Move over, avocados: Gen Z’s latest healthy food obsession is the return of an unlikely old favorite: cottage cheese.
The low-fat, low-calorie dairy product appears to be back in fashion, now appearing in 138 million TikTok posts, despite rising dairy prices.
Cheese was all the rage at dinner parties in the 1970s, but its uneven texture and divisive taste soon meant many people left it out of their weekly grocery shopping.
Fast forward to 2024 and supermarkets are once again reporting booming sales, which have reached their highest levels in 40 years.
Influencers have taken to social media to showcase their best examples of cottage cheese recipes, often using it to add a healthier twist to more indulgent meals.
One Melbourne-based influencer, @cookingwithnoa, tried spicy honey cottage cheese and even declared it to be the “new avocado.”
Gen Z’s latest healthy food obsession is the return of an unlikely favorite: cottage cheese. One TikToker @cookingwithnoa even called it the “new avocado” (pictured)
And Olivia Jarvis (@oliviajarviss) from the UK even used cottage cheese to make the base of his pizza, saying it added protein to one of his favourite treats.
Emily English (@emthenutritionist), a nutritionist who studied at King’s College London, went viral for her take on spicy honey cottage cheese, racking up 4.3 million views for her recipe using the M&S dairy product.
It seems many will follow suit, as fans were quick to explain that they had tried it and found it to be healthy and delicious.
They said, ‘I made this and can confirm it was delicious!’
“It’s really incredibly good.”
Cottage cheese is considered a “complete protein” as it contains all nine essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own. It is also rich in calcium and B vitamins.
Milk and dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, are sources of protein and calcium.
But cottage cheese is also high in protein and low in fat, making it an ideal choice for those looking to build muscle mass.
Emily English, a nutritionist who studied at King’s College London, went viral for her version of warm honey cottage cheese toast, racking up more than 4 million views.
Cottage cheese’s uneven texture and divisive taste caused many to leave it out of their weekly grocery shop, but it’s now back in fashion.
Olivia Jarvis from the UK even used cottage cheese to make her pizza base, saying it added protein to one of her favourite treats.
It’s a much healthier option than butter (the typical binding ingredient in cookie dough) because it contains just 3g of fat per 100g, according to the NHS.
Research by The Knowledge Bank showed that cottage cheese sales have risen to their highest level in 40 years.
Anne-Laure Farrar, UK Market Insights Director at The Knowledge Bank, explained: “There’s no denying the importance of viral trends, and witnessing some varieties explode in popularity thanks to TikTok and Instagram is brilliant as it can breathe new life into long-established products that have been able to capture a new audience.”
Since May last year, Stirlingshire-based Graham’s Family Dairy has seen a 40 per cent rise in cottage cheese sales (to levels not seen since the 1980s) and attributed this to a surge in demand for high-protein products, retro trends and viral social media posts.
Its popularity has also been reflected in supermarket statistics, with sales up 50 per cent on last year at M&S and searches up 59 per cent at Ocado.
Sarah MacKay, a fitness TikToker from Scotland who posts under the username @liftwsarahfilmed her reaction to adding cottage cheese to her scrambled eggs for the first time.
Sarah, 21, began her video by exclaiming: “I absolutely hate cottage cheese. I hate everything about it: the taste, the texture, the smell, the idea.”
“I feel sick, I wonder why there are lumps in there. It’s disgusting and I don’t understand it!”
Sarah MacKay from Scotland said she hated cottage cheese but was impressed when she tried it in her scrambled eggs (right)
Sarah then tried it with Greek yogurt, almond butter, and fruit for a healthy breakfast, saying that “growing up is realizing that cottage cheese is actually good for you.”
London-based TikToker @_cookwithmi made lasagna using cottage cheese and said she was “getting on board with the cottage cheese trend and this did NOT disappoint.”
“I’m not going to lie, it didn’t look very good. I was looking at the pan and thinking, am I really going to have to eat this?”
Things weren’t looking too good as the eggs began to leak water and Sarah was considering putting a peg over her nose to eat them.
But after trying a bite, she was impressed. “I tried it and, girls, I was so shocked,” she said.
“I will eat this for lunch every day until I die. It was so delicious. It tastes like eggs and cheese. It was so delicious that I really recommend you try it.”
In another video, she added cottage cheese to her yogurt bowl with almond butter, fruit, Greek yogurt, and cocoa.
She said: ‘Growing up is realising that cottage cheese is actually good for you. I know, I know, hear me out! I used to absolutely hate cottage cheese.
‘I used to literally throw up in my mouth every time I put it in my mouth. But then I realized that I have to stop being a baby at some point. I’m 21, we have to grow up.
“And I realized that maybe I was eating it wrong. Who eats cottage cheese straight from the container?”
Others have used it to make delicious snacks by baking it in the oven and adding seasonings to make chips.
Emily English used cottage cheese from M&S to create a delicious warm honey toast
TikTokers have also been using cottage cheese in sweeter dishes, like pancakes.
There seems to be no limit to the uses that can be given to cottage cheese: from making classic meals a little healthier to even using it in desserts.
Some have even used it as an ingredient in cookie dough, as seen in a recipe shared by Jake Cohen, chef and New York Times bestselling author, in May.
Others have used it to prepare delicious snacks by baking it in the oven and adding seasonings to make them crunchy.
Tik Tok @_cookwithmiwho lives in London, made lasagna with cottage cheese and said she was “jumping on the cottage cheese bandwagon and this did NOT disappoint.”
As she cut into her delicious dinner, she added, “I love cheese sauce, but this is a little healthier.”
Speaking about the recent boom in cottage cheese sales, an M&S spokesperson said: ‘As part of our Eat Well range, which helps customers find healthy options, it offers a great source of protein and is made in the UK using British milk.
‘With a variety of options from full fat to fat free, it is an increasingly popular ingredient for many meal options, from a topping for toast, a great addition to a salmon or shrimp salad or to help prepare a delicious frittata.’
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