Cottage Cheese Popsicles (Yes, Popsicles) Are the Latest Way to Enjoy the Dairy Favorite

Blended with blueberries, cottage cheese makes a surprisingly delicious sweet treat.

Getty Images / Almaje

Cottage cheese is currently trending, and while it also peaked in the '90s, the dairy product has been around in various versions for thousands of years. This simple, unaged cheese is high in protein and mild, making it a great base for different flavors and recipes. Since it's technically a fermented food, some versions also have probiotics in them (check the back of the container for the phrase "contains live and active cultures" to know if your cottage cheese does), making it a healthy addition to your plate, too.

But one recipe—cottage cheese popsicles—takes the dairy staple to dessert status. And who doesn't like a sweet treat? Here, Christy Faber, a nutritionist and creator of the food blog Life Around The Table, shares her recipe for blueberry cottage cheese popsicles and why this food is having a moment.

"Cottage cheese has been written off by many people as just a 'diet food' or avoided because of its texture," says Faber. "But right now, it's having a moment because blended cottage cheese is a revelation! It's creamy, high in protein, and has a flavor that's reminiscent of cheesecake."

But even traditional curded cottage cheese can be used in many ways to create a healthy base for recipes. "Cottage cheese is incredibly versatile. As a family, we have enjoyed blended cottage cheese in creamy pasta sauces, smoothies, mousse, ice cream, and popsicles—the options are endless!"

Related: Our Editors’ 5 Favorite Ways to Eat Cottage Cheese, from a Clever Cake to a Savory Salad

To make her delicious popsicle recipe, Faber paired cottage cheese with simple ingredients like vanilla, lemon, honey, and blueberries.

"The idea of developing a recipe for cottage cheese popsicles popped into my head because I wanted my three boys to have a treat they could grab from the freezer during the summer heat—something creamy, naturally sweet, and nutritious that I could feel good about," she says. "We've loved the cottage cheese ice cream trend, so creating blueberry popsicles with cottage cheese felt like the perfect way to have a refreshing snack on hand."

Related: How to Make Cottage Cheese at Home the Quick and Easy Way

As a fellow mom and fan of ice cream, I decided to try my hand at making cottage cheese popsicles myself. I liked that the ingredient list was straightforward and that the recipe was something I could make with my son, who loves to help in the kitchen. However, I didn't have any xanthan gum on hand, and it's not something I normally cook with, so I omitted this optional ingredient. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly as written.

When I first heard about cottage cheese popsicles, my biggest concern was the texture. But since you blend the mixture before freezing, this wasn't an issue. My son didn’t love the scent of the cottage cheese when we were making the popsicles, but once it was mixed in with the other ingredients, he didn’t notice. In fact, he requested the popsicles for dessert the following night! For a sweet spin on cottage cheese, this recipe has our seal of approval.