Cottage Cheese Smoothie
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Fancy starting your day with a filling strawberry cottage cheese smoothie? This healthy smoothie is packed with fiber, is super creamy, and is made with creamy cottage cheese for a high-protein kick! The perfect grab-and-go breakfast for those Manic Mondays.
Love this? Try this Breakfast Date Smoothie or this Matcha Smoothie. Or check these 15 Best Cottage Cheese Snacks for more ideas!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love It
I’ll always be the first to say that cottage cheese doesn’t get enough love.
It’s low in fat, super high in protein, and makes virtually anything it’s mixed with taste indulgently creamy.
That’s why I decided to create this recipe: a creamy fruit smoothie that tastes exactly like dessert!
I sometimes use this high-calorie smoothie as a meal replacement since it’s perfect to bulk up. It’s also the ideal high-protein snack after a tough workout session.
Now, say hello to your new smoothie BFF!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Full-fat cottage cheese: The protein powerhouse of this recipe! It gives the smoothie a cheesecake-like flavor. You can opt for low-fat if you want less calories.
- Strawberries: Fresh or frozen strawberries work equally well. But I like using frozen as they add more texture and make the smoothie even thicker.
- Banana: Ripe bananas are best as they’re super sweet and loaded with natural sugars. Use frozen bananas to give the smoothie a milkshake-like consistency.
- Almond butter: You can use virtually any kind of nut butter you like (peanut and cashew are just as good in this smoothie!). I like almond butter most as it’s slightly more neutral-tasting than peanut butter.
- Chia seeds: For an extra boost of fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3s!
- Medjool dates (optional): I normally like my smoothies quite neutral. But if you have a sweet tooth, add a date for sweetness and an extra boost of healthy calories.
- Almond milk: For its creaminess, but standard milk, oat milk, or soy milk works too!
- Vanilla extract: To add a hit of extra sweetness and enhance the flavors.
How to Make This Cottage Cheese Smoothie
Step-by-step overview. Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below.
Combine the ingredients: Place all the ingredients into a blender (photo 1).
Blend: Blend the mixture on high until it’s smooth and creamy. You can add more milk to the blended cottage cheese mixture if it’s too thick. You can also throw in a few ice cubes to make it colder and thicker!
Serve and enjoy: Serve your smoothie in a tall glass (photo 2) and down it immediately!
Is cottage cheese better than yogurt for smoothies?
Yogurt (especially Greek yogurt) and cottage cheese are both great to add to smoothies.
They’ll give you lots of high-quality nutrients.
But when it comes to protein, cottage cheese slightly edges out Greek yogurt.
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Cottage cheese also packs more calories. So, if you’re hitting the gym or you’ve got a day jam-packed with adventures, cottage cheese will give you that long-lasting energy.
But don’t forget: yogurt has those lovely probiotics, which are super helpful for your gut. So, it really comes down to what you’re after!
How To Store
You can store it in the fridge in an airtight jar for up to a day. Just give it a good ol’ shake before you drink it to mix everything back together.
F.A.Q.
When it comes to choosing the best type of cottage cheese for your smoothies, it depends on what you are after:
– Full-Fat Cottage Cheese: Creamy and rich, ideal for a luxurious, indulgent smoothie experience. And, hands down, my favorite!
– Low-Fat Cottage Cheese: Good balance of flavor and texture, slightly higher in protein, great for everyday smoothies.
– Non-Fat Cottage Cheese: Less creamy and highest in protein.
Opt for an organic version free from antibiotics and hormones. And if you can, grab a cottage cheese with no salt added to keep things as healthy as possible.
If you want to whip up this smoothie ahead of time, you totally can, but it will quickly lose out in texture and flavor.
From my experience, it’s best to make it up to 8 hours in advance (like blend it in the evening and drink it in the morning kind of thing).
But honestly, this smoothie is so quick to make that it’s best to enjoy it fresh! To reduce prep time, you can always portion out the ingredients in the freezer.
More Smoothie Recipes
If you try this cottage cheese smoothie recipe, please leave a comment and a rating and let me know how much you liked it!
Cottage Cheese Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese - full-fat
- 1 cup strawberries - fresh or frozen
- 1 ripe banana - frozen
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- ½ – ¾ cup almond milk - or any other milk of your choice
- 1 medjool date - or 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup – optional, adjust to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract - optional
- ice cubes - optional
Instructions
- Place the cottage cheese, strawberries, banana, almond butter, date, chia seeds, milk, and vanilla extract into a blender.
- Blend on high until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You can adjust the consistency by adding more milk if it’s too thick or ice cubes for a colder and thicker consistency.
- Taste the smoothie, and if you want it sweeter, add an extra date or a bit more honey or maple syrup and blend again to combine.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy immediately!
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag @gatheringdreams on Instagram. I want to see it!