These Cottage Cheese Cookies are soft pillowy high protein cookies made with just 6 simple ingredients! They are gluten free, naturally sweetened, and the guilt-free cookie my family reaches for every single week.
As our family has been focusing on eating more protein and making healthier choices these cookies have become a regular in our house. My kids love them as an after school snack and my college boys grab them on the way out the door in the morning. Getting 5 grams of protein in a cookie that tastes this good feels like winning.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
- Just $0.52 per cookie — $7.79 total for the whole batch
- High protein and low sugar — made with cottage cheese, almond flour, and vanilla protein powder
- Only 6 ingredients
- Naturally gluten free
- Soft and pillowy texture that feels completely indulgent without the guilt
Give these high protein cookies try, they’re a hit with both adults and kids. If you love cottage cheese recipes, we have even made Cottage Potatoes, Cottage Cheese Pancakes, Cottage Cheese Flatbread, Cottage Cheese Cake and Starbucks Egg Bites Recipe.
What does Cottage Cheese do in Baking?
Cottage cheese has become one of the most popular baking ingredients because of the moisture, tenderness, and protein it adds without any heavy butter or cream cheese.
When blended smooth it completely disappears into the batter. It is also naturally high in protein which makes every cookie significantly more filling than a standard sugar cookie.
Ingredients
- Cottage cheese — full fat gives the best flavor and creamiest texture. Any brand works great in this recipe.
- Egg — binds everything together and adds additional protein
- Monk fruit sweetener — a natural zero calorie sweetener that keeps these cookies low sugar. Maple syrup or brown sugar work as substitutes if you prefer a more traditional sweetener — use the same amount
- Almond flour — gives the cookies their soft gluten free texture. Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour is our top recommendation. Do not substitute with coconut flour without adjusting the amount — coconut flour is much more absorbent
- Vanilla protein powder — adds protein and a subtle vanilla flavor. Plant-based protein absorbs more moisture than whey — if your batter seems too thick add a splash of almond milk to thin it out
- Sugar free chocolate chips — Lily’s No Sugar Added Chocolate Chips are our favorite. Regular milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips also work beautifully
Carrie’s Tip: Make sure to blend the cottage cheese and egg completely smooth before adding the dry ingredients. Any visible curds left in the batter will affect the texture of the finished cookie. A full 30–60 seconds in the blender gives you the smoothest most consistent result.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Cookies
Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2 – Combine the cottage cheese and egg in a blender or food processor until combined and smooth.
Step 3 – Pour the cottage cheese mixture into a bowl. Add the sweetener, almond flour and protein powder. Blend the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Step 4 – Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 5 – Use a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) and scoop the dough into balls. Place on the lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are slightly golden brown.
Step 6 – Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Then the cookies are ready to serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Do not overmix after adding dry ingredients. Stir until just combined — overmixing develops the batter too much and results in cakey dense cookies instead of soft pillowy ones
- Use a cookie scoop. The dough is soft and sticky — a cookie scoop gives you uniform cookies that bake evenly and hold their shape better than spooning by hand
- Do not overbake. The edges should be lightly golden but the centers will still look slightly soft when you pull them out — they continue to set as they cool on the pan
- Adjust for protein powder type. Plant-based protein absorbs significantly more moisture than whey — if the batter seems too thick add a tablespoon of almond milk at a time until it scoops easily
Variations Ideas
- Sweetener — swap monk fruit for maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar in equal amounts for a more traditional sweetness
- Chocolate chips — milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate chips all work. Add peanut butter chips for a chocolate peanut butter version
- Add vanilla extract — 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract adds a warm depth of flavor that makes these taste even more like a classic cookie
- Add chopped nuts — fold in ¼ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for added crunch and healthy fats
- Flour swap — stick with almond flour for the best result. Coconut flour absorbs significantly more moisture and requires adjusting the amounts — oat flour does not work as well in this recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
With the simple ingredients, low in sugar, high in protein and no artificial flavors I would consider these cookies a healthy cottage cheese dessert.
Feel free to use the brand and type of cottage that you prefer. We like using full fat organic cottage cheese.
No, you can’t taste the protein powder in these cookies. We like using protein powder with minimal ingredients such as a plant-based powder. But if you try it with other types of protein powder, please let us know how it turns out.
These cookies with cottage cheese are soft-baked and have a pillowy type texture. They have a slight chewy edge and has a slight sweet and creamy taste.
Storage and Freezer Tips
- Storing – Store the cookies inside an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freezer – For longer storage, place inside a freezer container up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to enjoy again!
More Easy Cottage Cheese Recipes
If you make Cottage Cheese Cookie Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review. We love to hear from you.
Cottage Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Cottage Cheese
- 1 Large Egg
- ⅓ Cup Monk Fruit Sweetener
- 1 Cup Almond Flour
- ¼ Cup Vanilla Protein Powder
- ¼ Cup Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Blend cottage cheese and large egg in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and add monk fruit sweetener, almond flour, and vanilla protein powder. Stir until fully combined.
- Gently fold in sugar free chocolate chips.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to form dough balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!
I can’t wait to make this. I think I can get my husband to eat cottage cheese if I hide it in cookie form. Thank you.
Connie – You’re so welcome. Hope you love it as much as we do!
Nice healthy take on a chocolate chip cookie!
Tara – We’re so glad you loved it!
These look delicious, can’t wait to try them, I’ve been trying to use cottage cheese more often in recipes ??
Chris – We love them. Can’t wait for you to try them. Let us know what you think!
yummy
Yummy. Thanks for the recipe!
Stella – You’re welcome. Hope you love it!
Planning on making these when no one is home to see if anyone notices a difference!! Can’t wait to hear their thoughts
Sheila – Let us know! I hope they love them.
gotta give this a try! It will be very interesting to see how they turn out!
Mandee – I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
These cookies are unbelievable. I made the recipe just as written, and they turned out perfectly. If you’re not sure about the cottage cheese, part of it, take a chance you won’t be disappointed!
Michael – You made my day! I’m so happy you loved the cookies.
Yum!!!
Tara – I’m so glad you loved them.
These were so easy to make and delicious
Vicki – Thanks for sharing your feedback. It helps so much.
I want to try this for a friend that’s gluten free. Sounds delicious. Also I’m wondering if you think I can make them with all purpose flour., since I don’t always have almond flour?
These are so delicious my wife loves to make these. Thank you
These cookies were delicious!
Never heard of cottage cheese cookies but I will try it once and if I like it I will keep making… Really not a big fan of cottage cheese at all it’s the texture of.
This cookie recipe was amazing! My grandson just loved them!
Camille – Yay! So happy your grandson loved them too!
Love these!
Kelly – Thanks for letting us know! I’m so glad.
Not a huge fan of cream cheese but decided to try these. Oh my I am so happy I did . They are so easy to make and so good ?
Lucinda – I’m so glad you decided to try them and loved them.
I will have to try these for my husband. He is always wanting a dessert but now he is diabetic, so I will try these and see if he likes it. Looks delicious and easy to make. Thanks
Kim – I hope your husband loves them!
Best way to get that sweet tooth craving fix!!
Debbie- We agree! So glad you enjoyed.
So easy and delicious!
Guilt-free as well!
Anne – Yay! So thrilled you loved these cookies.
I’m not a fan of cottage but these cookies were delicious!
Adela – That makes me so happy! So glad you loved them.
I’m making these! I just need cottage cheese but I’ll write another review for how they turn out!
Julie – I’m so excited that you plan to try them. We love these protein packed cookies.
Can’t wait to try this recipe of cottage cheese cookies they look goodà
Sheri – I hope you love them. We sure do!
These cookies are amazing my husband didn’t Even know what was in themLt
Deborah – Yay! That’s amazing that your husband didn’t notice the cottage cheese. We love them too and it’s a great way to sneak in protein in cookies.
These cookies turned out perfectly! So easy to make!
Can you omit protein powder?
I haven’t tested that yet so I’m not sure. If you try it out, I recommend add in more almond flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough is not too wet so that they hold up while baking. Please come back and let me know how they turn out!