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Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese has shed its diet-staple persona and emerged as a delicious food in its own right. But which product should you buy?

Top Pick

WinnerDaisy 4% Milkfat Cottage Cheese

Tasted plain, our winner was “fresh” and “very creamy,” with an enjoyable “full fat flavor” balanced by a “nice tangy richness.” Tasters noted this product's “larger,” “uniform,” “cube-shaped” curds and liked its “thick consistency,” with a “creamy” dressing that nicely “holds curds together.” The texture was “a little grainy” in lasagna, but tasters praised its “clean,” “tart,” “delicious” flavor.
Ingredients: Cultured skim milk, cream, saltPrice at Time of Testing: $3.99 for 24 oz ($0.17 per oz)
Tasted plain, our winner was “fresh” and “very creamy,” with an enjoyable “full fat flavor” balanced by a “nice tangy richness.” Tasters noted this product's “larger,” “uniform,” “cube-shaped” curds and liked its “thick consistency,” with a “creamy” dressing that nicely “holds curds together.” The texture was “a little grainy” in lasagna, but tasters praised its “clean,” “tart,” “delicious” flavor.
Ingredients: Cultured skim milk, cream, saltPrice at Time of Testing: $3.99 for 24 oz ($0.17 per oz)

What You Need to Know

No midcentury diet book was complete without mention of cottage cheese, a soft, lumpy fresh cheese with slightly tangy flavor. Consumption peaked in the early 1970s, when the average American ate 5 pounds a year. But like Jane Fonda, cottage cheese is so much more than a bygone health fad. And it’s having a resurgence in popularity. New products are on the market, some touting the cheese’s protein levels and the “live and active cultures” that purportedly promote gut health.

Cottage cheese is a tasty snack when eaten plain, and it’s also a useful ingredient: In the test kitchen we use it in baked pastas because it stays creamy, and we add it to pizzas, dips, and desserts, where it contributes moisture and richness. But what exactly is cottage cheese, and does it matter which product you buy?

Samples of cottage cheese sit ready for a blind taste test.
To evaluate the flavor and texture of each cottage cheese, we sampled five products plain and in our recipe for Cheese and Tomato Lasagna.

How Cottage Cheese Is Made

Cottage cheese—so named because it was first made in farmhouses, aka cottages—is produced by acidifying pasteurized skim milk and sometimes adding rennet (enzymes that promote curd formation). Curds form after several hours, and then they’re cut into pieces and cooked until the desired firmness is achieved. The curds are drained and rinsed, and finally, salt and cream are added to them. (The amount of cream determines the fat content of the product; fat-free cottage cheese is the curd without any cream.) A key difference in modern cottage cheese manufacturing is the possible inclusion of additives such as xanthan gum or guar gum, usually to prevent liquid from separating.

To find the best product for both snacking and cooking, we selected five top-selling, nationally available cottage cheeses, priced from $0.17 to $0.36 per ounce. We excluded our previous winner, Hood Country Style Cottage Cheese, because it’s available in only 12 states, and we focused on full-fat (4 percent milk fat) products since that’s what we call for most often in our recipes. (We generally don’t recommend cooking with fat-free cottage cheese because it can break and create a grainy, watery texture, so we call for it only in certain reduced-fat recipes.)

Why You Should Look For A Short Ingredient List

After sampling the cottage cheeses plain and in lasagna, we analyzed our rankings and found that texture was critical: Our highly rated cottage cheeses were drier and less liquid-y, while our least favorite products were watery. However, we noticed that wetter products had more additives such as xanthan gum, guar gum, and locust bean gum—all meant to bind ingredients and make the cottage cheese less watery. Our winner and runner-up had no gums at all and the shortest ingredient lists in the lineup.

Curious as to why the stabilizer-free products were less liquid-y, we turned to Dr. Dana Wolle, senior scientist at Chr. Hansen, a Danish bioscience company that specializes in developing cultures, enzymes, and probiotics. He explained that “the best way to get a thick, rich dairy product with plenty of body is to use a lot of dairy solids,” which are composed of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and minerals. The rest of milk, about 87 percent of it, is made up of water. Stabilizers, which are typically less expensive to add than dairy solids, “can make the product thicker but can’t exactly match the texture of dairy fat and protein,” Wolle told us. “Your favorite undoubtedly has a lot of dairy solids, since it has no stabilizers in it to thicken up the dressing.”

When looking at labels, less is more. Our top-rated cottage cheeses have fewer ingredients, possibly because they contain more dairy solids. Other brands had longer ingredient lists that included more stabilizers, and an unappealing, liquidy consistency.

In addition to our tasters’ preference for drier, less-liquid-y cottage cheese, our favorite products were bold and tangy, while lower-ranked products were milder and dull. Differences were most noticeable when we tasted the cottage cheeses plain and were somewhat muted (but still discernible) when we evaluated them cooked in lasagna. To find out why some products were brighter and tangier than others, we examined fat and sodium levels and sent samples to an independent lab to have pH levels tested; none of these factors tracked with our results. Ultimately, the flavor of cottage cheese is dependent on numerous variables, including the quality of the milk and the time between production and consumption.

Bacterial Boost?

To make cottage cheese, culture is added to milk; however, when the curd is heated, that culture is killed. Still, three products in our lineup included either “live and active cultures” or “acidophilus and bifidus cultures” on their ingredient lists. The latter are probiotic species often touted as “good bacteria,” the many strains of which are now commonly encapsulated and sold as health supplements.

“. . . stating that these cultures are in a product doesn’t necessarily mean they’re present in ‘therapeutic amounts’”

We contacted all three companies to ask if the probiotics were added to contribute a health benefit. Two said yes, though neither had clinically tested the levels present in their products. The third company told us that the “live and active cultures” were included for “production purposes only” but wouldn’t specify further. As Dr. Wolle explained, stating that these cultures are in a product doesn’t necessarily mean they’re present in “therapeutic amounts,” the levels clinically proven to provide specific health benefits. Bottom line: Take these claims with a grain of salt.

The Best Cottage Cheese

Daisy Regular Cottage Cheese ($3.99 for 24 ounces) had the highest score and the shortest ingredient list, with just three items: cultured skim milk, cream, and salt. And based on what our experts said, the luscious, creamy texture of our winner was likely the result of an abundance of dairy solids, given that there were no stabilizers added. Besides its pleasing consistency, we enjoyed this cottage cheese’s “tangy, fresh, dairy flavor,” evident when we tasted it plain and even when it was combined with other ingredients in lasagna. It was our clear favorite, and it was the least expensive per ounce—not that we needed any more convincing.

  • Firmer texture, less liquid-y
  • Tangy flavor
  • Simple ingredient list; no stabilizers

Everything We Tested

Recommended

WinnerDaisy 4% Milkfat Cottage Cheese

Tasted plain, our winner was “fresh” and “very creamy,” with an enjoyable “full fat flavor” balanced by a “nice tangy richness.” Tasters noted this product's “larger,” “uniform,” “cube-shaped” curds and liked its “thick consistency,” with a “creamy” dressing that nicely “holds curds together.” The texture was “a little grainy” in lasagna, but tasters praised its “clean,” “tart,” “delicious” flavor.
Ingredients: Cultured skim milk, cream, saltPrice at Time of Testing: $3.99 for 24 oz ($0.17 per oz)
Tasted plain, our winner was “fresh” and “very creamy,” with an enjoyable “full fat flavor” balanced by a “nice tangy richness.” Tasters noted this product's “larger,” “uniform,” “cube-shaped” curds and liked its “thick consistency,” with a “creamy” dressing that nicely “holds curds together.” The texture was “a little grainy” in lasagna, but tasters praised its “clean,” “tart,” “delicious” flavor.
Ingredients: Cultured skim milk, cream, saltPrice at Time of Testing: $3.99 for 24 oz ($0.17 per oz)

Good Culture Organic Cottage Cheese

Our runner-up had a “tart,” “bright dairy flavor” with a “milky tang that lingers.” We also noted its “slightly dry” curds and “pebbly” texture, which we liked because it was “not very liquid-y at all.” When we included this cottage cheese in lasagna, tasters noticed that the texture was “slightly granular” but that there was a “distinct,” “strong” cheese flavor and “nice tang.”
Ingredients: Organic skim milk, organic whole milk, organic cream, celtic sea salt, live and active culturesPrice at Time of Testing: $5.49 for 16 oz ($0.34 per oz)
Our runner-up had a “tart,” “bright dairy flavor” with a “milky tang that lingers.” We also noted its “slightly dry” curds and “pebbly” texture, which we liked because it was “not very liquid-y at all.” When we included this cottage cheese in lasagna, tasters noticed that the texture was “slightly granular” but that there was a “distinct,” “strong” cheese flavor and “nice tang.”
Ingredients: Organic skim milk, organic whole milk, organic cream, celtic sea salt, live and active culturesPrice at Time of Testing: $5.49 for 16 oz ($0.34 per oz)

Breakstone's 4% Milkfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese

“Small, delicate curds” that “aren't too well defined” lent this cottage cheese a “creamier,” “smooth” texture. It was “rich,” even “a little sweet,” though some tasters also noted a “sour” “off-flavor” when we sampled it plain (it was well within its sell-by date). An expert told us this could be due to the inclusion of natural flavor and/or whey.
Ingredients: Cultured pasteurized grade A skim milk and cream, whey, contains less than 2% of modified food starch, salt, calcium phosphate, xanthan gum, guar gum, natural flavor, vitamin D3Price at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 16 oz ($0.19 per oz)
“Small, delicate curds” that “aren't too well defined” lent this cottage cheese a “creamier,” “smooth” texture. It was “rich,” even “a little sweet,” though some tasters also noted a “sour” “off-flavor” when we sampled it plain (it was well within its sell-by date). An expert told us this could be due to the inclusion of natural flavor and/or whey.
Ingredients: Cultured pasteurized grade A skim milk and cream, whey, contains less than 2% of modified food starch, salt, calcium phosphate, xanthan gum, guar gum, natural flavor, vitamin D3Price at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 16 oz ($0.19 per oz)

Organic Valley 4% Milkfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese

We appreciated the “nice tangy flavor” of this cheese, noting that the “small, uneven” curds were “squeaky” and “dry,” with a “springy,” “firm” texture. But overall, it was “loose” and “a little watery,” with a “thin” dressing that made it seem like the curds were “separating from the liquid.” However, the wateriness was not noticeable when we tasted it in lasagna.
Ingredients: Organic cultured pasteurized skim milk, organic pasteurized cream, organic nonfat milk, salt, citric acid, organic guar gum, organic locust bean gum, acidophilus and bifidus culturesPrice at Time of Testing: $5.69 for 16 oz ($0.36 per oz)
We appreciated the “nice tangy flavor” of this cheese, noting that the “small, uneven” curds were “squeaky” and “dry,” with a “springy,” “firm” texture. But overall, it was “loose” and “a little watery,” with a “thin” dressing that made it seem like the curds were “separating from the liquid.” However, the wateriness was not noticeable when we tasted it in lasagna.
Ingredients: Organic cultured pasteurized skim milk, organic pasteurized cream, organic nonfat milk, salt, citric acid, organic guar gum, organic locust bean gum, acidophilus and bifidus culturesPrice at Time of Testing: $5.69 for 16 oz ($0.36 per oz)

Recommended with reservations

Horizon Organic Cultured Cottage Cheese

We found this “soupy” cottage cheese with “runny” dressing overwhelmingly “watery,” and one taster exclaimed, “There is so much liquid!” The flavor was also “bland” and “dull,” and some tasters disliked “the irregular size and shape of the curds.” As with the other products, these issues were less apparent when we combined the cottage cheese with other ingredients in lasagna.
Ingredients: Cultured pasteurized nonfat organic milk, organic milk, organic cream, salt, tricalcium phosphate, organic guar gum, citric acid, organic locust bean gum, live and active cultures, microbial enzymes (non-animal, rennetless)Price at Time of Testing: $4.99 for 16 oz ($0.31 per oz)
We found this “soupy” cottage cheese with “runny” dressing overwhelmingly “watery,” and one taster exclaimed, “There is so much liquid!” The flavor was also “bland” and “dull,” and some tasters disliked “the irregular size and shape of the curds.” As with the other products, these issues were less apparent when we combined the cottage cheese with other ingredients in lasagna.
Ingredients: Cultured pasteurized nonfat organic milk, organic milk, organic cream, salt, tricalcium phosphate, organic guar gum, citric acid, organic locust bean gum, live and active cultures, microbial enzymes (non-animal, rennetless)Price at Time of Testing: $4.99 for 16 oz ($0.31 per oz)

*All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.

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