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This cottage cheese ice cream recipe comes together in minutes and needs just two ingredients to make. It’s easy to customize and I love how it packs in 50 grams of protein.
Love high protein desserts? Try protein brownies, protein donuts, and protein muffins.
You may love or hate cottage cheese, but it’s a fabulous addition to many delicious recipes.
You may have seen it already on TikTok and social media, but cottage cheese ice cream is taking the internet by storm! This viral recipe uses cottage cheese blended with other ingredients to create a creamy frozen dessert.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- It’s low in calories. Cottage cheese is naturally a low-calorie food, with just 123 calories in one cup. This recipe uses two cups of cottage cheese and, with the added sweetener, comes to less than 300 calories.
- Quick and easy. All you do is blend everything up and freeze it- that is it!
- Just two ingredients. Maple syrup (or a liquid sweetener) and cottage cheese make up the base.
- Easy to customize. Like cottage cheese pudding, you can add crushed-up cookies, frozen fruit, or any mix-in of choice!
Ingredients needed
- Cottage cheese. The signature ingredient for this frozen dessert! I prefer using whole milk cottage cheese (full-fat cottage cheese) as it yields a smoother and creamier texture, but low-fat varieties will also work. If you are lactose intolerant, you can use lactose-free cottage cheese or make my dairy-free cottage cheese.
- Maple syrup. Adds sweetness. You can substitute this for honey or agave nectar.
- Banana OR cashews. It is optional, but it helps keep the mixture extra rich and creamy and easier to scoop.
How to make cottage cheese ice cream
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Blend. Add your cottage cheese and syrup to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. If using bananas or cashews, add them in and blend them together. Fold through any mix-ins of choice.
Step 2- Freeze. Transfer the ice cream mixture into a loaf pan or ice cream pan and cover completely. Freeze for an hour before scooping and serving.
Recipe tips and variations
- Stir regularly. If you don’t add the banana or cashews, be sure to stir the mixture every 30 minutes for the first hour, to prevent it from icing up.
- Choose good quality cottage cheese. The taste and texture of your ice cream will largely depend on the quality of the cottage cheese you use. Look for cottage cheese that is smooth and creamy with a mild flavor.
- Blend very well. Blend the cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until it’s completely smooth to get a smooth consistency. We don’t want any clumps!
- Use an ice cream maker. If you own an ice cream maker, you can churn the mixture into a deliciously creamy dessert.
- Add a splash of vanilla extract. A little vanilla extract can add a subtle, sweet flavor to your ice cream.
- Change up the flavor. Cookies and cream, peanut butter, chocolate chip cookie dough, strawberry cheesecake, and chocolate are all fun options that need just a few tweaks.
Storage instructions
To freeze: Leftovers should always be kept in the freezer in a freezer-safe container. Do not freeze for more than a week.
To thaw: Let the ice cream thaw for 5-10 minutes before scooping.
More high-protein recipes to try
Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 1 cup frozen fruit optional * See notes
Instructions
- In a high speed blender or food processor, combine your cottage cheese and maple syrup and blend until smooth. If using frozen fruit, add that in and blend once more.
- Transfer the cottage cheese ice cream mixture into a lined pan and freeze for an hour or until frozen.
- Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published April 2023, updated March 2024
Love this cottage cheese ice cream so much!
Can you a flavored protein powder to replace the honey?
No, you need the liquid sweetener otherwise the ice cream will be icy.
Super easy and you would never know there is cottage cheese in it.
Added chunks of natural peanut butter to some and crunched up cookie in some
Thanks for the recipe. The ice cream came out very thick and creamy! Very easy to make and delicious. My only issue was remembering to pick up cottage cheese when I was at the store!!
Can this be made in the Ninja Creami?
You could try and see 🙂
I blended the cottage cheese and added strawberries and maple syrup and froze the mix in the ninja creami bowl. I used the ice cream setting. It came out smooth and creamy. So yes the ninja creami will work for this recipe.
thank you kindly for your reply.
Hits the spot
This was so good! So easy to make. I used to make banana nice-cream all the time, but this just adds that extra creaminess. I also added a scoop of protein powder. I split the mixture and added vanilla flavour to one, and lemon flavour to the other – both turned out amazing.
How many cashews do you recommend in the cottage cheese ice cream? I’m not doing bananas or nuts but like the idea of adding cashews for creaminess. Are cashews or bananas needed if you use ice cream machine?
Yes for creaminess.
I absolutely detest cottage cheese; however, this ice cream is delicious! The only alteration I made was to use 1/2 c frozen cherries and 1/4 c mini chocolate chips.
How would I turn this into a coffee flavored? Love your recipes by the way!
I’d maybe add some coffee extract 🙂
Coffee was a great idea!
Hi!
I made the cottage cheese ice cream and it was totally icey. When it defrosted it was cot creamy. I used 2% cottage cheese. Is that what the mistake was?
Thank you!
No that is fine- Did you add a banana or some cashews?
I have read on other recipes that full fat cottage cheese is important
Would you recommend using ricotta cheese as an alternative to cottage cheese? Curious if it would be creamier? There us also a dryer version of ricotta cheese too.
Yes you can!
Could I use a sugar free sweetener for this please to make low carb?
Had gastr bypass. NO SUGAR!!! NO STARCH!!! NO FAT MILK!! Lots of protien . So can I use sugar sub. in your receipe’s?
Yes you can- opt for allulose
How much banana do I need to add (or how much cashews)?