High Protein “Cheesecake” Cottage Cheese Ice Cream

POV: You love ice cream, but you also have protein goals. Meet cottage cheese ice cream, the perfect solution! This ice cream has plenty of protein, is sweetened with maple syrup, and has such a delicious flavor and texture. You are going to love it! I used fresh lemon zest to create a delicious cheesecake flavor that is hard to resist. The great news is that you don’t have to use too much self control with this protein treat, so go ahead and eat the entire thing! 

I’m a big fan of ice cream in general. One of my favorite things to do in the evenings after my kids go to bed is whip up a batch of my favorite raw milk ice cream and enjoy it in peace. But this time I wanted ice cream that was more of a high protein snack than a decadent dessert. And this cottage cheese ice cream checks all the boxes. Smooth. Creamy. Protein Filled. Absolutely Delicious. 

Reasons To Love Cottage Cheese Ice Cream

High in Protein – Cottage cheese is such a wonderful food. It’s so delicious and has around 25 grams of protein per serving! Cottage cheese makes this ice cream creamy and satisfying—the perfect high protein dessert. 

Less Sugar –  Sweetened with real maple syrup, this recipe skips the refined sugar and is still just the right amount of sweet.

Thick, Creamy Texture – Cottage cheese blends into an unbelievably smooth and creamy base—no one will guess it’s not traditional ice cream.

Guilt-Free Dessert – A healthy option that actually tastes like dessert—great for satisfying your sweet tooth and also meeting protein goals. 

Customizable – Add chocolate chips, peanut butter, or mix in fresh fruit – there are so many possibilities for different variations. 

A Great Alternative to Store-Bought Ice Cream – Cue a sweet treat made with healthier ingredients than the regular ice cream from the store. Take a look at the ingredients in a popular brand of ice cream: 

Milk, Cream, Skim milk, palm oil, soybean oil, cocoa processed with alkali, invert sugar, contains 2% or less of corn flour, unsweetened chocolate, corn starch, salt, baking soda, whey, natural flavor, soy lecithin), sugar, buttermilk, whey, corn syrup, contains 2% of less of natural flavors, mono- and diglycerides, vegetable gums (carob bean gum, taragum, guar gum, carrageenan), cellulose gel, cellulose gum.

This homemade cottage cheese ice cream has just 5 simple ingredients!

Ingredients in Cottage Cheese Cheesecake Ice Cream

Cottage Cheese – the main ingredient and star of the show here. I love to use full-fat / whole milk cottage cheese if you can find it, but low fat will also work. Avoid fat-free cottage cheese for this recipe because the ice cream won’t be very creamy. I love the good culture brand. 

Milk – Whole milk makes this recipe extra creamy. My favorite milk to use is raw whole milk.

Real maple syrup – Maple syrup makes this cottage cheese ice cream sweet without being over the top. Don’t buy a sugar free or a pancake syrup, the real stuff is the best for flavor and avoiding artificial sugars. Honey or cane sugar would also work. 

Lemon zest – Optional in this recipe but gives the cottage cheese a delicious “cheesecake” flavor. 

Vanilla Extract – Adds another level of flavor, really delicious

Optional Toppings – I highly recommend crumbling some graham crackers on top, it’s so good! 

Other Supplies You Might Need

Ice cream maker or kitchen-aid attachment– Not absolutely mandatory, but makes really creamy ice cream a lot quicker. If you don’t have an ice cream machine, you can put your ice cream mixture in the freezer for a few hours and then serve. Use a loaf pan or a freezer-safe container if you are making it this way.

High-speed blender or Food Processor – Blending the cottage cheese mixture before chilling it helps achieve that nice smooth texture we love. You could also use an immersion blender if you have one. 

Ice cream scoop or large spoon

How to Make Cottage Cheese Ice Cream

This recipe is so easy to make, you can enjoy healthy homemade cottage cheese ice cream in a matter of minutes! 

All you have to do is combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend everything until the ice cream has a nice creamy consistency. 

Next, add the ice cream mixture to your ice cream machine and blend according to the machine instructions. Typically it takes about 15-25 minutes. I use the ice cream attachment for my kitchen aid and it was a pretty great consistency after 20 minutes of blending. 

That’s it! Your protein cottage cheese ice cream is ready to enjoy. Depending on your ice cream maker, the cottage cheese ice cream may have a soft serve ice cream consistency, if you want it thicker you can freeze it for 30 minutes or so before serving. 

Topping Suggestions

The best way (in my opinion) to eat this cheesecake flavored ice cream is with crumbled homemade graham crackers on top. It’s the perfect addition to achieve cheesecake status without the calories or spike in blood sugar. Here are a few other topping suggestions that would be delicious:

• fresh fruit
• chocolate chips
• pecans
• jam or jelly

How To Store Leftover Ice Cream

I had to think about this. because we never have any leftovers! I’m impressed with you if you do. Leftover cottage cheese ice cream can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for a few months. 

Conclusion

I hope the next time you have an ice cream craving, you remember how easy it is to make a high-protein dessert right in your own kitchen. 

If you liked this cottage cheese recipe, you should try my high protein cottage cheese pancakes and my cottage cheese eggs!