How To Eat Cottage Cheese: 52 Toppings To Try

Cottage cheese is an easy way to add more protein to your diet, but eating it every day can get old pretty fast. Here are all the ways you can dress up plain, old cottage cheese for any time of day. 

Benefits of Eating Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese has many health benefits, whether or not you’re trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or eat healthier. Cottage cheese is full of selenium, Vitamin B, and calcium, among other nutrients. With its low-calorie and high-protein characteristics, it’s a good option if you need to lose a couple of pounds because it helps keep you full for extended periods. In addition, the high-protein content enables you to lose fat and gain muscle. 

Keep in mind those with lactose intolerance may want to steer clear of cottage cheese because it is made of dairy. However, there are also lactose-free cottage cheese options, which are JUST as tasty. 

Cottage Cheese Uses

Cottage cheese is versatile and can be used in many savory and sweet dishes. Some popular ways to eat cottage cheese are on avocado toast, protein waffles, or paired with oatmeal. It can also be eaten simply with honey and berries on top for a quick snack after a workout or breakfast. 

How To Make Cottage Cheese Taste Good

Cottage cheese typically has a creamy and slightly tangy flavor. It’s relatively mild, but sometimes people don’t like the curd texture or the savory flavor. The good news is that cottage cheese is an excellent base for dishes and recipes. Some of our favorite ways to make cottage cheese taste good are eating it with protein waffles, oatmeal, avocado toast, or topping fruit. 

Avocado Toast & Cottage Cheese

A simple snack in the middle of the day is avocado toast with cottage cheese. While both ingredients are mild, we like the tangy flavor of the cottage cheese and sprinkle everything but the bagel seasoning to round out the savory flavor. 

Cottage Cheese And Fruit

This is probably the easiest way to make cottage cheese taste like dessert–just add ripe fruit, a drizzle of honey, and some crunchy granola for extra texture. To get more fiber, sprinkle hemp seeds and chia seeds on top.

Cottage Cheese Protein Waffles

Have your waffle and eat it too! This healthy protein-packed waffle uses cottage cheese and 22 grams of protein. Cottage cheese also works as a waffle topping, whether your waffle is homemade or store-bought. Think of waffles as similar to toast, but just a little sweeter. It’s a great balance for tangier and saltier cottage cheese. 

Oatmeal & Cottage Cheese

If you’re looking to make oatmeal taste better, you can also top it with cottage cheese! If you have overnight oats, you can mix in cottage cheese the night before to get a thicker and creamier texture. Also, we like adding cottage cheese as a topping for extra protein for traditional hot oatmeal. 

Cottage Cheese Toppings

There are endless cottage cheese toppings, but don’t worry; we’ve covered you in the general categories. 

Protein

If you’re on a diet (or just want a more filling meal), adding other types of protein, like ground turkey or boiled egg slices, is also a great option with cottage cheese. 

• Boiled egg: 68 calories, 5.5 grams protein, 0.5 grams carbs, 5 grams fat 
• Ground turkey (4 oz.): 242 calories, 31 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 13 grams fat
• Tuna (4 oz.): 132 calories, 29 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 1 gram fat
• Turkey bacon (1 slice): 51.5 calories, 4.1 grams protein, 0.6 grams carbs, 3.6 grams fat
• Salmon, canned (1 can): 127 calories, 21.3 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 4.6 grams fat

Vegetables 

Veggies like tomato, red onion, or cucumber make for some savory cottage cheese snacks.  

• Avocado (¼ cup): 45 calories, 1 gram protein, 3 grams carbs, 4 grams fat
• Bean sprouts (¼ cup): 8 calories, 1 grams protein, 1.5 grams carbs, 0 grams fat
• Cucumber (½ cup): 8 calories, 0.3 grams protein, 2 grams carbs, 0.1 grams fat
• Green onions (2 tbsp): 4 calories, 0.1 g protein, 0.5 g carbs, 0 g fat
• Pico de gallo (2 tbsp): 5.2 calories, 0.2 grams protein, 1.2 grams carbs, 0 grams fat
• Red onion (¼ cup): 19 calories, 0.5 grams protein, 5 grams carbs, 0 grams fat
• Tomato (½ cup): 16 calories, 1 gram protein, 4 grams carbs, 0.2 grams fat

Fruits & Sweeteners

Adding fruit or sweeteners like honey or maple syrup helps balance out the slightly tangy flavor of cottage cheese. 

• Banana slices (1/2 banana): 53 calories, 0.6 grams protein, 13.5 grams carbs, 0.2 grams fat
• Blueberries (1/4 cup): 21 calories, 0.3 grams protein, 5.4 grams protein, 0.1 grams fat
• Dried coconut, unsweetened (1/4 cup): 132 calories, 1.4 grams protein, 4.7 grams carbs, 12.9 grams fat
• Honey (2 Tbsp): 129 calories, 0.1 grams protein, 34.9 grams carbs, 0.0 grams fat
• Jam (2 Tbsp): 111 calories, 0.1 grams protein, 27.5 grams carbs, 0.0 grams fat
• Maple syrup (2 Tbsp): 102 calories, 0.0 grams protein, 26.4 grams carbs, 0.0 grams fat
• Peach slices (1/2 peach): 29 calories, 0.7 grams protein, 7.2 grams carbs, 0.2 grams fat
• Pineapple (1/4 cup): 21 calories, 0.2 grams protein, 5.4 grams carbs, 0.0 grams fat
• Raspberries (1/4 cup): 16 calories, 0.4 grams protein, 3.7 grams carbs, 0.2 grams fat
• Strawberries (1/4 cup): 12 calories, 0.3 grams protein, 2.9 grams carbs, 0.1 grams fat

Nuts & Other Types of Protein

Sprinkling some granola, chia seeds, or nuts on cottage cheese add more texture to the protein. 

• Chia seeds (2 Tbsp): 97 calories, 3.3 grams protein, 8.4 grams carbs, 6.1 grams fat
• Chopped pecans (1/4 cup): 188 calories, 2.5 grams protein, 3.8 grams carbs, 19.6 grams fat
• Flax seeds (2 Tbsp): 75 calories, 2.6 grams protein, 4.0 grams carbs, 5.9 grams fat
• Hazelnuts (1/4 cup): 212 calories, 5.0 grams protein, 5.6 grams carbs, 20.5 grams fat
• Hemp seeds (2 Tbsp): 111 calories, 6.3 grams protein, 1.7 grams carbs, 9.7 grams fat
• Granola (1/4 cup): 130 calories, 2.9 grams protein, 16.5 grams carbs, 6.4 grams fat
• Peanut butter, unsalted (1 tbsp): 96.4 calories, 3.6 grams protein, 3.6 grams carbs, 8.3 grams fat
• Sliced almonds (1/4 cup): 170 calories, 6.0 grams protein, 6 grams carbs, 15 grams fat
• Walnut halves (1/4 cup): 163 calories, 3.8 grams protein, 3.4 grams carbs, 16.3 grams fat

Herbs & Seasonings

We can’t recommend fresh herbs and seasonings enough for more flavor boosts. Here are our favorites: 

• Chives (1 tsp): 0.3 calories, 0 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 0 grams fat 
• Cilantro (¼ tsp): 0 calories, 0 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 0 grams fat
• Chili garlic crisp (1 tsp): 49.6 calories, 0.5 grams protein, .7 grams carbs, 5 grams fat
• Everything but the bagel seasoning (¼ tsp): 5 calories,  0 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 0 grams fat
• Furikake (¼ tsp): 2.5 calories, 0.1 grams protein, 0.2 grams carbs, 0.1 grams fat 
• Parsley (1 tsp): : 0 calories, 0 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 0 grams fat
• Pesto (1 tbsp): 62.9 calories, 0.9 grams protein, 0.6 grams carbs, 6.5 grams fat
• Red pepper flakes (¼ tsp): 1.6 calories, 0.1 grams protein, 0.3 grams carbs, 0 grams fat 
• Sriracha (1 tsp): 6 calories, 0.1 grams protein, 1.2 grams carbs, 0.1 grams fat
• Thyme (¼ tsp): : 0 calories, 0 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 0 grams fat

Healthy Ways To Eat Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is a great ingredient for a healthier option with lots of protein. We love using cottage cheese in place of mayo and other dishes: 

• Pasta sauce
• Tuna or chicken salad
• Smoothies
• Pancakes
• Dips
• Lasagna

Is It OK To Eat Cottage Cheese By Itself?

It’s okay to eat cottage cheese by itself; however, we recommend adding some toppings to help add more texture, like chia seeds, hemp seeds, or granola. Cottage cheese is slightly tangy, so I like to drizzle some honey or maple syrup to balance out the flavor. 

When Should I Eat Cottage Cheese?

Some people recommend eating cottage cheese before bed because it’s full of casein protein that is slow to break down and keeps you fuller for longer. During the night, the casein protein slowly releases amino acids, which helps reduce muscle fatigue.