Social media’s obsession with everything protein has led to a surprising surge in popularity for one very humble ingredient – cottage cheese. 

Once relegated to the ranks of sad breakfast food for equally sad dieters, cottage cheese is now having such a moment that it has led to a national shortage. 

Our major supermarkets are scrambling to keep shelves stocked, while the Guardian Australia reports that Bulla Dairy Foods is dramatically ramping up its production of cottage cheese to keep pace with unprecedented demand. But it’s not just here in Australia. Cottage cheese sales – and resultant shortages – have soared in the US and UK as well, as the high-protein health trend continues to drive consumers straight to the dairy aisle.  

So what are people doing with all this cottage cheese? For such a bland ingredient, you might find it hard to picture any particular appeal, but thousands upon thousands of TikTok videos will swiftly convince you otherwise. Content creators are using it to make cottage cheese flatbreads, pizzas, brownies, puddings, chips, dips, muffins, cheesecakes, fudge, ice cream, pancakes, mac & cheese, chicken enchiladas… even cottage cheese edible cookie dough.

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@jakecohen

COTTAGE CHEESE EDIBLE COOKIE DOUGH. I’m unwell, I know, but I need a steady stream of sweets throughout the day and lots of protein so I’m actually vvvvvvvv into a few spoons of this magic whenever my sweet tooth is acting up!! Very easy! Don’t try to bake it! Hope y’all are getting swole!!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰 Cottage Cheese Edible Cookie Dough 1 pound low-fat cottage cheese 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups almond flour 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder 1 cup dark chocolate chips In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla, then purée until very smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the almond flour and protein powder until well incorporated, then fold in the chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

♬ original sound – Jake Cohen

Is cottage cheese healthy?

TikTok’s new hero ingredient might be no great shakes on the flavour front (as one wag on Threads posted, “There’s plenty of wallpaper paste at Bunnings still, and that’s basically the same”), but it certainly has a lot of other benefits to offer. Apart from the fact that it’s cheap, cottage cheese is low in fat and calories, but high in protein – depending on the brand you buy, 100g can contain anywhere from 10 to 14g protein. As a comparison, one large hard-boiled egg contains about 5.5g protein. Cottage cheese is also high in calcium, and contains other vitamins and minerals like B12, magnesium and potassium. 

Credit: iStock / Pinkybird

How to make cottage cheese

If you can’t find cottage cheese anywhere, and really, really want some for some inexplicable reason, you can always make it yourself. Here’s a simple recipe that makes 1 cup of homemade cottage cheese. You’ll need:

4 cups (1L) milk
2 tbs white vinegar
½ tsp fine salt
¼ cup thickened cream

Pour the milk into a large saucepan over medium heat. Heat, slowly stirring often, until it begins to simmer or reaches 80-90°C on a kitchen thermometer. It will be frothy, but should not boil.

Remove from the heat and add the vinegar and salt and stir to combine. Sit for 45 minutes, or until you see the milk has curdled. 

Strain the curds through some cheesecloth or a tea towel positioned over a large bowl to catch the whey. If you want a firmer cottage cheese, you can squeeze out excess liquid at this stage. Place the curds into a bowl covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Once chilled, add cream and gently break up the curds and mix to combine. For a smaller curd, break it up a little more, and for a creamier consistency, add another ¼ cup cream. Serve cold.

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