Cottage cheese: A TikTok famous staple
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EmailLearn more about this dairy product that recently went viral on TikTok through some recipes and other interesting facts.
Cottage cheese is a staple food item that has been around for decades, if not centuries. According to the California Milk Advisory Board, cottage cheese could have been one of the first cheeses made in the United States. From June 2024 to June 2025, retail sales of cottage cheese have increased 20%, according to reporting by Danielle Wiener-Bronner in the article, “TikTok made cottage cheese so popular, producers are struggling to keep up,” for CNN Business. Brent D. Griffiths also reports that cottage cheese is now consumed in roughly 45% of households in the U.S. in the article for Business Insider, “Albertsons CEO says cottage cheese sales are up – and it’s partly due to TikTok.”
Cottage cheese is made much like other cheeses, with slight differences. Warm, low-fat milk is acidified with food grade acids or acid-producing bacteria, depending on the type of cottage cheese. These cause milk proteins to bind together and form cheese curds and the leftover liquid is called whey. Whey is often used to create concentrated forms of protein, like those found in protein bars or powders. The soft lumpy curds are then washed and dressed with cream to create the finished cottage cheese product.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains strict definitions of foods, called standards of identity. The standard for cottage cheese is defined in the FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21, Chapter 1, Subchapter B, Section 133.128. Cottage cheese is in fact a cheese which is uncured and includes dry curds along with a creaming agent. Along with cottage cheese, this part of the CFR includes hundreds of definitions and specifications for cheese and related products.
Why is cottage cheese special?
Social media has been a key accelerator for cottage cheese making a comeback. It is a nutritious food which is also flexible and can be used creatively in recipes. Demand for high protein food products has increased significantly in the past few years. There are many possible explanations for protein’s increasing popularity (see “Protein Trends” article mentioned below), including changes in diet, a more health conscious and aging population, GLP-1 medicines and the influence of popular media influencers, like the podcast “The Huberman Lab.”
Cottage cheese facts
- Cottage cheese is a type of cheese that is not ripened, and it is consumed as a fresh cheese. Other examples of these types of cheese include feta and ricotta.
- A ½ cup serving of low-fat cottage cheese contains 14 grams of protein and 2.25 grams of leucine, an essential amino acid, according to Undeniably Dairy and the Cleveland Clinic, respectively.
- Cottage cheese can be made at home! There are many recipes available, but check these out:
- Homemade cottage cheese recipe from Allrecipes
- General cheese making instructions from New Mexico State University
- Cottage cheese recipes like this one for cottage cheese chili crisp chip dip from Undeniably Dairy, a producer supported organization with numerous educational resources about dairy products
Further reading
- Allrecipes Protein Trends: “Why protein is taking over the supermarket this year—and the wildest places it’s showing up” by Karla Walsh
- California Dairy Press Room: Cottage Cheese
- National Archives: Code of Federal Regulations, Requirements for Specific Standardized Cheese and Related Products
MSU Product Center
MSU Extension and the MSU Product Center assist entrepreneurs and businesses in developing products and services in the food and agriculture markets. Its team of experts consults with clients on a one-on-one basis, helping new entrepreneurs navigate from concept development to launch and beyond. The MSU Product Center also offers specialized services such as labeling, packaging, and nutritional analysis. If you are interested in business counseling from the MSU Product Center, please visit our website.
