Cottage Cheese Benefits: 7 Wondrous Benefits

Cottage cheese is a dairy product made by acidifying cow’s milk ¹with a mild flavour and a creamy,non-homogenous thick and soupy texture with hundreds of health benefits. It’s the process of separating curd and whey. 

Cottage cheese has many benefits, some of which are given below. Let’s learn about the 7 wondrous cottage cheese benefits²!

1. Benefits of Cottage Cheese

1.1. For Bone Health

Cottage cheese benefits in maintaining bone health³. Cottage cheese is an excellent and rich source of calcium which plays an important role in maintaining bone and tooth health in your body.

If you are consuming enough calcium, You are less likely to develop osteoporosis.

1.2. For Blood Pressure

High blood pressure usually develops over time, which can happen due to an unhealthy lifestyle, such as not getting enough physical activity. A diabetic or obese person can also increase blood pressure.

Cottage cheese helps you regulate blood sugar levels and blood pressure and maintain a healthy diet.

Eating low-sodium cottage cheese is beneficial and good for red blood cells.

1.3. Maintaining Weight Loss

Cottage cheese helps in weight loss. Thinking about weight loss can be a horrible nightmare. All those pretty clothes and dresses are waiting in the wardrobe for you to pick them up and flaunt them.

All those healthy but not-so-tasty food that murders your taste buds every time. Cottage cheese is a tastier and healthier alternative for your healthy diet.

Did you know that eating cottage cheese helps you lose weight very effectively? It’s not surprising that cottage cheese is low in calories and a fad diet food.

Cottage cheese is a low-carbohydrate, calorie-restricted healthy diet. Eat cottage cheese. It helps you lose weight quickly.

Cottage cheese is rich in protein, burns belly fat, and can reduce your appetite even when consumed in small quantities. Cottage cheese helps maintain weight loss by making you feel full quickly and keeping you full for longer. 

Cottage cheese is amazing for obese persons.

1.4. Health Benefits of Cottage Cheese

The protein found in cottage cheese is high, it’s low in fat and high in calcium, vitamins A, and B, zinc, and many other nutrients.

Cottage cheese nutrition per 100 grams:

• Calories 98

• Total Fat 4.3 g or 6%

• Saturated fat 1.7 g or 8%

• Cholesterol 17 mg or 5%

• Sodium 364 mg or 15%

• Potassium 104 mg or 2%

• Total Carbohydrate 3.4 g or 1%

• Dietary fibre 0 g or 0%

• Sugar 2.7 g

• Protein 11 g or 22%

• Vitamin C 0%

• Calcium 8%

• Iron 0%

• Vitamin D 0%

• Vitamin B6 0%

• Cobalamin 6%

• Magnesium 2%

• Phosphorus 24%

1.5. Building Muscle and Workout

Cottage cheese helps with muscle breakdown. A food that can build muscle gives your bones strength and keeps your metabolism reviving.

Eating low-fat cottage cheese releases amino acids in the blood and muscle during the night, reducing the risk of muscle breakdown.⁴

Cottage cheese carries casein protein content. Casein protein is slowly absorbed, promotes muscle gain, and helps prevent muscle breakdown.

Cottage cheese is a rich source of this muscle-friendly macronutrient, with roughly 27 grams of protein in a single cup. But cottage cheese doesn’t provide just any protein.

Cottage cheese contains a wealth of slow-digesting casein protein, which means the amino acids in casein can supply your body with muscle-building fuel⁵.

An evening cottage cheese snack is a perfect way to encourage muscle recovery and better growth during sleep.

1.6. Heart Health

Cottage cheese’s benefits include calcium wallop vitamins and magnesium.  Choose low-fat dairy products or plain cottage cheese to avoid consuming excess dietary fat; low-fat dairy products are rich in dietary calcium.

Eating dairy products or eating cottage cheese is very beneficial for heart disease.

Research suggests eating Cottage cheese acts as a super healthy food for people suffering from heart disease.

1.6.1. Lactose Intolerance 

Avoid consuming cottage cheese if you show any symptoms of lactose intolerance. Tofu can prove to be a great alternative in such a case.

1.7. Helps Avoid Cancer

Eating large amounts of polyunsaturated fats from foods like cottage cheese could help slow the growth and spread of prostate cancer. Also try to avoid dairy products that are responsible for prostate cancer⁶, as explained in a study.

People on a diet eat a mixture of flaxseed oil, cottage cheese, and honey multiple times every day, which helps in lowering the risk of prostate cancer.

7.1. How to Make Cottage Cheese

Making Cottage Cheese involves good dairy bacteria converting lactose to lactic acid.

After the bacteria activity begins, the milk acidity increases until the milk turns into solid curd sizes that can be cut into small cubes.

The curd is then cooked to release all the moisture to make it solid; then, it is chilled to make cottage cheese.

You can add Cream to the finished cheese to increase the richness and texture.

Before we get started making cottage cheese, did you know that it’s said to have been named “cottage cheese” because it was once created in cottages from leftover milk after producing butter? This indicates that cottage cheese is easy to make and that everyone can do it!

8. Acids Used to Make Cottage Cheese

Commercially sold cottage cheese is made using citric acid. You need yoghurt, lemon juice, or vinegar for homemade cottage cheese.

The taste, flavour & texture of the cottage cheese depends on the acidic ingredient you are using.

Yoghurt yields very soft yet firm cottage cheese. You can skip rinsing the cottage cheese, but it has to be very well-drained by removing the excess whey.

Then it has to be set. Using too much curd to curdle milk will impart a mild yoghurt flavour to the cheese.

Because lemon juice gives the curdled solids a lemony taste, it must be thoroughly washed. The cheese will become sour and gritty if too much lemon juice is used.

• Pour 6 cups of milk into a heavy bottom pot and bring it to a gentle boil on a low flame.
• Make sure you have a curdling agent on hand, such as yoghurt, lemon juice, or vinegar. Please only use one. Turn off the burner when the milk has reached a boil.
• Add two tablespoons of vinegar or 1/3 cup of yoghurt to milk. Give a good stir for half of minute.
• Milk begins to curdle immediately, and solids separate from the whey. If it doesn’t, turn the stove on to a high flame and continue to boil until you see the solids separating from the whey.
• If needed, you should add another teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the boiling milk. Note that non-homogenized milk⁷ gets faster. Homogenized milk takes a bit longer to curdle as it is processed for a good shelf life.
• Turn off the stove as soon as the milk has curdled completely. When the Cottage cheese is done correctly, you will see clear whey and not milky in the pot.
• The colour of the whey turns yellowish or green but not milky white. It is important to turn it off within 2 to 4 minutes when it is done.
• Place a colander over a large bowl (to collect the strained whey). Layer it with a clean cheesecloth or strainer. A thin and new handkerchief works well too. Transfer all curdled milk to the colander or handkerchief or in your filter.
• Immediately pour cold water on the cheese to eliminate the vinegar or lemon smell. Later rinse the cottage cheese well a few times under running water until it is clear of all the smell.
• Squeeze off the excess water from the cheese. Make a knot on the cloth and hang this for 20 minutes. This helps to drain the excess whey from cheese. Cottage cheese should still be moist after draining the whey.
• Place the entire cheesebox on a flat colander, dish, or wooden board. Wring the material into a lovely spherical shape.
• Place a heavy object weighing at least 2 to 3 kg on the pack. Any heavy object like a utensil or a pot filled with water will just work well to set cottage cheese. Allow it to sit for about 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove the cloth, and you will find a round block of cottage cheese. You will also notice some dents on the block. It is just normal not to worry.
• Slice the cottage cheese. Use or Refrigerate the cheese for further use. Cut the cheese into slices or freeze it as it is.

Your fresh cheese is ready.

Using fresh cow’s milk makes cottage cheese good, and it’s very beneficial for gut health.

Adding a pinch of salt and black paper to cottage cheese makes it more delicious.

9. 7 Different Types of Cheese

9.1. Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is made by separating curds from the whey, and like other cheeses, it remains creamy and lumpy if you don’t press it. It can be eaten on its own or with fruits, salad, toast, sandwiches, etc.

9.2. Mozzarella Cheese

Mozzarella cheese is pulled and kneaded into strands, contributing to its stretchability and super stretchy. It melts well in heat and is mostly used on pizza.

9.3. Ricotta Cheese

This fresh Ricotta cheese is smoother than cottage cheese. It’s not solid at all. It has a subtle flavour that goes nicely with lasagna, cheesecake, and other foods.

9.4. Cheddar Cheese

This well-liked cheese comes in many variations. The varieties come from creamy to sharp, and their colour can run from a natural white to carrot orange.

A Cheddar’s texture changes as it gets older, becoming drier and crumbly.

9.5. Blue Cheese

Blue cheese is a general name for cheeses made with Penicillium cultures, which create “blue” spots or veins inside the cheese. Blue cheese has a sharp smell and an acquired taste to it. We can eat Blue cheese crumbed or melted in many ways.

9.6. Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is made by adding cream to milk. Cream cheese comes in a block, sometimes with added flavours, and spreads smoothly.

The flavour is very light slightly tangy, and creamy.

9.7. Parmesan Cheese

Parmesan cheese has a hard, gritty texture and is fruity and nutty in taste. It can be used for grating over plates of pasta, used in soups, and many more recipes.

• String cheese

• Swiss cheese

• Processed cheese

• Feta cheese

• Sour cream cheese

• White cheese

and a lot of other cheeses.

10. Some of the Famous Cottage Cheese Brands

1. Good culture Low-fat cottage cheese.

2. Organic Valley cottage cheese.

3. Daisy cottage cheese.

4. Horizon organic cottage cheese.

5. Borden fat-free cottage cheese.

6. Amish Greek cottage cheese.

7. Mountain house cottage cheese.

8. Nancy organic Whole milk cottage cheese.

These brands serve you the best, and cottage cheese benefits are 10x.

11. Four Healthy Recipes With Cottage Cheese Benefits

11.1. Pecan Cheesecake Pudding

11.1.1. Ingredients

• Three medium-sized ripe bananas were peeled, cut into pieces and frozen.

• 2/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese

• 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/3 pinch salt

• Four walnuts (shell removed), roughly chopped

11.1.2. Directions

• Add banana, cottage cheese, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt; now grind everything until smooth texture.

• Top with chopped walnuts and choco chips. 

• For a firmer consistency, freeze 15 minutes before serving.

11.1.3. Nutrition of One-Cup Serving

• 245 calories

• 12 g fat (2 g saturated)

• 33 g carbs

• 19 g sugar

• 6 g fibre

• 12 g protein

11.2. Meal-Prep Protein Waffles

11.2.1. Ingredients

• 1 cup instant oats

• 1 cup cottage cheese

• Two eggs

• Two teaspoon honey

• Two teaspoons of vanilla extra

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

11.2.2. For Meal Prepping (Totally Optional)

• 1 cup berries and other fruits

• 1/2 cup almond butter, Nutella spread, Greek yoghurt, or maple syrup

11.2.3. Instructions

Preheat a waffle maker pan and lightly coat it with a nonstick spray or drops of oil.

Place instant oats, cottage cheese, eggs, honey, vanilla extract, and baking powder in a blender and blend until a smooth paste.

Pour 1/2 cup onto the waffle maker and cook until the waffle maker turns off.

Repeat until all the batter is finished and crispy outside, soft inside golden waffle is ready.

11.2.4. To Meal-Prep:

Divide all the waffles evenly into four meal prep containers.

Add 1/4 cup of berries and other fruits into each container and a few teaspoons of almond butter or your favourite spread, Greek yoghurt, or maple syrup.

11.3. Cottage Cheese Crab Bowl

The cottage cheese crab bowl is the best and perfect light, fresh, and filling tasty lunch.

11.3.1. Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese

• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber and tomato

• 1/3 cup imitation crab

• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

• 1/4 tsp sriracha sauce

11.3.2. Instructions

Add the cottage cheese, chopped cucumber, tomato, and crab meat to a bowl. Top with Italian seasoning and sriracha sauce⁸.

Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat. You can eat this for up to four days.

11.3.3. Essential Nutrients

Serving: 1 bowl

• Calories: 150.1 kcal

• Carbohydrates: 14.8 g

• Protein: 16.3 g

• Fat: 2.8 g

• Sodium: 750.6 mg

• Fibre: 0.7 g

11.4. Creamy Tomato Lasagne

11.4.1. Ingredients

• One tablespoon of olive oil

• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced properly

• 2 to 4 cups of fresh spinach

• 2 cups cottage cheese

• One egg

• 1/3 cup ground flax meal

• One teaspoon of oregano seasoning

• A pinch of nutmeg

• A squeeze of lemon juice

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

• 3 cups tomato sauce

• 12 no-boiled or oven-ready lasagne noodles

• 3 to 4 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

• Chop some fresh parsley leaves and grated Parmesan cheese to serve your lasagne

11.4.2. Instructions

Preheat your oven to 360 degrees. In a pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Now add the garlic and saute in oil for 1-2 minutes.

Add the spinach leaves and stir well. Remove from heat and set it aside.

In a blender, blend the cottage cheese until it turns smooth and creamy. Transfer it to a bowl and mix it with eggs, flax meal, Italian seasoning, nutmeg, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. Stir in the spinach and set it aside.

To assemble lasagna, spray oil on a baking dish and spread a spoonful of sauce around the bottom of the baking dish.

Arrange three noodles, top with about 1/2 cup sauce, 1 cup creamy spinach mixture, and 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese.

Repeat the process for three complete layers. Top it with the last three leftover lasagna noodles, 1 cup of sauce, and 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese.

Cover the top with greased foil so the cheese will not stick, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove the foil from the dish and bake for another 10 minutes to brown the cheese. Remove it from the oven and keep it stand for 15 minutes before serving.

12. In The End

I hope this article helped you with the amazing health benefits of cottage cheese and many other tasty cottage cheese recipes!

If you liked this article, here is something more.

Also, check out this one Pros and Cons of Lactose-Free Milk.

13. FAQs

Q1. Is Cottage Cheese Good for You?

Cottage cheese is a good source of calcium, a mineral that plays an important role in the health of teeth and bones and the prevention of osteoporosis. It also helps regulate your blood pressure and may play a role in preventing certain cancers, such as prostate cancer.

Q2. Is Cottage Cheese Healthier Than Yoghurt?

Both cottage cheese and yoghurt are good choices for a healthy and nutritious meal. Snodgrass has a hard time choosing, but he thinks he’ll win a little. “Cottage cheese has a slight advantage over yoghurt in terms of lower sugar content.

Q3. Is Paneer Cottage Cheese?

Vegetarian-flavoured, soft, white cottage cheese, also known as cottage cheese, is widely used in continental, oriental and Indian cuisine. Its simple and versatile taste makes it a delicious addition to any recipe. Paneer can be made at home by boiling whole milk.

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Last Updated on March 9, 2024 by ayeshayusuf