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Cottage Cheese Bowl 2 Ways (Sweet & Savory)

Last updated July 25, 2024 By Kelly Nardo | 12 Comments
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Easy cottage cheese bowls 2 ways - one sweet and one savory. They make a delicious, protein-packed, gluten-free, and healthy breakfast, lunch, or snack. Easily customizable by changing out toppings!
Prep: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings 1 bowl
4.93 from 13 votes
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Overhead shot of two cottage cheese bowls. One is sweet with berries, granola, and peanut butter and the other is savory with tomato, cucumber, avocado, and bagel seasoning. Next to the bowls is a kitchen towel, a bowl of berries, and a bowl of cherry tomatoes.

You are either a fan of cottage cheese’s taste or not. I’m a huge fan and absolutely love it. While you can enjoy it in pancakes, muffins, pasta, and more, a cottage cheese bowl is one of my favorite ways to eat it.

I’m not sure when I started eating cottage cheese, but it wasn’t something that I ate growing up or in college. I honestly think when I started to be more diligent about how much protein I was consuming and realized how it was such an easy and great source of it, I started to add it into my diet more and more.

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It is a staple for me now. I love it mixed in overnight oats, blended into smoothies, mixed with scrambled eggs, and topped on rice cakes. But these bowls are my favorite. They take about 5 mins to make, are packed with flavor (especially when produce is in season), and are an easy and filling breakfast, brunch, or snack.

Two white bowls filled with cottage cheese. One is topped with fruit, granola, and peanut butter and the other is topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and bagel seasoning. Off to the side around them is a bowl of tomatoes and a bowl of berries.

What is cottage cheese?

Cottage cheese is a dairy product made from cheese curds. It has a mild flavor and creamy texture, along with some chunkiness from the curds. It comes in different fat percentages (nonfat, reduced fat, or whole milk) and also different curd sizes (usually small or large).

Is cottage cheese healthy?

Cottage cheese is known for being a high-protein food while still being relatively low in calories. One cup of 2% fat has 180 calories with 24-28 grams of protein (depending on the brand), 11 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of fat. It also contains vitamins and minerals like B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and selenium. Cottage cheese can be a great addition if you are trying to add more protein to your diet.

Why we love these cottage cheese bowls

  • ready in 10 minutes
  • sweet or savory option depending on what you are feeling
  • packed with protein – one bowl has 30 grams of protein!

Ingredients

Sweet cottage cheese bowl:

  • cottage cheese – I like good culture 2% low fat cottage cheese.
  • fresh berries – I used strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, but whatever fruit you like will work.
  • peanut butter
  • granola
  • honey
  • cinnamon

Savory cottage cheese bowl:

  • cottage cheese
  • fresh veggies – I used diced tomatoes and cucumbers.
  • avocado
  • olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar
  • bagel seasoning
  • chives
White marble counter with a bowl of granola, a bowl of cinnamon, a bowl of honey, a bowl of mixed berries, and bowl of peanut butter.
White marble counter with a bowl of cherry tomatoes, a bowl of chopped chives, a bowl of bagel seasoning, a bowl of balsamic vinegar, a bowl of diced cucumbers, a bowl of olive oil, and half an avocado.

How to make a cottage cheese bowl

  1. Make your cottage cheese bowl. Add the cottage cheese to a bowl. If making the sweet version, add your fruit, granola, nut butter, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. If making the savory version add tomato, cucumber, avocado, olive oil, balsamic, everything but the bagel seasoning, and chives.
  2. Enjoy!
A close-up of a cottage cheese breakfast bowl topped with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, granola, peanut butter, honey, and sprinkled with cinnamon. In front of the bowl is a small dish of granola and behind the bowl is a bowl of berries.

Blend your cottage cheese!

If you are not a fan of the texture of cottage cheese, try blending it. It comes out smooth and creamy and is so good. Add it to a blender or food processor and blend for 15-30 seconds until smooth. You could also use an immersion blender and blend it right in the container.

Meal prep

These cottage cheese breakfast bowls can be made for meal prep with a few simple steps. Prep all your ingredients and then store them in separate containers or a meal prep container with dividers. When you are ready to eat, simply add your toppings and enjoy. I wouldn’t top the bowls before eating as the toppings will get soggy.

A close-up of savory cottage cheese bowl topped with sliced cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, and diced avocado. It is topped with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped chives, and everything bagel seasoning.

Substitutions and additions

  • cottage cheese – you can use fat-free, low-fat, or full-fat cottage cheese. If you don’t love cottage cheese, you can use half greek yogurt or all greek yogurt.
  • fresh berries – feel free to switch up the fruit. Bananas, mangos, apples, peaches, pineapple, and raspberries would all be good.
  • peanut butter – any kind of nut or seed butter will do. Try almond butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter.
  • honey – maple syrup will work instead.
  • vegetables – swap some out or add more. Bell peppers, radishes, roasted beets, diced red onion, or shredded carrots would work.
  • chives – try fresh basil, dill, or parsley instead.

Here are some additions you can add:

  • chia seeds or hemp seeds – for some more crunch and healthy fats in the sweet bowl.
  • chocolate chips – a perfect addition to the sweet bowl.
  • chopped nuts– almonds, pecans, or pistachios would work on the sweet or savory bowl.
  • seeds – pumpkin or sunflower seeds would work on the sweet or savory bowl.
  • hard-boiled eggs – perfect for the savory bowl.
  • salt and black pepper – just a sprinkle on the savory bowl to enhance the flavors even more.

More high-protein breakfast recipes

If you love quick and easy meals and want to learn how to build a balanced plate, check out our FREE How to Build a Balanced Plate Guide!

Overhead shot of two cottage cheese bowls. One is sweet with berries, granola, and peanut butter and the other is savory with tomato, cucumber, avocado, and bagel seasoning. Next to the bowls is a kitchen towel, a bowl of berries, and a bowl of cherry tomatoes.
Overhead shot of two cottage cheese bowls. One is sweet with berries, granola, and peanut butter and the other is savory with tomato, cucumber, avocado, and bagel seasoning. Next to the bowls is a kitchen towel, a bowl of berries, and a bowl of cherry tomatoes.
4.93 from 13 votes

Cottage Cheese Bowl

Author: Kelly Nardo
Easy cottage cheese bowls 2 ways – one sweet and one savory. They make a delicious, protein-packed, gluten-free, and healthy breakfast, lunch, or snack. Easily customizable by changing out toppings!
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Course: Breakfast
Calories: 328kcal
Protein: 30g
Carbs: 17g
Fat: 15.6g
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 bowl

ingredients

Sweet Cottage Cheese Bowl

  • 1 cup cottage cheese (I used 2% fat)
  • 1 cup berries of choice, sliced if needed (130 grams)
  • 1/3 cup granola (35 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • sprinkle of cinnamon

Savory Cottage Cheese Bowl

  • 1 cup cottage cheese (I used 2% fat)
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced (75 grams)
  • 1/2 cup diced cucumber (60 grams)
  • 1/3 cup diced avocado (35 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • sprinkle of bagel seasoning
  • sprinkle of freshly chopped chives

instructions

  • Make your cottage cheese bowl. Add the cottage cheese to a bowl. If making the sweet version, add your fruit, granola, nut butter, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. If making the savory version add tomato, cucumber, avocado, olive oil, balsamic, everything but the bagel seasoning, and chives.
  • Enjoy!

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notes

nutrition breakdown will depend on the fat % of cottage cheese you use.
nutrition of sweet cottage cheese bowl (will depend on the kind of granola you use) – 522 calories 46 carbs/35 protein/22f fat

nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Cottage Cheese Bowl
Amount Per Serving (1 bowl (savory version))
Calories 328 Calories from Fat 140
% Daily Value*
Fat 15.6g24%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.2g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 949mg41%
Potassium 644mg18%
Carbohydrates 17g6%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 30g60%
Vitamin A 157IU3%
Vitamin C 15mg18%
Calcium 163mg16%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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4.93 from 13 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Loved this, easy to make, a little expensive in NZ if you’re on a budget but tastes good and took little to no time to make.

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    This recipe was delicious! I always struggle with using cucumbers in fun ways and this was so tasty and will be doing again! The balsamic was a great touch that I think made a big difference!

    Reply

  6. Love the savory cottage cheese bowls! You can quickly chop up whatever veggies you have around the house on hand – protein fills you up and the balsamic vinegar and everything bagel seasoning give it a really satisfying flavor profile I would have never thought of on my own.

    Reply