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This delicious cottage cheese smoothie has all the flavors of strawberry cheesecake with almost 30 grams of protein. Frozen strawberries, cottage cheese, and vanilla combine for this easy and creamy smoothie.
With just 5 main ingredients, and added protein powder if you’d like, this strawberry cottage cheese smoothie is a very quick breakfast or lunch on the go. I also love to eat this one after workouts.
If you love this strawberry cottage cheese smoothie, you must try these Berry Protein Popsicles – similar but make a great snack!
Table of Contents
The Best Cottage Cheese Smoothie
Although cottage cheese is “trendy” right now, if you are someone who struggles with a migraine disorder, it may have always been a staple. Since I cannot tolerate fermented items like yogurt, cottage cheese has been my go to for breakfast like these cottage cheese and fruit bowls or mango lassis. I also love it in appetizer dips and whipped as a substitute for yogurt in things like tzatziki.
What I love about cottage cheese is it actually contains a little more protein than yogurt, making it a great alternative in things like smoothies. Plus the hint of cheese gives smoothies a little bit of a cheesecake flavor when added. You’ll love this strawberry cottage cheese smoothie recipe because:
- Minimal Ingredients – No fancy ingredients here! So it’s a great one to make when you don’t have a lot in your fridge or freezer.
- Good meal replacement – With a high amount of protein to keep you full, this is one of my favorite mom meals on those days I just don’t have time to take a break to even put together a sandwich.
- Variations – I’ve tried this with cherries and blueberries as a substitute for strawberries and it’s delicious! It’s easy to mix with lots of frozen fruit.
Blender Recommendations
If your blender makes awful noises and smells like smoke, it’s probably time to invest in a new one that doesn’t leave chunks behind! Some of my favorites include:
- Vitamix – Just switched mine out after 10 years and love it.
- Ninja – Very popular with some readers.
- Nutribullet Ideal if you plan to only make dishes for one person. Sometimes I don’t love that you can’t use a blender tamper to mix a thicker smoothie well.
Ingredients
- Cottage cheese – Choose the type you like best, with recommendations below.
- Frozen strawberries – Can also be substituted with frozen cherries.
- Frozen riced cauliflower – This adds a lot of extra creaminess and thickness, but the flavor is hidden!
- Frozen bananas or dried mulberries – Half a frozen banana adds just enough sweetness, but if you’re in the elimination phase try doing 2 tablespoons of dried mulberries.
- Vanilla – I like to use alcohol-free vanilla extract in smoothies!
- Protein powder – This one is optional, but I have a few recommendations for protein powders.
Cottage Cheese Recommendations
Cottage cheese contains more protein than Greek yogurt, at around 25 grams per cup. It is a fresh cheese (not aged), making it a good migraine-friendly and low histamine option. It’s also fairly low in calories and contains riboflavin (B2) and vitamin B12 which are both beneficial for brain health.
- Low fat or Reduced Fat– Between .5 and 2 percent milk fat. If your main concern is high protein content and don’t care about flavor, this will typically contain the most amount of protein. Daisy brand is one of my favorites. It doesn’t have bacterial cultures (otherwise cottage cheese is basically like yogurt) and very simple ingredients.
- Regular – Must contain at least 4 percent milk fat. This will be the best in terms of flavor profile and creaminess and will give you the best result.
- Low sodium – Cottage cheese is higher in sodium, but brands vary. Friendship Dairies makes a low sodium cottage cheese.
How to Make
Begin with a good blender, this will make everything easier. Add the frozen strawberries, banana or mulberries and cottage cheese at the bottom, then top with everything else.
Pour in about 1/2-3/4 cup of filtered water, or you can use milk if you want this to be extra creamy. Blend on low speed, slowly increasing to high speed as it becomes more smooth. Serve while cold!
Expert Tips
- For a thick smoothie – Use less liquid and more frozen fruit. If you start out too thin, adding more frozen fruit will help to thicken the smoothie.
- For a thin smoothie – Add more liquid. If you go past 3/4 cup of water, I recommend using milk instead so it doesn’t dull the flavor too much.
- Add ins – Chia seeds, hemp seeds, and coconut would all be good in this smoothie.
- Fruit options – Other fruits that would work here are frozen mango, cherries, peaches and blueberries.
I don’t recommend adding any nut or seed butters to this smoothie as the flavor is really meant to be similar to a strawberry cheesecake! Topping with granola would be much better.
Cottage Cheese Smoothie Bowls
To make these into cottage cheese smoothie bowls, use only 1/4 cup of liquid or just enough to get things moving. Use a blender tamper to press down the frozen fruit and vegetables so they become evenly blended and super thick.
Top with nut-free granola, coconut flakes, or even crushed graham crackers for a treat.
Make Ahead
To make this cottage cheese smoothie ahead, I recommend freezing everything except the liquid and cottage cheese in a freezer bag. Then just dump into the blender, add the cottage cheese, and blend when you’re ready to consume.
For best results, drink this smoothie within 10-15 minutes of blending it.
Recipe FAQ
Cottage cheese makes a great substitute for yogurt in smoothies and it’s one of my favorite ways to avoid using yogurt. Not only is it a good low histamine alternative, but you don’t have to add anything to it!
For smoothies, I recommend anything that sounds amazing with a cheesecake. So strawberries, blueberries, peaches, mango, and blackberries would all work well.
Compared to yogurt, cottage cheese contains more protein per cup and lower fat, while still having a similar taste. It also doesn’t contain live active cultures (some brands do add it), but this can be helpful for people who are sensitive to fermentation.
If you’re sensitive to histamine, try substituting the strawberries with frozen sweet cherries or mango. With mango, it will taste similar to my yogurt-free mango lassi, but not quite as thick!
Dried mulberries are one of my favorite substitutes for banana flavor. They’re sweet and have a butterscotch-like flavor, but they don’t add the creaminess you’d get from banana. Pairing them with frozen riced cauliflower is helpful to get a great substitute.
Cottage Cheese Breakfast Recipes
If you love this cottage cheese smoothie you have to try these recipes!
Breakfast
Cottage Cheese with Fruit
Smoothies
Berry Protein Smoothie
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Cottage Cheese Smoothie
Equipment
- 1 High speed blender
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups frozen strawberries
- 1/3 cup frozen riced cauliflower
- 1/2 frozen banana or 2 tablespoons of dried mulberries
- 1/3 cup cottage cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 scoop protein powder (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the frozen strawberries, cauliflower, banana or mulberries, cottage cheese and vanilla in a blender. Top with protein powder, if using and 3/4 cup of water or milk. Blend till smooth and serve immediately.
Notes
- For migraine elimination diet – Do not use frozen banana and instead substitute 2 tablespoons of dried mulberries and an extra 1/4 cup of frozen riced cauliflower. You may need to add some sweetness, like honey, to taste, but mulberries are very sweet! Also make sure to use a cottage cheese without live active cultures, like Daisy.
- For low histamine – substitute strawberries with cherries, mangoes or peaches. Do not use a cottage cheese with live active cultures.
- For low sodium – Use a low-sodium brand cottage cheese like Friendship Dairies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I often find banana overpowers a smoothie, so you can’t taste any other flavor. Not so with this smoothie! Additionally, the taste of the protein powder was well-hidden. Overall, a delicious smoothie and more satiating than most!
Thank you so much!
Just tried this smoothie and it’s delicious! I like the flavour of the cottage cheese in the smoothie, it definitely gives cheesecake vibes.
A new favorite of mine. I love the anti-inflammatory and gut health smoothies but this one is definitely getting added to the rotation. Thank you for another great recipe!