Is Cottage Cheese Ice Cream the Cool New Must-Try Dessert?

There’s a new easy-to-make ice cream that may cause a run on cottage cheese—and it’s a light, simple recipe with only three ingredients. Like many food trends these days, cottage cheese ice cream started on social media when Lainie Kates took to TikTok to post her recipe for strawberry cheesecake cottage cheese ice cream—a creamy, dreamy mix of whole milk cottage cheese, strawberries, and your choice of sweetener (she used maple syrup).  After a couple hours in the freezer and a topping of graham crackers for a crust-like crunch, Kates had cottage cheese ice cream—and it looks like the real deal.

While Kates is the one who’s popularized the idea, credit for the original recipe goes to Kenzie Akers, who appears to have originally created and posted it on TikTok in March of 2022 as part of her wellness plan. 

To make cottage cheese ice cream, all you have to do is add your ingredients to a blender (making sure they’re chilled first), pour the mixture into a tray, and stick it in the freezer until frozen. Upon scooping it out, the video tutorials show a definite ice cream consistency.

Cottage cheese has long been a nutritious staple in meals and snacking. With 14 grams of protein in a half-cup serving, cottage cheese provides 27% of the recommended daily protein intake. It’s considered a complete protein, with all nine essential amino acids plus vitamins and minerals needed to keep your body running smoothly, including vitamin B12, phosphorus, calcium, and selenium. Using it to make ice cream doesn’t just provide you with more nutrients, but also a light, creamy texture and minimal effort—no ice cream maker required.

If you want to give cottage cheese ice cream a try, don’t stop with a strawberry cheesecake flavor profile—you can find a variety of different recipes on TikTok, like Snickers and banana cream pie. This recipe posted by Paige Lindgren currently has more than 1.2 million views and 100,000 likes. In the comment section, users are sharing their own ideas for flavors, from instant coffee and chocolate chips, crumbled biscotti, and matcha powder.

The possibilities for cottage cream ice creams are only limited to your imagination: Combine your favorite fruits, sweeteners, and, of course, cottage cheese to create a delicious frozen dessert. Add some chocolate chips, cinnamon toast cereal, or other favorite toppings to the mix. If you’re planning on sharing your homemade treat with loved ones and you’re concerned about them judging the use of cottage cheese, keep that part to yourself—they likely won’t be able to tell the difference.