Strawberry Cottage Cheese Ice Cream with Protein

Ultra-creamy and packed with protein, the viral Cottage Cheese Ice Cream gets a boost from fresh strawberries and protein powder!

I was skeptical at first, but after trying out this Tiktok sensation, I'm sold.

This post is packed with tips on how to make cottage cheese ice cream, as well as flavor options and ideas for trying out a TON of variety!

I'm not one for trying viral food trends — I think a lot of them are overblown — but with my constant quest to get more protein in my daily life, I wanted to give some cottage cheese treats a try.

In all honesty, between cottage cheese cookie dough and this cottage cheese ice cream, I think cottage cheese cookie dough is my personal winner!

That said, this ice cream recipe will go down as a summer favorite — it's truly rich, creamy, and oh-so-easy!

The best things about cottage cheese ice cream

So, why make cottage cheese ice cream instead of REAL ice cream?

PACKED with protein

Each serving of cottage cheese has 14 grams of protein.

Plus, since I've added protein powder to this recipe, each serving of cottage cheese ice cream has OVER 24 grams of protein!

How's that for a dessert?

Easy to make

This recipe is ridiculously easy. All you've got to do is blend everything except the strawberries until smooth, stir in the strawberries, and freeze.

For a dessert that's bursting with protein, it's a no brainer.

Ingredients needed for strawberry cottage cheese ice cream

— Full fat cottage cheese: I highly recommend using full fat cottage cheese for this recipe, not a low fat variety. You need the fat to make creamy ice cream - otherwise, your ice cream could end up icy.

Also get a high-quality cottage cheese. If you open up the package and it seems like there's more liquid than curds of cheese, that's not a good sign! There should be LOTS of curds and it should be THICK. I used the brand Good Culture and it was straight up fantastic!

— Raw honey: You can also substitute maple syrup! But maple syrup might make a slightly more icy ice cream.

— Protein powder: My absolute favorite protein powder has a strawberry variety, so I used that for extra strawberry flavor! If your favorite protein powder doesn't have strawberry, you can use vanilla instead.

— Strawberries: You can use fresh or frozen strawberries here. You'll need extra strawberries if you aren't using strawberry protein powder.

— Vanilla extract: Just adds a touch more depth of flavor!

What protein powder should I use?

I'm not shy about my favorite protein powder: Equip Protein!

It's dairy free, gluten free, junk free. And tastes absolutely FANTASTIC.

Equip's Strawberry Prime Protein was an easy choice for this recipe!

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Use code CHELSEAJOYEATS at checkout!
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That said, if you have a favorite on hand already, feel free to use that. If your brand of choice doesn't have a strawberry flavor, use vanilla and add ½ cup fresh or frozen strawberries to the blender.

How to make cottage cheese ice cream with protein

The steps for this ice cream recipe are very straightforward — one of the reasons to love this recipe!

BLEND THE MAIN INGREDIENTS. Add the cottage cheese, honey, vanilla extract, and protein to a high-powered blender and blend until very smooth.

POUR INTO A FREEZER-SAFE CONTAINER. I used a loaf pan!

STIR IN STRAWBERRIES. Fresh or frozen chopped strawberries work great for this recipe.

FREEZE AND STIR. You'll want to stir every 30 minutes to prevent icing up. Or, you can use an ice cream machine!

Troubleshooting your homemade cottage cheese ice cream

I've seen several questions about making cottage cheese ice cream floating around the internet, so I thought I'd clear up the most common questions!

Why is my cottage cheese ice cream so icy?

You probably used a watery cottage cheese. As mentioned above, high quality, full fat cottage cheese will get you the best results!

Ice cream tends to be made with whole milk, not low fat milk. If you've ever had regular vanilla ice cream and low fat vanilla ice cream in the same sitting, you've noticed the difference. The fat is what makes ice cream so creamy and dreamy.

The same goes for cottage cheese ice cream. More fat = creamier ice cream.

As mentioned above, my favorite brand from my tests was Good Culture.

My cottage cheese ice cream is too hard

Let your ice cream thaw at least 30 minutes before stirring and serving.

When I first made cottage cheese ice cream, I thought I screwed it up because it was SOLID. This ice cream is extremely thick and rich, so it stays pretty hard even after thawing. Give it a good stir after it has thawed for 30 minutes, and you should be good to go.

Keep in mind, though, that while this is definitely similar to ice cream, it's also denser than ice cream. It doesn't scoop as "smoothly" as ice cream — as you can see in the photos, it was next to impossible to get a smooth, rounded scoop.

Ways to customize this recipe

This recipe makes a strawberry cottage cheese ice cream, but the possibilities are ENDLESS for this treat!

Here are a few ideas to get you going!

Vanilla Chocolate Chip: Use vanilla protein powder (or omit protein powder). Stir in 1 cup dark chocolate chips before freezing.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: Use peanut butter protein powder. Stir in 1 cup dark chocolate chips and swirl in ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (don't fully blend it in, just swirl it).

Lemon Blueberry: Add ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice when blending. Stir in ½ cup fresh blueberries and 1 tablespoon lemon zest before freezing.

Strawberry Cheesecake: Stir in ⅓-1/2 cup crumbled graham crackers (use gluten free grahams to keep this gluten free).

White Chocolate Macadamia: Stir in 1 cup white chocolate chips and ½ cup toasted chopped macadamia nuts.

Double Chocolate: Add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to the blender with the cottage cheese and honey OR use chocolate protein powder. Stir in 1 cup dark chocolate chips.

Mint Chocolate Chip: Add 2 teaspoons peppermint extract when blending. Stir in 1 cup dark chocolate chips.

Can I make this without protein powder?

Yes! Just omit the protein powder.

Considering cottage cheese creations went viral for their protein content, adding protein powder seemed like a way to boost the benefit. But it's not necessary!

More frozen dessert recipes to try

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