2023 was the year of cottage cheese in the food world, and I fully leaned into it. This Berry Cheesecake Smoothie combines frozen berries and cottage cheese to give it a creamy, “cheesecakey” flavor. Adding cottage cheese to a smoothie is a great way to pack in a bit more protein as well. This smoothie has about 25-30g of protein depending on which protein powder you use.

Cottage cheese took the food world my storm and it was definitely a 50/50 split on the excitement about its comeback. I was DEFINITELY on the excited side. I was excited first because it was nostalgic, and it had been awhile since I had had cottage cheese. But then I quickly realized how creative you can get with it and how delicious it is in recipes.

IF YOU DON’T LIKE COTTAGE CHEESE, THIS BERRY CHEESECAKE SMOOTHIE IS ACTUALLY PERFECT FOR YOU!

This berry cheesecake smoothie is actually a great way to reintroduce cottage cheese and give it a second try! The combination of cottage cheese and water blended essentially makes a really creamy milk. Blending it also gets rid of the texture that usually turns people off from it to begin with. I’ve been able to convince quite a few people to come over onto the other side with this smoothie!

WHICH COTTAGE CHEESE SHOULD I USE?

There are a few out there that I like, but my favorite is Good Culture (low-fat or full-fat). The texture, taste, and creaminess is superior. I also love the Kalona Supernatural brand, but that one is a bit harder to find. If you can’t find either of those, most cottage cheeses will do! Full-fat will be creamier and thicker. But feel free to play around and find one that works for you.

WHY DO YOU ADD SOMETHING CRUNCHY TO YOUR SMOOTHIE?

This was actually something that I learned about in nutrition school, and it was extremely helpful. The process of digestion begins in your mouth. As you chew food, your saliva secretes an enzyme that helps break down food from the very second you start to chew. Obviously, most smoothies do not require chewing, so when you’re swallowing a bunch of liquid that have nutrients that require digestion, your GI tract is sort of caught off guard.

Sometimes people can get bloated from smoothies, and this is usually why. The process of chewing will help your body digest a smoothie a lot easier. So, give this a try if smoothies is something that you usually find disagreeing with you.