You are either a fan of cottage cheese’s taste or not. I’m a huge fan and absolutely love it. While you can enjoy it in pancakes, muffins, pasta, and more, a cottage cheese bowl is one of my favorite ways to eat it.
I’m not sure when I started eating cottage cheese, but it wasn’t something that I ate growing up or in college. I honestly think when I started to be more diligent about how much protein I was consuming and realized how it was such an easy and great source of it, I started to add it into my diet more and more.
It is a staple for me now. I love it mixed in overnight oats, blended into smoothies, mixed with scrambled eggs, and topped on rice cakes. But these bowls are my favorite. They take about 5 mins to make, are packed with flavor (especially when produce is in season), and are an easy and filling breakfast, brunch, or snack.
What is cottage cheese?
Cottage cheese is a dairy product made from cheese curds. It has a mild flavor and creamy texture, along with some chunkiness from the curds. It comes in different fat percentages (nonfat, reduced fat, or whole milk) and also different curd sizes (usually small or large).
Is cottage cheese healthy?
Cottage cheese is known for being a high-protein food while still being relatively low in calories. One cup of 2% fat has 180 calories with 24-28 grams of protein (depending on the brand), 11 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of fat. It also contains vitamins and minerals like B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and selenium. Cottage cheese can be a great addition if you are trying to add more protein to your diet.
Why we love these cottage cheese bowls
- ready in 10 minutes
- sweet or savory option depending on what you are feeling
- packed with protein – one bowl has 30 grams of protein!
Ingredients
Sweet cottage cheese bowl:
- cottage cheese – I like good culture 2% low fat cottage cheese.
- fresh berries – I used strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, but whatever fruit you like will work.
- peanut butter
- granola
- honey
- cinnamon
Savory cottage cheese bowl:
- cottage cheese
- fresh veggies – I used diced tomatoes and cucumbers.
- avocado
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- bagel seasoning
- chives
How to make a cottage cheese bowl
- Make your cottage cheese bowl. Add the cottage cheese to a bowl. If making the sweet version, add your fruit, granola, nut butter, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. If making the savory version add tomato, cucumber, avocado, olive oil, balsamic, everything but the bagel seasoning, and chives.
- Enjoy!
Blend your cottage cheese!
If you are not a fan of the texture of cottage cheese, try blending it. It comes out smooth and creamy and is so good. Add it to a blender or food processor and blend for 15-30 seconds until smooth. You could also use an immersion blender and blend it right in the container.
Meal prep
These cottage cheese breakfast bowls can be made for meal prep with a few simple steps. Prep all your ingredients and then store them in separate containers or a meal prep container with dividers. When you are ready to eat, simply add your toppings and enjoy. I wouldn’t top the bowls before eating as the toppings will get soggy.
Substitutions and additions
- cottage cheese – you can use fat-free, low-fat, or full-fat cottage cheese. If you don’t love cottage cheese, you can use half greek yogurt or all greek yogurt.
- fresh berries – feel free to switch up the fruit. Bananas, mangos, apples, peaches, pineapple, and raspberries would all be good.
- peanut butter – any kind of nut or seed butter will do. Try almond butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter.
- honey – maple syrup will work instead.
- vegetables – swap some out or add more. Bell peppers, radishes, roasted beets, diced red onion, or shredded carrots would work.
- chives – try fresh basil, dill, or parsley instead.
Here are some additions you can add:
- chia seeds or hemp seeds – for some more crunch and healthy fats in the sweet bowl.
- chocolate chips – a perfect addition to the sweet bowl.
- chopped nuts– almonds, pecans, or pistachios would work on the sweet or savory bowl.
- seeds – pumpkin or sunflower seeds would work on the sweet or savory bowl.
- hard-boiled eggs – perfect for the savory bowl.
- salt and black pepper – just a sprinkle on the savory bowl to enhance the flavors even more.
More high-protein breakfast recipes
- yogurt bowl
- cauliflower oatmeal
- homemade protein pancakes
- smoked salmon breakfast bowl
- coffee protein smoothie
- mango overnight oats
If you love quick and easy meals and want to learn how to build a balanced plate, check out our FREE How to Build a Balanced Plate Guide!
Cottage Cheese Bowl
ingredients
Sweet Cottage Cheese Bowl
Savory Cottage Cheese Bowl
- 1 cup cottage cheese (I used 2% fat)
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced (75 grams)
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber (60 grams)
- 1/3 cup diced avocado (35 grams)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- sprinkle of bagel seasoning
- sprinkle of freshly chopped chives
instructions
- Make your cottage cheese bowl. Add the cottage cheese to a bowl. If making the sweet version, add your fruit, granola, nut butter, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. If making the savory version add tomato, cucumber, avocado, olive oil, balsamic, everything but the bagel seasoning, and chives.
- Enjoy!
Alexis Mitchell says
This recipe was delicious! I always struggle with using cucumbers in fun ways and this was so tasty and will be doing again! The balsamic was a great touch that I think made a big difference!
Kelly Nardo says
So glad you enjoyed it, Alexis! It definitely a tasty way to get in some veggies. Thanks for trying it!
Erica says
This was a great healthy snack that kept me full until my next meal. I highly recommend!
Kelly says
Glad you enjoyed it, Erica! Thanks for trying it!
Dad says
They are great
Kelly says
Glad you like them so much!
Nancy says
Creative and yummy ways to enjoy cottage cheese!! Great variety! Really good!!!
Kelly says
So happy to hear you liked them, Nancy! Thanks for trying them.
Austin says
Love the savory cottage cheese bowls! You can quickly chop up whatever veggies you have around the house on hand – protein fills you up and the balsamic vinegar and everything bagel seasoning give it a really satisfying flavor profile I would have never thought of on my own.
Kelly says
Yes, they really are so versatile! Glad you are enjoying it so much Austin, thanks for trying it!