From Pinterest to Instagram to TikTok, cottage cheese is blowing up as a “new” discovery, in recipes from breads to ice cream.

Yes, cottage cheese ice cream.

It sounds crazy, but nutritionally, cottage cheese does have something going for it. It’s high in protein, even higher than milk in some cases, and protein has a lot of nutritional advantages. Protein builds muscle and provides energy. It also takes more energy to digest than carbohydrates, helping us to feel full longer and giving us energy that lasts longer.

There are drawbacks to the cottage cheese craze, though. Cottage cheese ice cream isn’t any better than any other kind of ice cream if you pack it full of sugar. Many of the online recipes making the rounds add so much sugar and so many add-ins like chocolate, peanut butter and candy bits that you might as well be eating Ben & Jerry’s.

A healthy life starts with an annual visit.

Start here

The other is the distinctive taste. Many of us love the tangy flavor of things like unsweetened Greek-style yogurt and whipped feta dips, and cottage cheese fits in with those. Whipped in a food processor or a blender, cottage cheese becomes surprisingly creamy and smooth, with a flavor that some may like and others … well, maybe won’t.

Frozen, it can be a little chalky and crumbly. (The ice cream texture is definitely better if you let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping.) If you don’t love it, you could keep the cottage cheese in dishes where its flavor is a better fit. It makes a great high-protein ranch dressing with fresh herbs.

And if you’ve ever had ricotta pancakes, this version with cottage cheese has a similar texture with bright lemon flavor paired with one of lemon’s best companions, blueberries.

Butter pecan cottage cheese ice cream

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
  • 16 ounces full-fat cottage cheese
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a small skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the sugar, stirring until well mixed. Add the pecans and stir to coat, then cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and watching to make sure the nuts don’t burn.

Remove from heat and set aside until cool.

Place the cottage cheese, honey and vanilla in a food processor and puree until smooth. Pour into a loaf pan and place in the freezer for 1 hour.

Remove from freezer and add the pecan mixture, stirring until it’s mixed well and smoothed back out. Return to the freezer for 3 hours longer. Let stand about 10 minutes at room temperature before scooping.

Yield: 4 (1/2-cup) servings. Per serving: 447 calories; fat 32.8 g (8.9 g saturated fat, 0.5 g transfat); 40.7 mg cholesterol; 332.9 mg sodium; 28.1 g carbohydrates; 14.3 g protein.

Cottage cheese ranch dressing

Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cups low-fat cottage cheese
  • 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk (see note)
  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dillweed
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chives, snipped

Directions

Place the cottage cheese and buttermilk in a food processor and process until smooth. (If you want to use it as a dip, reduce the buttermilk to 1/3 cup for a thicker consistency.)

Add the remaining ingredients and process until well-mixed. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Yield: About 1 1/2 cups. Per 2-tablespoon serving: 28.5 calories; 0.7 g fat (0.4 g saturated fat); 2.7 mg cholesterol; 190 mg sodium; 2.5 g carbohydrates (1.8 g sugar); 3.4 g protein.

Lemon cottage cheese pancakes with blueberry compote

Adapted from: Goodmoodfood.news

Ingredients

  • 1 cup reduced-fat cottage cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Olive oil for frying

Blueberry compote:

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Place the cottage cheese, eggs, vanilla, baking powder and flour in a large bowl. Mix together until combined, but still a little lumpy. Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add about 1 teaspoon olive oil. Pour in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup batter. Cook for 5 minutes or until bubbly on top. Flip over and brown the other side about 5 minutes.

Place pancake in the oven on a rack to keep warm. Continue cooking with remaining batter.

While the pancakes are cooking, place the blueberries and syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring for 8 to 10 minutes, until the berries release their juice, forming a thick sauce.

Serve the pancakes topped with the blueberry sauce.

Yield: 2 servings. Per serving: 357 calories; 8.4 g fat (3.2g saturated fat); 196 mg cholesterol; 780 mg sodium; 48 g carbohydrates (18.5 g sugar); 23 g protein.