This cottage cheese ice cream recipe comes together in minutes and needs just two ingredients to make. It’s easy to customize and packs in over 50 grams of protein!
You may have a love/hate relationship with cottage cheese, but it’s a fabulous addition to many delicious recipes.
If you’ve tried our cottage cheese pancakes or lasagna before, you know that this low fat and high protein food is truly magical. It can add a little *something* to many things without giving away its tangy flavor.
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 features cottage cheese blended with other ingredients to create the most creamy frozen dessert.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
If you’ve tried our famous protein ice cream before, this cottage cheese version is a fabulous alternative. It doesn’t need protein powder but packs over 50 grams of protein!
- 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!
- Cottage cheese. The signature ingredient for this frozen dessert! I prefer using full fat cottage cheese as it yields a smoother and creamier texture, but lower fat varieties will also work.
Dietary swap
If you are lactose intolerant, you can use lactose free cottage cheese.
- Maple syrup. Adds sweetness. You can substitute this for honey or agave nectar.
- Banana OR cashews. Optional, but helps keep the mixture extra rich and creamy and easier to scoop.
How to make cottage cheese ice cream
All you need is a good quality blender or food processor and a couple of minutes to make this creamy and delicious ice cream.
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.
Transfer the ice cream mixture into a loaf pan or ice cream pan and cover completely. Freeze for an hour before scooping and serving.
- 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.
Flavor variations
Like any good ice cream recipe, you can easily tweak the flavors to create something completely different. Here are some ideas:
- Cookies and cream. Add 2-3 crushed Oreo cookies to the mixture.
- Peanut butter. Swirl 1-2 tablespoons of peanut or honey peanut butter into the ice cream before freezing. Try almond butter or Nutella, too.
- Chocolate chip cookie dough. Make some edible cookie dough and crumble them and some chocolate chips into the ice cream mixture before freezing it.
- Strawberry cheesecake. Blend 1/4 cup of strawberries with the cottage cheese.
- Chocolate. Add 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder.
Storage instructions
To freeze: Leftovers should always be kept in the freezer. Do not freeze for more than a week
To thaw: Let the ice cream thaw for 5-10 minutes before scooping.
Recommended tools to make this recipe
- High speed blender. My go-to blender that makes this cottage ice cream super creamy and smooth, which is much needed!
- Food processor. This dessert can also be made in a food processor if you don’t have a blender on hand.
- Loaf pan. To let the ice cream freeze in and makes the scooping out so much easier!
Frequently asked questions
While an ice cream maker can make the process easier and faster, you can still make cottage cheese ice cream without one. Simply freeze the mixture in a container, stirring every 30 minutes to prevent ice crystals from forming.
While a sweetener like maple syrup or honey is necessary to make this dessert sweet enough, you can use sugar free alternatives like sugar free maple syrup or honey.
You can try replacing the cottage cheese with a thick non-dairy yogurt. Alternatively, try this 2 ingredient frozen yogurt instead.
Cottage cheese does not melt, but when made into ice cream, it does soften at room temperature.
Yes, you can find some brands of blended cottage cheese at select grocery stores.
More high protein desserts to try
Cottage Cheese Ice Cream (2 Ingredients!)
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
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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 🙂
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)?