Cottage cheese, you either LOVE it or you HATE it! I personally CANNOT stand cottage cheese! The texture…oh don’t get me started! I just can’t! I’ve never been a fan and you will never catch me knowingly eating cottage cheese! When I saw the viral cottage cheese ice cream recipe on Tiktok, I was VERY skeptical! I mean, how can ice cream be good if it’s got cottage cheese in it? It can’t be!! Well, I tried it with the Ninja Creami and I WAS SHOCKED!
This recipe comes in at 306 calories, 47 grams of protein, 11 grams of sugar, 5 grams of fat, and 20 carbs for the ENTIRE pint. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts.
I decided to try making cottage cheese ice cream. But, when it came time to taste test it I was SCARED!! I just really do not like the taste or the texture of cottage cheese. But, I will say that I was incredibly surprised that it actually tastes like strawberry cheesecake! And….since I blended the cottage cheese before pouring it into the Ninja Creami container, there were no lumps! The texture was amazing! If I hadn’t been the one making the ice cream, I would never have known it had cottage cheese in it!! Seriously! It tastes like cheesecake and not like cottage cheese!!
To make strawberry cheesecake ice cream with cottage cheese, you can use any kind of cottage cheese that you would like. It really doesn’t matter if you use small curd or large curd since you blend it up with the other ingredients before freezing. I used low-fat cottage cheese, but you can use full-fat cottage cheese instead.
I’ve seen a lot of people mention that their version of this ice cream tasted salty. I did not have that experience at all. The ice cream tasted sweet and creamy. But, if you are worried about the possibility of the ice cream being salty from the cottage cheese, look for no salt added cottage cheese or add some sweetener before freezing. Just taste the mixture before freezing, if you think it needs to be sweeter, add in a teaspoon or two of sugar or a sugar substitute.
Why should you add cottage cheese to ice cream?
Cottage cheese adds a cheesecake taste and a thick and creamy texture. And, cottage cheese is really high in protein. So, if you are on a high-protein diet or just looking to add a little extra protein, adding cottage cheese to your ice cream is a really easy way to do it. If you use both cottage cheese and a protein shake, you can add a ton of protein without having to sacrifice flavor or texture in your ice cream!
When making a high-protein dessert in the Ninja Creami, a lot of times the ice cream will turn out dry and powdery after the first spin. It’s completely normal! And, it happens with pretty much all recipes that I make in the Ninja Creami unless there are bananas in the mixture. Bananas usually create the perfect texture without a respin. If your ice cream isn’t creamy after the first spin, don’t panic. Instead, just pour in a couple of tablespoons of liquid like almond milk or fruit juice.
Some have found that if they thaw the ice cream on the counter for a few minutes or if they microwave it for 15+ seconds, the first spin is creamier. I don’t do this. Instead, I process straight out of the freezer and then add in a little liquid and respin. It’s a matter of preference. Do what works best for you.
Tips for making Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake Cottage Cheese Protein Ice Cream
Yes. I would recommend using a blender to blend the cottage cheese before freezing it. You can use an immersion blender, bullet-style blender, high-speed blender, or a food processor. I would not recommend using a frother as it will not break up the cottage cheese enough.
Yes! You can! I added in fresh strawberries and graham crackers to make it taste even more like strawberry cheesecake. Feel free to add in other mix-ins like chocolate chips (I'd chop them up first) or other types of cookies or candy.
The options are endless! You can swap out the strawberry ingredients for raspberry, chocolate, hazelnut, mango, vanilla, blueberry, apple, lemon, or even marshmallow. With just a few changes to the recipe, you can have a ton of different flavors!
Leftovers either need to be kept in the Ninja Creami container (level the top of the ice cream) and then reprocessed when ready to eat again or they can be transferred to a freezer-safe container. If you transfer the ice cream, you will need to let it sit on the counter until it softens up otherwise it will be very hard and you won't be able to scoop it. You cannot reprocess ice cream that has been moved to other containers. The texture will not be as creamy if it is not reprocessed. If you add mix-ins, the mix-ins will get completely combined with the rest of the ice cream when reprocessed.
Regular sugar, sugar substitutes, skinny syrups, honey, or even maple syrup can be used to sweeten cottage cheese ice cream.
Click HERE to see a full list of substitutions. Some substitutions provide a less creamy texture.
Looking for more Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream Recipes?
Ingredients to make Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake Cottage Cheese Protein Ice Cream:
Ingredient substitutions and tips for making Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake Cottage Cheese Protein Ice Cream:
The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
Sugar and dairy substitution suggestions can be found here.
Strawberry Protein Shake– I used a strawberries and cream Premier Protein shake for this recipe. You can use any strawberry flavored protein shake. Just taste the shake before using it to make sure you like the flavor.
Low Fat Cottage Cheese– You can use small or large curd, low fat or full fat cottage cheese.
Strawberry Extract– Lorann oils can be used instead of the extract. Lorann oils are very strong, so a little goes a long way. Start with a few drops, taste the mixture and continue to add more until it’s reached your desired flavor.
Fresh Strawberries– You can use frozen strawberries but you need to thaw them before adding them to the ice cream.
Graham Cracker -Broken into pieces-½ of 1 whole graham cracker or 4 small graham crackers. Feel free to use another type of cookie to add crunch. Teddy grahams would work really well!
Unsweetened Almond Milk– Any dairy or dairy substitute can be used. You may not need it. If the ice cream is dry and crumbly after processing, you’ll need to add a tablespoon or two of liquid.
Directions for making Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake Cottage Cheese Protein Ice Cream:
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the strawberry protein shake, cottage cheese, and strawberry extract into a small blender and blend together until the cottage cheese is completely combined with the other ingredients. Pour the mixture into the Ninja Creami pint container.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid getting a bump on the top of the frozen mixture, freeze with the lid off of the container.
Directions for Processing the Ice Cream Mixture
- After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer.
- Place the pint container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on "LITE ICE CREAM."
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking, pour in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk and then respin. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.
- Pour the strawberries and graham crackers down the center of the ice cream and then process on mix-ins.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake Cottage Cheese Protein Ice Cream
Rate this Recipe
Equipment
Add Food Grade Vegetable Glycerin To Make Leftover Ice Cream Scoopable Right Out of the Freezer
Per 16 ounce pint: *Add 1 Teaspoon to full fat/full sugar bases *Add 1.5 teaspoon to high protein bases *Add 2 teaspoons to low sugar/low fat lite bases. Freeze and process per the recipe. Take the leftovers out of the freezer and scoop without having to reprocess. ***This is a guideline and adjustments may be needed based on your recipe.
Original, Breeze, Swirl, and Deluxe Ingredient Measurements
Use the multiplier below to adjust quantities based on the machine that you own. ***If you have the Original, Breeze, or Swirl machine, which use 16 ounce containers, choose the 1X option. ***If you have the Deluxe or XL machine, which use 24 ounce containers, choose the 1.5X option.
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- 11.5 Ounces (326 g) Strawberry Protein Shake
- ½ Cup (118 2/7 ml) Low Fat Cottage Cheese (No Salt Added)
- ¼ Teaspoon (¼ Teaspoon) Strawberry Extract
Mix-Ins
- ½ Cup (118 2/7 ml) Fresh Strawberries (Chopped)
- ½ (½) Graham Cracker (Broken into pieces-½ of 1 whole graham cracker or 4 small graham crackers)
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Unsweetened Almond Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the strawberry protein shake, cottage cheese, and strawberry extract into a small blender and blend together until the cottage cheese is completely combined with the other ingredients. Pour the mixture into the Ninja Creami pint container.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid getting a bump on the top of the frozen mixture, freeze with the lid off of the container.
Process the Ice Cream
- After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer.
- Place the pint container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on "LITE ICE CREAM."
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking, pour in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk and then respin. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.
- Pour the strawberries and graham crackers down the center of the ice cream and then process on mix-ins.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Optional ingredients are not included in the nutrition information.
Recipes that use allulose:
Allulose is a low calorie sweetener that your body doesn't fully digest, so it provides only 0.4 calories per gram instead of 4. That's why the calorie total doesn't match what you'd expect from the carb count. Calories from allulose are calculated based on metabolized carbohydrates. Allulose contributes fewer calories than standard carbohydrates.
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