Here are 15 healthy, low calorie cottage cheese ice cream recipes that are easy to make, packed with protein, and totally guilt-free! These ice cream recipes are so easy to make, they don’t require a ton of ingredients and can be ready in just one hour!
Just so you know, these ice cream recipes are not like your regular ice cream. They are not as creamy or as sweet but they are great for curbing a sweet tooth for those on a diet. That’s because regular ice cream requires fat and sugar for a creamy consistency base.
So why even try these recipes? Well, cottage cheese is a protein powerhouse, more on that below. It’ll keep you full longer and help you build muscle mass. As you may already know, you need high-protein foods when trying to lose or maintain weight. Here are a few benefits of adding cottage cheese to your diet.
What Makes Cottage Cheese Healthy?
Protein – so cottage cheese contains a slow-digesting protein called casein which keeps you feeling full longer during the day. Protein is also important for repairing tissue and increasing muscle mass which is essential for losing weight.
Nutrients – adding cottage cheese to your diet can also provide you with other important vitamins and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin b12.
Weight Control – we’ve covered protein and nutrients but did you know that cottage cheese is also low in fat and calories? Yes, compared to other types of cheese, cottage cheese should be on your watch list when trying to lose or manage your weight.
Downside Of Cottage Cheese
Although cottage cheese may be the perfect choice of cheese for weight watchers, it comes with a few downsides that are worth considering. You see, cottage cheese is very high in sodium and low in fiber. Eating high sodium foods can lead to water retention and is bad for those with high blood pressure.
Cottage cheese also contains lactose which can cause some digestive issues for those that are lactose intolerant. Finally, fiber is essential for digestion and gut health, therefore, you need to eating more fiber-rich foods when trying to lose weight.
Here’s what you can do: choose low sodium cottage cheese and mix it with high fiber fruits. Also, you can use lactose-free cottage cheese from brands like Good Culture or Lactaid.
15 Healthy Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipes
I have tried all of the following cottage cheese ice cream recipes below, some are over the top delicious while a few are not my cut of tea. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know which ones turned out great.
1. Salted Caramel Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese ( low fat)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (organic)
- 1 tablespoon of brandy (optional but recommended)
- 2 tablespoons of my date caramel sauce
How To Make:
Start by blending the cottage cheese with the vanilla in a high speed blender until creamy, next, add in the maple syrup, salt, date caramel sauce and brandy and continue to blend until extra smooth and creamy. Transfer the mixture into a lined baking tray, cover with a cling film and freeze for 1 hour.
You can also store this in a bowl with a lid. I recommend stirring the ice cream 30 minutes into freezing for a creamier outcome. Before serving, remove the ice cream and let it thaw for 5-10 minutes so that it scoops out easily. Garnish with caramel sauce or maple syrup. Get the nutritional facts here:
2. Date Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
This date cottage cheese ice cream was one that I actually enjoyed. It came out really light and creamy but I did add extra date caramel on the top for extra sweetness.
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low fat)
- 6 Medjool dates
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (organic)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of brandy (optional but recommended)
How To make:
Soak the date in boiled water for 5-10 minutes and remove the seeds. Next, add the dates and cottage cheese to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Throw in the maple syrup, vanilla and brandy and continue to blend into a creamy mixture.
Transfer the cream into a baking tray or a bowl with a lid. Cover and let it freeze for 1 hour. I recommend stirring half-way through freezing to reduce ice crystals. Remove from the freezer and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before scooping into little bowls.
Garnish with chopped dates or chocolate chips and a drizzle of maple syrup and enjoy!
3. Vanilla Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
I loved this vanilla cottage cheese ice cream. It came out perfect but similar to the other recipes on this list, I did add a drizzle of maple syrup before serving.
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low-fat)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup of maple syrup (organic)
- 1 teaspoon of brandy (optional but recommended)
How To Make:
Add the cottage cheese vanilla, maple syrup, and brandy into a food processor or a high speed blender and blend until extra smooth and creamy. Transfer the cream into a lined baking tray or a bowl with a lid and cover with a cling film. Freeze for 1 hour and make sure to stir at least once half-way through freezing.
Let the ice cream thaw for 5-10 minutes before scooping into bowls. Garnish with fresh fruits of your choice, a drizzle of maple syrup, or some chocolate chips and enjoy.
4. Lemon Blueberry Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
This lemon blueberry cottage cheese ice cream wasn’t my favorite, even though it cam out great, I didn’t like the combination of sweet and sour. However, it’s one of the healthy ones.
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups cottage cheese (low fat)
- 1 cup of frozen blueberries
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (organic)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of brandy
Instructions:
Start by blending the cottage cheese, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest until extra creamy. Next, add in the blueberries, brandy, and maple syrup and blend until well combined. Now in a lined baking tray, transfer the cream, cover with a cling film and freeze for 1 hour.
I recommend stirring half-way through to prevent or reduce ice crystals from forming. When you are ready to serve, let the ice cream thaw for 5-10 minutes so that it is easier to scoop out. Garnish with lemon zest and some fresh blueberries with a drizzle of maple syrup and enjoy.
5. Chunky Monkey Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
I absolutely loved this chunky cottage cheese ice cream recipe. It was one of my favorites!
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low fat)
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (organic)
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (smooth-style without salt)
- 1 ripe banana (frozen)
- 1 ripe banana (fresh)
- 2 tablespoons of cholate chips
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 tablespoon of brandy (optional but recommended)
- 1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts
Instructions:
Add the cottage cheese, maple syrup, peanut butter, vanilla, banana, and brandy into a food processor or a good blender and blend until extra smooth and creamy. Transfer into a lined baking tray or a container and stir in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
You can also swirl in some peanut butter, peanuts, or any crushed nuts you desire. Cover with a cling film and freeze for one hour or until frozen through. Before serving, let the ice cream thaw a bit so that it’s easier to scoop out.
Slice the fresh banana, place it in a bowl, add the ice cream, garnish with maple syrup, chocolate chips, or crushed peanuts and enjoy.
6. Pistachio Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
If you love pistachios, you are going to enjoy this recipe cause I did!
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low fat)
- 1/4 cup of raw pistachios (without shells)
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of brandy (optional but recommended)
Instructions:
Start by blending the pistachios and cottage cheese in a good blender or food processor until creamy, add in the maple syrup, vanilla extract and brandy and continue to blend until you are satisfied with the mixture. Transfer into a lined baking tray and cover with a cling film.
Place the ice cream into the freezer and freeze for one hour. I recommend stirring once half-way through freezing to reduce ice crystal formation. Before serving, let the ice cream thaw for 5-10 minutes and scoop into little bowls or ice cream cone. Garnish with chopped pistachios, a drizzle of maple syrup.
7. Mint Chocolate Chip Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low-fat)
- 1/4 cup of maple syrup (organic)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract
- 1/4 cup of crushed chocolate (semi-sweet)
- 1 teaspoon of brandy (optional but recommended)
- 1/2 teaspoon of green food coloring (optional)
How To Make:
Add the cottage cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, peppermint extract and brandy into a good food processor and blend until extra smooth and creamy. Using a spatula, stir in the crushed chocolate chips and transfer the ice cream into a lined baking tray or a bowl.
Cover with a cling film or if your bowl has a lid, cover and let it freeze for one hour. Before serving, let the ice cream thaw for 5-10 minutes so that it’s easier to scoop out into bowls. Garnish with chocolate chips, and maple syrup and enjoy. Get the nutrition facts here.
8. Coffee Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low-fat)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons of maple syrup (organic)
- 6 tablespoons of coffee (cold brew, decaf or regular)
- 2 tablespoon of chocolate chips (20g) (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of brandy (optional but recommended)
How To Make:
Simply add the cottage cheese, maple syrup, vanilla, and coffee into your blender or churner and blend until extra creamy. Make sure not to leave any chunks in there. Transfer the cream into a bowl or a lined baking tray and mix in the chocolate chips.
Freeze for an hour and when you are ready to serve, let the ice cream thaw for 5 minutes before scooping into little bowls. Garnish with chocolate chips, sift a little bit of cocoa powder, a drizzle of maple syrup. Read the full post here.
9. Peanut Butter Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
I actually enjoyed this low calorie peanut butter cottage cheese ice cream. It came out extra creamy and the nut butter added amazing flavors.
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low-fat)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (organic)
- 1 tablespoon of brandy (optional but recommended)
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (32g=1 serving) (creamy-unsalted)
Instructions:
Start by blending the cottage cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla extract into a creamy mixture before adding in the maple syrup and brandy. Continue blending for an extra minute or two until combined perfectly.
Note: you can add all of the ingredients above into a churner for a perfect texture if you have one.
Next, transfer the cream into a lined baking tray or a freezer-safe bowl with a lid and freeze it for one hour. I found that stirring the ice cream half way through freezing gives it a creamier texture and reduces ice crystals.
Finally, when you are about to serve, remove the ice cream from the freezer and let it thaw for 5-10 minutes before scooping into little bowls. Garnish with some chopped peanuts and a drizzle of maple syrup and serve.
10. Blueberry Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 1 cup of blueberries (frozen)
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low-fat)
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (organic)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of brandy (optional but recommended)
How To Make
Add the blueberries, cottage cheese, maple syrup, vanilla extract and brandy into a blender and blend on high speed for 2-3 minutes or until extra smooth and creamy. Make sure not to leave any chunks in there. Transfer your ice cream into a freezer-safe container and freeze for one hour.
Remove from the freezer and let it thaw for ten minutes before scooping into little bowls, garnish with some fresh blueberries and serve. Read the full post here:
11. Strawberry Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low-fat)
- 1 cup of strawberries (frozen)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (organic)
- 1 teaspoon of brandy (optional)
Preparation:
Start by adding the cottage cheese, strawberries, vanilla, maple syrup, and brandy to the blender and blend on high-speed for 2-3 minutes or until extra smooth and creamy. Remember, you want to blend until there are no chunks left in the ice cream.
Next, transfer the mixture into a bowl with a lid and let it freeze for 1 hour. Remove from the freezer, let it thaw for at least 10 minutes before scooping up. Serve in little bowls or an ice cream cone with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Read the full post here:
12. Cherry Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low-fat)
- 1 cup of cherries (frozen – without seeds)
- 1 tablespoon of dried cherries (without seeds)
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (organic, I use Meridian foods)
- 1 teaspoon of brandy
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Preparation:
Add the cherries, cheese, maple syrup and vanilla extract into a high speed blender and blend until smooth without chunks. Continue blending if you think the texture doesn’t look like ice cream.
Next, transfer the ice cream from the blender into a bowl with a lid or a lined baking tray, mix in the dried cherries with a spatula, and cover with cling film.
Freeze for 1 hour and when you are ready to serve, let it sit for 10 minutes on the kitchen counter before scooping or else it’ll be too hard. Garnish with some fresh cherries and maple syrup(optional). Get the calories and storage.
13. Mango Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 1 cup of mango chunks (frozen)
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low-fat)
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (organic)
- 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of brandy
How To Make:
In a high speed blender, add the mango, cottage cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and blend until extra smooth and creamy. Get a clean spoon and check for chunks, if you find any, continue blending. Transfer into a bowl with a lid and freeze for 1 hour.
When you are ready to serve, remove from the freezer and let it sit on the kitchen counter for about ten minutes to thaw before scooping. Garnish with some mint leaves or sprinkles and enjoy! Get nutrition facts here:
14. Chocolate Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients for 1 serving | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low-fat – unsalted))
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (organic)
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 1 teaspoon of brandy
Preparation:
Add all of the ingredients above into a high-speed blender and blend for 3-4 minutes or until completely smooth and creamy without chunks. Freeze for 1 hour and when you are ready to serve, remove from the fridge and set it on your kitchen counter, let it thaw for 10 minutes before scooping out.
Garnish with some chocolate chips (optional) and a drizzle of maple syrup and enjoy! Get nutrition facts and variations here:
14. Banana Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- 2 cups of cottage cheese (low-fat)
- 1 cup of banana (frozen)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of brandy
Preparation:
To make this delicious low calorie banana cottage cheese ice cream, simply add the banana, cottage cheese, honey and vanilla to a high-speed blender and blend until extra creamy. You want to make sure your ice cream is extra smooth so I recommend blending for an extra minute.
Transfer your cream into a lined tray or a bowl with a lid and freeze for one hour. Remove from the freezer and let it sit on the kitchen counter for 10 minutes before scooping and serving with some chocolate sprinkles and some fresh slices of bananas. Get nutrition facts, storage and variations here:
Conclusion
I really hope you try these cottage cheese ice cream recipes and if you do, please let me know how it went in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to share or save it for later. You can find me on Pinterest, Facebook, and even Flipboard for more awesome healthy recipe ideas.
