Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
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Published Apr 18, 2023, Updated Jan 21, 2024
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You only need 4 simple ingredients to make this viral cottage cheese ice cream! It’s super creamy, thick and packed with over 20 grams of protein!
Cottage cheese ice cream has gone completely viral thanks to Lainie Cooks on TikTok. I shared a version on Instagram and after seeing so many of you make (and love it), I knew I had to get the recipe up on the blog!
There are many different variations out there, but the base is just 2 simple ingredients: cottage cheese and honey! The version I’m sharing also has peanut butter and chocolate chips and the combo is seriously so good.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a high-protein dessert or snack that’s packed with over 20 grams of protein per serving!
- It comes together quickly with just 4 simple ingredients!
- No ice cream maker required!
- Can easily be customized to make your favorite ice cream flavor.
Ingredients Needed
- cottage cheese – the key component of this recipe, providing a creamy texture and rich flavor with plenty of protein. I used full-fat Good Culture cottage cheese, but low-fat will work as well. Full fat will definitely be creamier though!
- honey – for the sweetener we’re using honey, which I think pairs nicely with the cottage cheese. Feel free to swap the honey with maple syrup or your preferred liquid sweetener.
- peanut butter – brings a nutty flavor and adds a touch more protein to this recipe! I like the flavor combo of peanut butter, honey and cottage cheese, but if you have a peanut allergy or aren’t a fan of peanut butter feel free to use almond butter or any nut/seed butter of choice.
- chocolate chips – a delicious addition that adds some crunch and chocolatey goodness to the ice cream. I like to use Lily’s dark chocolate chips because they are sweetened with stevia and low in sugar.
How to Make
Blend: Add cottage cheese, honey and peanut butter to a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse/process until smooth and creamy. Stir in chocolate chips.
Freeze: Add cottage cheese ice cream mixture back into the cottage cheese container or to a loaf pan and place in the freezer for about 4 hours, or until hard.
Serve: Remove from the freezer and let thaw for 5-10 minutes, just until you can easily scoop it. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop into bowls and enjoy.
How to Serve
- In a bowl or cone: Scoop the ice cream into a bowl or an ice cream cone and enjoy it as you would with any other ice cream.
- Toppings: Get creative with your favorite toppings, such as fresh fruit, chopped nuts, granola, or a drizzle of honey or chocolate sauce. See some more ideas below!
- Parfait-style: Layer the ice cream with fresh fruit, yogurt, or whipped cream for a delicious and visually appealing treat.
- Sandwich: Place a scoop of the ice cream between two cookies or waffles for a fun and satisfying dessert.
Flavor Variations
There are so many ways to get creative with this cottage cheese ice cream and create different flavors. Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Chocolate: Add in 1/2-1 Tablespoon cacao powder or cocoa powder plus the chocolate chips or cacao nibs for a chocolatey treat!
- Fruity: Blend in your favorite frozen fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, bananas, mango or peaches for a fruity twist. You could also add a swirl of your favorite jam or this strawberry chia jam!
- Nutty: Swap the chocolate chips for chopped nuts like almonds, pecans, walnuts or pistachios.
- Spiced: Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom or pumpkin pie spice for a warm and comforting taste.
- Coffee: Mix in a shot of espresso or a spoonful of instant coffee powder for a delightful coffee-flavored ice cream.
- Vanilla: Add vanilla bean paste from 1/2 – 1 vanilla bean pod or vanilla extract for vanilla goodness.
- Strawberry cheesecake: Add some frozen or fresh strawberries and crushed graham crackers for a delicious strawberry cheesecake combo!
How to Store
In the freezer: Transfer the cottage cheese ice cream to an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Be sure to cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap before sealing the container to prevent ice crystals from forming.
Thawing: Allow the ice cream to sit at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes before scooping and serving. This will make it easier to scoop and provide a creamier texture.
FAQ’s
The type of cottage cheese you use is up to personal preference. I personally like to use organic dairy products free from antibiotics and hormones (like rbST). If you’re looking for good organic cottage cheese brands I recommend Good Culture, Organic Valley and Nancy’s. I also like Friendship Diaries no salt added, small curd 1% cottage cheese (in the red container). Cottage cheese tends to be really high in sodium so I like that this variety is a little lower than your typical brands. Unfortunately, this brand isn’t organic.
You better believe it! This ice cream is made with minimal, good-for-you ingredients and has no refined sugar or artificial preservatives. It has more fiber and less sugar than traditional ice cream but is still absolutely delicious.
With 22 grams of protein per serving it can help balance your blood sugar and leave you feeling satisfied instead of hungry for more. If you’re someone like me who could easily eat a whole pint of ice cream in one sitting, this recipe is definitely for you.
More Ice Cream Recipes
- Mint Chip Avocado Ice Cream
- Healthy Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
- Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Ice Cream
- Healthy Chocolate Caramel Ice Cream Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Ice Cream
More Frozen Treats
- 2-Ingredient Banana Frozen Yogurt
- Strawberry Coconut Milk Sorbet
- Chocolate Strawberry Banana Yogurt Clusters
- 3-Ingredient Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
- Frozen Yogurt Bark with Berries
- Chocolate Covered Frozen Raspberries
Be sure to check out all of the cottage cheese recipes as well as the full collection of dessert recipes on EBF!
Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups (16 oz) full fat cottage cheese, I used Good Culture
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add cottage cheese, honey and peanut butter to a food processor or high powered blender and pulse/process until smooth and creamy.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Add mixture back into the cottage cheese container or a loaf pan and place in the freezer for about 4 hours, or until hard.
- Remove from the freezer, let thaw for 5-10 minutes, just until you can easily scoop it. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop into bowls and enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks great, I’m making it this weekend! One question, while the serving size is “2”, the nutritional information indicates “1/3 recipe”. So, wondering if nutrition info is for 3 servings?
Thank you for catching that! The serving size is supposed to be 3. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Can the cottage cheese ice cream be made with low fat cottage cheese?
Yes! That should work! Hope you enjoy this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you!
I swap the chocolate chips for raspberries but it was still delicious, you couldn’t tell it was cottage cheese. Definitely would make it again
YUM! Love this idea, I am so glad this recipe turned out great for you and you’re loving it. Thank you for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I appreciate it!
What do you recommend if you freeze until the next day as leftovers?
Just make sure it is in an airtight container and you’ll need to let thaw for 5-10 minutes before serving. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
This recipe is a win! I love everything about it. Yummy and VERY simple.
Yay! I am so glad you are loving this recipe, Michelle! Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I just tried cottage cheese ice cream and wonder if anyone w tried making it “after” to sing the cottage cheese? It has a Britney taste to it and I can’t find no salt add cottage cheese yet
Hi Karen – I am sorry, I am not sure what you are trying to ask here.
Made it & love it! Super easy & helps me have a better choice for a sweet snack. I freeze them in a silicone muffin pan. It helps limit my serving size & they’re super easy for a grab & go treat! They stay firm & frozen the entire time I’m eating it & typically I don’t have to wait for it to thaw.
Excellent! Love the idea of freezing them in the silicone muffin pan, how convenient. Thank you for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, Chaska, it means so much to me!
I’ve been thawing for 30 minutes and it’s still rock solid. Hoping it’ll be good once we can try it!
Oh no! So sorry, Emily. Hopefully it thawed out and you were able to enjoy it.
Hi! Do you think using 2 Tbl of peanutbutter powder would work the same?
Hi Meeshka – You can liquify the PB powder by adding some water to it and it should turn out just fine! Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Sorry, but it doesn’t satisfy the ice cream need. Taste like cottage cheese.
Hi Helen – I am sorry that you did not enjoy this ice cream, Helen. I personally found that the mix-ins masked the taste of the cottage cheese quite well and I liked the creaminess. I appreciate your feedback though!
I agree that there is still quite a strong cottage cheese taste. I love cottage cheese and this recipe actually detracted from what I like about cottage cheese. I am going to try with berries, vanilla and sweetener and see how that works.
That should be a delicious combo. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Had this at a friend’s this weekend and it was delicious. Could Monk’s fruit or Stevia be used to replace the honey to reduce the carbs!
Sure! Either of those sweeteners should work, glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I’m not certain these macros are correct. I’m getting 278kcal for 1/4 of the recipe:
1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese- 90kcal
1/2 tbsp peanut butter: 48kcal
1 tbsp honey: 70kcal
13 chocolate chips: 70kcal
I’m curious how you got 1/3 of the container down to that
Hi Christopher – I just re-checked the nutrition facts and they are correct. I think it depends on what brand of ingredients you’re using. I also used Lily’s chocolate chips which have less cals and sugar. Hope this helps!
Hi this looks pretty cool!!!.
Hope you enjoy!
I have to say, I am not usually a fan of cottage cheese but I tried this and it is delicious!!
Ahh this is the best, Laurie. I am so glad you are loving this recipe and it turned out great for you. Thank you for your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
The flavour is great but even after 10 mins defrosting it was rock solid…. Any hints on how to prevent this?
Hi Nimi – It will thaw out, maybe just give it a little more time. I found the larger the batch, the longer I need to thaw it out. Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Instead of peanut butter could I use peanut butter powder? If so, what is the ratio (or amount)? Thx. I can’t wait to try this.
Hi Nicole – I haven’t tested this with peanut butter powder but you could try adding a tbsp at a time until you reach your desired flavor. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
This is the best!! I couldn’t believe how good this was! I used lowfat Country Fresh cottage cheese and my Ninja blender and the consistancy was so smooth and creamy! The only problem is, I can’t stop eating it! Thanks for sharing this–it’s my new favorite!
Ah this is the best, Susan. I am SO glad that you are loving this ice cream and it turned out great for you! Thank you for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I appreciate it!
The flavor is incredible however even after 10 mins thawing out it was unshakable… . Any recommendations for preventing this?
Hi! The amount of time you’ll need to thaw will depend on how cold/warm it is in your kitchen. It will thaw after a bit and scoop out perfectly! Hope you enjoy this recipe!
So you don’t have to initially use a pan with a cover? you can freeze it without covering it?
Your photo doesn’t show a cover.
Thanks!
Nope, you don’t have to cover it initially but you could with some plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Can you use fat free cottage cheese? Why is full fat a requirement?
You can use fat free or low fat, but the full fat makes it creamier and less icy.
Horrible ! So not recommend making this.
oh no! I am so sorry this did not turn out for you, Lyn. What happened?
Can you use lactose free cottage cheese in this recipe? I’m lactose intolerant so I never eat regular ice cream.
Hi Sandy – I actually have not tried this recipe with the lactose free cottage cheese, but I am sure it would work. Let me know how it turns out for you! Enjoy!
Hi Sandy,
I made this with lactose free cottage cheese. The texture and taste were the same as regular cottage cheese.
Hi Caroline – Just curious, how did the ice cream turn out of you with the lactose free cottage cheese?
can you add vodka to this recipe in order to keep it smooth and soft? if so, how much?
Hi Barb – I haven’t tried adding any type of liquor to this recipe, so I am not sure how much or how it would even turn out. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
I think extracts act similarly to liquor, so coconut or vanilla extract might do the trick plus add some extra flavor!
Great idea, Kayla! Thanks so much for sharing!
This recipe is so delicious! I am now hooked on creating different flavors. I love how you use actual honey and organic cottage cheese, makes this dish so pure and healthy, no added chemical sweeteners to harm us.
I have a small inexpensive food processor which works perfectly with this, it takes about two whole minutes in it to cut down on any graininess,
I also think adding vanilla cuts down on any cottage cheese taste, if you don’t like that taste.
I also have eaten this ice cream as a pudding, just put it in the fridge after mixing up to get it nice and cold.
Or just putting it in the freezer to get really cold, not frozen hard.
Another way I have been making it tastes like delicious cheesecake pudding. I’ve added dried cherries, walnuts, and I am going to try more, thank you so much for this healthy delicious recipe!!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Nance!! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
I made this late this afternoon. The batter tastes great! I added cinnamon to the batter. I let it set in the freezer about 1 and 1/2 hours, then I checked it. It is not frozen as to be expected with the lack of freezer time. But it is delicous! More like thick pudding or soft serve ice cream. I also like the amount it makes. Perfect for single people or 2-3 people. Little cost and healthier for you. I have shared this recipe to friends.
This is great, Rhonda. Thank you so much for sharing, I am glad you’re enjoying this recipe!
I can’t wait to try this! Do you think using coconut oil or coconut butter would give it more of a coconut base flavor?
Thanks!
Sarah
Hi Sarah – Maybe coconut milk? I haven’t tested this recipe with it though so I am not sure how it would turn out. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
I tried the strawberry cheesecake version today and it was amazing! I prefer softer ice cream and I didn’t want to wait for it to thaw, so after letting it freeze for 4 hours, I ran it through the food processor again with a little almond milk. The texture was PERFECT and I didn’t have any wait time! Mixed in some fresh strawberries and graham crackers after all of that and it masked any cottage cheese taste completely! Will definitely be making this again
WOW! This sounds absolutely delicious, Kennedy! I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and I really appreciate you sharing your version. Thank you for your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
this appears to be very intriguing and helpful to my goal of losing the last 20 or 30 lbs to achieve my last goal!
Congratulations! Hope you enjoy this ice cream!
I have not made this yet but had a question. do you use natural unsweetened peanut butter or “Jiff” with the added sugar?
I always use a natural pb with just peanuts and salt! Hope you love this recipe. 🙂
I added a little milk to help put in a container freeze did i mess up?
That shouldn’t. Was it super thick?
Can I use low fat cottage cheese? I just made it and waiting for it to freeze! Hope it’ll still be good. Just on a low fat diet
You can totally use low fat cottage cheese, it just won’t be as creamy. Let me know how it turned out for you!
How do you feel about this recipe being used for breakfast? I’m looking for a way to incorporate cottage cheese into my diet (preferably at breakfast), while hiding any hint of what it actually tastes like! Any other recommendations, or why you wouldn’t? Thank you!
Hi! I have lots of cottage cheese recipes on my site that include the protein, but not so much the flavor of cottage cheese. I would recommend my banana cottage cheese pancakes, cottage cheese smoothie or my cottage cheese overnight oats. Can’t wait to hear which one you try and what you think of them!
I haven’t made this yet, but I was just gifted a ninja creami and think this would be the perfect recipe to test it out! Do you think using peanut butter powder like PB2 would work if trying to cut back a little bit on the fat or do you think that would taste gross?
I haven’t tried it with PB2 but I am sure it would work! Let me know how it turns out!
This didn’t work for me. I got an icy lump that I tried to blend and then it was like a snow cone, not creamy. I wonder where I went wrong .
Hi Regan – So sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out the way you hoped. Did you change anything about the recipe?
it turned out salty and frozen with ice chunks not creamy
Hi Kathryn – I am so sorry to hear this did not turn out for you. What type of cottage cheese did you use? Did you change anything about the recipe?
I made this with two versions, a creamy peach ice cream, and a chocolate with walnut and chocolate chip ice cream. Both versions came out creamy and delicious! Instead of the honey I used maple syrup, and I added a little bit of vanilla extract.
Ah YUM! This sounds delicious, Janice. I am so glad you are loving this recipe and it turned out great with your different flavors. Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!