Strawberry Cottage Cheese Ice Cream (2024)

There's a reason viral cottage cheese desserts have taken TikTok by storm. They're incredibly easy to whip up using a handful of ingredients in minutes. No special equipment or ice cream maker is needed.

And just as with traditional ice cream, you'll want to have options. So we took all the tips and tricks we learned from making cottage cheese pudding to make the best strawberry cheesecake ice cream with a creamy texture.

It's the perfect dessert for someone with a sweet tooth that's carb-conscious!

Garnished with fresh berries and crumbled graham crackers, it rivals anything you would swoon over at an ice cream shop, except one serving has about 12 grams of protein.

Spoiler alert: The hardest part about the whole process is waiting for it to achieve the soft-serve ice cream or gelato-like texture. But I promise it's worth the wait.

Ingredients Notes

You'll need these simple ingredients to make creamy strawberry cottage cheese ice cream:

• Cottage cheese - Use full-fat cottage cheese. The milk fat makes it creamier and less icy once frozen. We used small curd cottage cheese with a 4% milkfat minimum. Drain off excess liquid before using, if necessary.
• Sweetener - We used a combination of table sugar and powdered Stevia sweetener (1 Tablespoon each for 4 servings.) Other options include maple syrup, agave nectar, and honey. Use your sweetener of choice.
• Strawberries - Use fresh or frozen strawberries. Frozen strawberries help thicken the strawberry ice cream, like when making a smoothie. The strawberries are pureed to flavor the ice cream, and chopped strawberries are mixed and used for garnish.

You can easily make different variations of this recipe by subbing your favorite fruit, such as blueberries or blackberries, and using different toppings, such as chocolate chips and nuts! The options are endless.

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.

Directions

Here's how to make strawberry cheesecake ice cream with cottage cheese.

Step 1. Place cottage cheese, vanilla extract, and sweetener in a food processor. Run it for a minute or until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy, like a luxurious custard. An immersion blender or high-powered blender will also do the job.

Step 2. Add ½ cup chopped strawberries and pulse to incorporate. The cream should turn a light pink and still have a smooth texture. It's ok if a few chunks remain because you'll stir a few more in the next step. Tip: taste test and adjust the sweetness if necessary.

Step 3. Fold ¼ cup chopped strawberries and 4 crumbled graham cracker squares into the ice cream mixture. This step is optional but really adds to the experience.

Step 4. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan or shallow glass container and smooth it to an even thickness. Place the containerin the freezer until the consistency is firm but not frozen solid. Depending on the storage container used, this will take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. See the section below for more guidance.

Top Tips and Troubleshooting

The perfect texture for cottage cheese ice cream is smooth and creamy, with soft-serve yogurt consistency. And it takes a little practice to achieve perfection.

The chilling time can be anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, depending on how thick the mixture is in the container and your freezer.

Luckily, whipped cottage cheese is delicious, even when it's a custard. So don't give up! Here are some top tips to consider:

• Use high-fat cottage cheese. It reduces the amount of water and it will be less icy.
• If excess liquid is in the cottage cheese container, strain it before adding it to the food processor.
• Stir the ice cream several times throughout the chilling process to reincorporate the ice crystals that will inevitably form.
• Use a shallow container so the mixture freezes faster. Ideally, shoot for a base that's 1 inch thick.
• Consider storing in individual containers so you don't have to defrost the entire batch when you want one serving. You can easily convert this recipe to serve one instead.
• If the cottage cheese ice cream freezes too long and is too hard to scoop, place the container in the refrigerator to defrost. It may take an hour. Stir as needed to return it to a creamy consistency.
• You can also soften cottage cheese ice cream by placing the sealed container inside a larger water-filled container.

You're going to love this recipe. I honestly think it's best to get the process, containers, and timing down so that you make what you need and enjoy it right away. The consistency will be spot-on and very impressive.

However, I'm all for making things ahead of time too. And if you do, store strawberry cottage cheese ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for about a month. Defrost in the refrigerator and enjoy!