Bought Cottage Cheese? Here Are 3 Tasty Ways to Use It Up

Cottage cheese is something of an acquired taste. Some people love the soft, wet cheese for its super healthy profile (fairly low in calories, high in protein and other nutrients). Others dislike what they perceive as a soppy, lumpy texture and tangy taste that’s not quite cheese and not quite yogurt. To say it’s a polarizing ingredient is not an understatement.

But if you have it, you should use it, right? So we are going to share a number of ways to use cottage cheese that deviate from the usual scooping with a spoon (assuming that’s not your jam). Cottage cheese happens to be incredibly versatile and a great substitute for various other dairy products. These are just a few of the many things you can do with it.

Use It in Place of Cream Cheese

This might seem like a surprising swap, given that one dairy product is soft and wet, more like yogurt, and the other is firm and creamy, more like butter. But it is possible—and delicious.

Drain the cottage cheese to get rid of the excess moisture (also known as whey). Put it in a sieve and let it sit for a few minutes. Then, if you're using it in a dip, sauce, frosting, or other non-baked recipe, give it a whirl in the blender, food processor, or immersion blender to make it smooth and creamy. Add whatever flavorful ingredients the recipe calls for, and enjoy.

If you use cottage cheese to replace cream cheese in baking, you will have to increase its fat content. Drain as described above, blend briefly, then put it in cheesecloth or a clean dish towel to squeeze out even more moisture. After that, add an equal amount of heavy cream to the drained and blended cottage cheese. That added fat will help your finished cheesecake or other baked item to taste rich and creamy, rather than crumbly. 

Use It to Fluff Up Pancakes

Adding cottage cheese to pancake batter may sound counterintuitive, but it turns out beautifully. The batter needs less flour and relies more on eggs and cottage cheese to fill it out. The result is a protein-rich pancake that will keep you full for longer than just a flour-based one. 

Look for small curd cottage cheese to avoid any large lumps while eating (they won’t taste bad, just might feel out of place). If you can’t find it, mash up regular cottage cheese with a fork. Once cooked, add jam, maple syrup, Nutella, or other sweet toppings.

Add It to Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled eggs are delicious with grated cheese, but cottage cheese? It happens to work beautifully, with the cottage cheese adding a tangy, savory flavor to the eggs. Cottage cheese will melt somewhat when heated, though not entirely, and the curds will become incorporated into the eggs, adding a rich and creamy consistency. 

Cottage cheese boosts the protein content and lets you stretch the number of servings without having to use more eggs. Commenters approve of this method, saying, “The recipe made the best scrambled ever. Fluffy, no dryness. Amazing way to add some calcium to our diets as well.”

If you’re looking for even more inspiration, check out these 21 recipes that start with cottage cheese.