Protein-Packed Chocolate Peanut Butter Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Recipe

If you're looking for a relatively healthy ice cream alternative that is still rich and satisfying, then this protein-packed chocolate peanut butter cottage cheese ice cream recipe might be just what you need. In fact, this riff on the TikTok trend, courtesy of Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, just may have you running to the store to stock up on cottage cheese (and all the nutritional benefits that come with it).

Cottage cheese ice cream has been making the rounds on TikTok as an easy, protein-packed snack, turning a divisive ingredient into a Gen Z superfood. So it makes sense to transform it into the base of this sweet treat, that's lower in sugar and fat and higher in protein than most store-bought options. Best of all: It's easy to make without any need of a fancy ice cream machine. Just blend, freeze and enjoy. With only 7 ingredients and 15 minutes of active prep time, this ice cream is low-lift with a high return on investment. 

The best part of this ice cream is how few ingredients it needs — and how many of them are probably in your fridge or pantry already. To make this ice cream, you need dark chocolate chips, cottage cheese, smooth peanut butter, honey, bananas, vanilla extract, and sea salt. For topping, you grab a handful of roasted peanuts, and that's all there is to it.

Microwave 4 ounces of the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted.

Blend cottage cheese, melted chocolate, smooth peanut butter, honey, 1 ½ bananas, vanilla, and salt in a food processor until smooth.

Stir in most of the remaining chocolate chips, reserving some for garnish.

Transfer mixture to a loaf pan.

Transfer to the freezer and freeze for 4 hours before serving.

For optimal texture, leave ice cream at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping.

Serve ice cream in cups or cones, garnishing each serving with chopped peanuts, reserved chocolate chips, and remaining banana, sliced.

Yes, you can definitely make this cottage cheese ice cream using an ice cream machine. This will give you a smoother, more traditional ice cream texture, and will cut your freezing time by about half. To make this ice cream in the machine, you first need to blend all your ingredients as per the original recipe. But instead of transferring the mixture directly to a loaf pan for freezing, you would pour it into your pre-cooled ice cream maker. You would then run the machine according to the manufacturer's instructions, which typically takes about 20 to 30 minutes. The ice cream maker will churn the mixture while simultaneously freezing it, incorporating air, and creating a creamy texture.

Once the churning process is complete, your ice cream will have a soft-serve consistency and can be safely transferred to a freezer-safe container. After only 2 hours, you will have a traditional, fluffier ice cream with a firmer, scoopable texture.

Cottage cheese ice cream doesn't just look like regular ice cream, but it can also be turned into creamy, indulgent popsicles! To make cottage cheese ice cream popsicles, start the same way you would to make the regular ice cream, blending all the ingredients until smooth. But instead of freezing the mixture in a loaf pan, pour it into popsicle molds (you can even use red Solo cups). If you want to add extra texture, you can fold in the peanuts as additional mix-ins. Then, insert popsicle sticks into the molds, transfer the popsicles into the freezer and freeze for about 6-8 hours, until they are completely solid.

This process cannot be rushed, and it's crucial you stay patient and don't try to dislodge your popsicles before they are fully frozen, or you may end up with runny, soft ice cream puddles. To easily remove the popsicles when they are frozen, simply run the molds briefly under warm water. And voila, you've got yourself some hand-held, fun little protein pops on a stick!