I’m continuing my new love affair with cottage cheese and experimenting with all the fun things you can do with this inexpensive source of protein. I know a lot of people just can’t stand the texture of cottage cheese, so I wanted to play around with whipping it up into a smooth sauce or dip to get rid of the “curds” that turn so many people off. My first experiment was this Garlic Herb Whipped Cottage Cheese Dip (using my all-purpose garlic herb seasoning), which turned out amazing and tastes a lot like ranch dip, but with way better nutrition stats. Pair this creamy dip with some vegetables and crackers for dipping and you’ve got a pretty meal-worthy “snack.”
How to Use Garlic Herb Cottage Cheese Dip (or spread!)
As I was crunching down on my cottage cheese dipped vegetables and crackers, I was thinking of all the delicious ways you could use this dip! In addition to dipping vegetables and crackers, this dip would make an awesome spread for a veggie sandwich or wrap sandwich. And I’d totally spread this all over a toasted bagel if I didn’t have any cream cheese on hand. And while I haven’t tried it, I suspect this would be good stirred into mashed potatoes! 😱
How Long Does it Keep?
You probably don’t want to keep this in your fridge any longer than about 5 days. Dried herbs and spices contain natural yeasts and molds that become activated when hydrated, and they can grow at colder refrigerator temperatures. But hey, this is a small 1 cup batch, so I think you’ll be able to eat it up within that time!
What Kind of Blender do I Need?
I just used my super inexpensive Hamilton Beach single serving blender (the type usually marketed for smoothies), so you definitely don’t need anything super powerful to make this dip. If you have a small food processor, that would also work well.
What Brand Cottage Cheese Do you Recommend?
Okay, so here’s the thing with cottage cheese: they can vary a LOT from brand to brand. I find that a lot of brands add a lot of extra ingredients in attempt to make the texture and color better, but IMHO those ingredients just end up making it taste a little off. So, I look for brands with the least amount of Ingredients. Daisy is the best I’ve found, but it’s also more expensive. The worst, IMHO, is Kroger brand. This week I used Aldi’s Friendly Farms brand and it fell somewhere in the middle. It’s okay and the price is great, so I rolled with it. Feel free to leave your favorite brand in the comments below! I’d love to hear your fav’s.
4%, Low-fat, or No-fat Cottage Cheese?
I definitely recommend 4% fat cottage cheese for this recipe. The little bit of fat really helps the flavor and mouthfeel of the dip and even though it’s the “highest fat” version available, it’s still far less than sour cream or mayonnaise based dips.
Shown in a small Splatterware Collection enamelware bowl.
Garlic Herb Whipped Cottage Cheese Dip
Servings 4 ¼ cup eachIngredients
- 1 tsp dried parsley ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 1 cup cottage cheese ($0.53)
- 1 tsp lemon juice ($0.01)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender and purée until smooth. You may need to add about 1 Tbsp water if the mixture is too thick to blend, but avoid adding excess water as this will make your dip too thin.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Garlic Herb Whipped Cottage Cheese – Step by Step Photos
Make the All-Purpose Garlic Herb Seasoning by combining 1 Tbsp dried parsley, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried basil, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill).
Add 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 tsp lemon juice, and your garlic herb seasoning to a blender. Purée until smooth, adding a tablespoon of water, if needed, if the mixture is too thick to blend.
Avoid adding too much water so the dip doesn’t get too watery. It will firm up a bit after being chilled in the refrigerator, too.
Serve your whipped cottage cheese dip immediately, or refrigerate for up to 5 days! This would be another great dip to include in your meal prep Veggie Snack Packs!
I got the idea that cottage cheese could be a dip base from this recipe and I’m so grateful! I had some leftover powdered ranch mix and I stirred it into some blended cottage cheese for an amazing shortcut ranch dip that helped me reduce food waste.
So tasty!! I’ve made it twice – once by following the recipe exactly and blending it, and once by leaving the cottage cheese as is and mixing the spices in. Both turned out amazing!! One of my favorites from this site and something I will make again and again! Great snack-y way to get protein in too.
I am so glad I bought a huge tub of cottage cheese when it went on sale because this was fantastic! My husband, who isn’t a fan of cottage cheese at all, was stunned when I I told him what it was. The only thing I did differently was use fresh minced roasted garlic instead of powdered since I was out of it & a tablespoon of Italian seasoning since I was also out of all three individually (it’s been a long winter & haven’t been able to properly replenish).This is definitely a keeper! Thanks for another great recipe!
the whipped cottage cheese is nice but the spices are dry and texture is unsatisfying
Could I use this as a substitute for sour cream on top of the poor mans burrito bowls?
I bet that would be BOMB! XOXO -Monti
Is it important that the herbs are dried or would fresh give the same flavour?
You’re welcome to use fresh herbs! The flavor of dried herbs is a little more concentrated and intense, so you may just need a little more of the fresh herbs. I would do about 1 tbsp fresh parsley and 1/2 tbsp fresh oregano and basil.
I was searching for a recipe to use up the last of the cottage cheese and so glad I found this one. Made it as written, didn’t need any water. Everyone loved it!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I had never considered puréed cottage cheese as a base for dips. I can totally see this becoming a snack time staple and by simply changing up the spice blend I can keep things fresh and new. My husband has diabetes and I try to meal prep appropriate snacks for him so he can just grab and nosh… this helps him avoid the temptation of easy junk foods. Thank you again!
I just made this for lunch, super easy and very delicious. I ate the entire batch with 6 celery sticks. Lunch for under 200 calories. I’ll be making it again.
I used 2% cottage cheese and didn’t add any water. I liked it thick. Went well with the celery sticks.
yummy recipe. mouth watering
Everyone loved it. They couldn’t believe it was made from cottage cheese!
TBH I didn’t follow the recipe as writ. You inspired me to believe that cottage cheese may not be terrible if made savory and I trusted you, blended with a stick blender, and measured the herbs with my heart. You’re right, cottage cheese CAN be good.
I added a squirt of bottled ranch dressing to thin the texture a bit and enhance the faking out of the younger crowd. It worked! This is pretty good and a great way to sneak in extra nutrition at snack time.
nice this recipe looks delicious thank you for sharing
I will eventually try this again, because I love the idea of using cottage cheese for dips, but I will definitely have to make some adjustments to the spice measurements. I’m not sure why but the flavor of the oregano really overpowered all of the other spices in the batch I made.
Same here, I think I will flip the recipe, the 1/2 tsp of the onion and garlic and the 1/4 of the herbs. I want to like it, but I’m struggling
I agree with Lauren.. It’s virtually tasteless. I’m going to try to jazz it up with what? You tell me. Maybe minced scallions, dill?
If the flavor is lacking, it could be because your spices are too old. Dried spices lose their flavor as they age, especially as we rarely store them optimally. I recommend tasting as you go and adding more spices while blending until you reach a flavor that sings to your tastebuds!
Great recipes!!