Are you in your cottage cheese era?
The dairy product is staging a comeback thanks to a flood of TikTok videos claiming it as a protein-packed superfood. Spooned straight from the tub, spread on bagels, added to pancake mix, or used to make ice cream or cookie dough—the lumpy cheese is having a renaissance.
@chefbob8 Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream 🔥SUPERFOOD TRIO #IceCream #EasyRecipe #FYPシ
♬ Beggin’ – Måneskin
In July, Google searches for “cottage cheese” rose to the highest levels recorded since 2004. Formerly a vestige of diet culture left over from the ‘70s—before it was overrun by the explosion of the yogurt aisle—cottage cheese is a type of curdled milk product both high in protein and low in calories.
Despite its unsightly texture, the health benefits of cottage cheese are very real.
Just one cup of low-fat cottage cheese offers 48% of your daily protein intake and 23% of your daily calcium, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The casein protein, responsible for cottage cheese’s strange texture, contains all the essential amino acids you need, reduces muscle breakdown and soreness, and promotes muscle growth when consumed after hitting the gym. Cottage cheese also contains high levels of vitamin B12 for healthy brain function, riboflavin for healthy skin and eyes, phosphorus, which helps build strong bones and teeth, and folate, essential for cell growth. If that isn’t enough to convince you, one cup contains just 180 calories.
While those health benefits have long been known, it’s TikTok that changed cottage cheese’s image. TikTokers are sharing fun recipes online for everything from cottage cheese queso dip (dubbed the “hit of the summer”) to pizza cottage cheese bowls. “What we’re seeing is the intersection of nutrition, wellness and social media culture,” says Steve Young, a founding partner at health food-focused private equity firm Manna Tree. “Visually appealing, protein-packed meals and snacks aren’t just fuel—they’re content.”
@janellerohner Replying to @Shannon Prokopich-Hu COTTAGE CHEESE QUESO is he hit of the summer! Its low calorie and high protein! You have to try this. #cottagecheese #healthyrecipes #snackhack #snack #cottagecheeserecipe #foodtok
♬ Cruel Summer – Taylor Swift
As protein mania has taken over, cottage cheese’s resurgence was almost inevitable. While protein itself is not a fad—it is essential for our body’s ability to repair cells and make new ones—our current protein obsession very much is. Food companies have been adding protein to seemingly everything over the last decade, with Americans consuming around twice the daily amount recommended in the federal dietary guidelines.
Despite exceeding the recommended intake, 60% of US adults are now satisfied and trying to shovel even more of it into their diets. And that bodes well for cottage cheese’s future.
Login to add comment
Other posts in this group
As I write this, the most pleasing sound is washing over me—gentle waves ebbing and flowing onto the shore. Sadly, I’m not actually on some magnificent tropical beach. Instead, the sounds of the s
The relentless hype around AI makes it difficult to separate the signal from the
I don’t know about you, but I tend to think about my favorite tech tools as being split into two separate saucepans: the “classic” apps we’ve known and relied on for ages and then the newer “AI” a
The official White House social media account is under fire for posts that resemble something typically found on the internet forum 4chan.
A post shared on February 14, styled like a Val
The prospect of banning the sale of so-called
