yet delicious smoothie.
If you crave the creaminess of mayo but want to add more protein into your diet, try using cottage cheese instead.
“Simply blend cottage cheese until it’s smooth and creamy, then blend in a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar, fresh herbs like dill or chives, or a small amount of Dijon mustard,” said Greunke.
Greunke also loves to use cottage cheese as a mayo substitute in dishes like egg salad, chicken salad, and potato salad. “This will reduce the fat and calorie content of your dish, while upping the protein,” she said.
“One of my favorite ways to enjoy cottage cheese is in a savory Mediterranean-style bowl with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, kalamata olives, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar,” Michelle Routhenstein, MS RD CDCES CDN, told Health.
“The cottage cheese adds a creamy, slightly tangy base that balances the crisp vegetables and briny olives,” said Routhenstiein. “The tomatoes, which are rich in potassium, also help offset some of the sodium naturally present in cottage cheese and olives, making the bowl both flavorful and blood pressure friendly.”
Adding cottage cheese to veggie dishes also helps increase levels of nutrients that are typically low in vegetables, like zinc and B12.
Popular toast toppings, like butter and jam, are lacking key nutrients, like protein. To increase the satiety factor of your toast, try using cottage cheese as a creamy, flavorful topping.
“I like to top a slice of toast with a healthy layer of cottage cheese, add heirloom tomato slices on top, and then drizzle the toast with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper,” Dietitian Lauren Cornell, MS, RD, told Health.
Or, if you crave a sweeter option, Cornell recommends layering your toast with berries, like sliced strawberries, then finishing your dish with a drizzle of agave and balsamic glaze.
For a lower-calorie, higher-protein take on ice cream, try making cottage cheese ice cream. Cornell recommends using an ice cream maker to make a creamy and satisfying, high-protein dessert with cottage cheese.
No ice cream maker? No problem! Blend cottage cheese until smooth, then stir in chopped fresh fruit and a touch of honey or your favorite sweetener. Pop it in the freezer until firm for a healthy take on homemade ice cream.
”I add cottage cheese to my scrambled eggs for additional protein and probiotics. It makes them fluffy and delicious,” said Cornell
Eggs are a solid protein source, packing 6.3 grams per large egg. They also provide other essential nutrients like vitamin A, B12, choline, and selenium.
Cottage cheese is a good source of probiotics, which are microorganisms that can benefit health when ingested in specific amounts. Consuming probiotic-rich foods may help support gut health by encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria in your large intestine.
To ensure your cottage cheese is a good source of probiotics, choose products made with live and active cultures. This means that the product contains significant levels of live and active probiotics.
Sauceda likes using cottage cheese as a base for alfredo or marinara sauces.
Cottage cheese can easily replace pasta sauce ingredients like heavy cream, cheese, or butter, offering fewer calories and fat with the added bonus of more protein
And don’t forget to add high-fiber ingredients to your pasta, like roasted vegetables, to round out the nutritional value of your dish.
Though baked goods like muffins and breads are delicious, they’re typically low in protein. To fix this issue, Greunke likes to add cottage cheese to her go-to recipes. “For muffins or breads, you can replace up to half the oil or butter in recipes with blended cottage cheese,” she said.
Greunke also likes to blend cottage cheese and add it to pancake and waffle batter for a high-protein spin on these breakfast favorites.
