Cottage cheese ice cream with strawberries.

The simple treat only needs a few ingredients, including cottage cheese, honey and fruit and recipes on TikTok are nearing 300 million views.

A hack to turn cheese into ice cream has taken the internet by storm. Since then, people across TikTok have become obsessed with the creamy, protein-packed concoction many are proclaiming to be the perfect, frozen treat.

But is it a TikTok miracle?

It’s called cottage cheese ice cream and TikTok searches for recipes have neared 300 million views. You can whip it up in a jiffy and it comes together with just a handful of ingredients you probably already have at home.

I’ll admit I had my doubts when I was first asked to test this recipe. The four-ingredient hack seemed too good to be true. Isn’t cottage cheese slightly salty? And lumpy? And would the “ice cream” even turn out creamy, given the low-fat nature of cottage cheese?

It freezes in a few hours and the end product is a delectable, chilled dessert that will satisfy any sweet tooth.

What does cottage cheese ice cream taste like?

While I’d typically be weary to advise you to trust social media influencers, believe the hype in this instance. Because cottage cheese ice cream is every bit as tasty and easy to make as everyone is claiming.

Pulling out of the freezer, the first thing you’ll notice is its uncanny resemblance to real ice cream. But biting into it, you realize it has its distinct taste, almost like cheesecake.

The light saltiness and cottage cheese flavour aren’t fully masked by the other ingredients, yet blend surprisingly well with the sweet, fruity taste. And it has a rich, creamy flavour — without all the fat contained in regular ice cream. (For best results, thaw the ice cream for 15 minutes before serving.)

Strawberry was my fruit of choice for my version. But the recipe is incredibly versatile. You can substitute strawberries for your favourite ice cream flavour. Others have added chocolate chips, other berries, peanut butter, even coffee. And while I used honey as my natural sweetener, maple syrup also works perfectly well.

Strawberry cottage cheese ice cream recipe

Preparation: 10 minutes

Freezing: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Four servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups full-fat or half-fat cottage cheese
  • 1 cup (250 mL) sliced strawberries, or your favourite fruit
  • 1/2 cup liquid honey, or to taste

Preparation

1) Add cottage cheese, strawberries and honey into a food processor or blender. Process until creamy and smooth.

2) Pour mixture into a container and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes, or until set.

3) Remove from the freezer and let thaw for 5 minutes (or more if it has been in the freezer for a longer period). Scoop into bowls and serve with graham crackers and additional fresh fruit.

Is cottage cheese ice cream actually better for you?

One of the reasons why cottage cheese ice cream has become so popular is because it is purportedly healthier than traditional ice cream.

One cup of regular cottage cheese with four per cent fat, for instance, contains roughly 220 calories and nine grams of fat. The same amount of vanilla ice cream has approximately 380 calories and 26 grams of fat, equivalent to a third of the recommended daily value. As well, cottage cheese contains more than quadruple the amount of protein compared to regular ice cream (28 grams versus six grams).

But before you get the impression that you can gorge yourself on cottage cheese ice cream, it’s also important to note that its key ingredient, cottage cheese, has a relatively high sodium content — roughly 30 per cent of the recommended daily value, in fact, in just one cup. And this doesn’t include all the additional calories and sugars found in the sweet and flavourful add-ons.

“While there is no denying that cottage cheese ice cream offers a lower calorie count, less saturated fat and higher amount of protein compared to ice cream, adding a ton of sugary mix-ins will quickly increase the calorie count and amount of added sugar,” warned dietitian Dana Angelo White in an article for the Food Network.

But while cottage cheese ice cream may not be the end-all-be-all miracle dessert that will allow you to eat ice cream every day without feeling guilty, it still remains an easy DIY hack that’s versatile and incredibly delicious.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Code of Conduct. The Star
does not endorse these opinions.

More from The Star & Partners