Cottage Cheese Queso

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If you love queso but want a healthier version to dip with tortilla chips, this cottage cheese queso recipe is for you! Low in calories and high in protein, this is a queso dip you can indulge in to your heart’s content.

Cottage cheese is having a moment right now. For two people who would have never thought we’d eat cottage cheese, we’re here to inform you that it’s SO much tastier than it looks. And you can use it in about a hundred different ways as a healthier, high protein dairy option!

What This Recipe Entails

It’s super easy to make a healthier queso dip with cottage cheese, since it’s already so creamy and doesn’t need to be melted.

• Prep time: 5 to 10 minutes
• Heating time (optional): 1 to 2 minutes

Just throw everything in a blender and serve cold! Or heat in the microwave for a few minutes if you’d prefer it warm – just like you would with a store bought jar of queso.

Why Is Cottage Cheese Good For You?

Cottage cheese is gaining popularity because it’s surprisingly good for you. Not only is it packed with essential nutrients, but it’s also a great low-calorie source of calcium.

Our go-to cottage cheese is the low fat 2% cottage cheese from Lucerne. With only 90 calories per half cup, plus 12 grams of protein, it’s an ideal ingredient if you love cheese but want to cut calories.

Cottage cheese is also great for vegetarian recipes since it packs so much protein. It even has more protein than Greek yogurt!

One thing to watch out for is that cottage cheese can be high in sodium, as with many other cheeses. So it’s a great option if you’re looking for a lower calorie, higher protein cheese! But it won’t help you cut out salt from your diet.

Cottage Cheese Queso Ingredients

We think cottage cheese queso should still taste like real queso. So we added a small amount of pepper jack cheese, some half and half, and a few spices to give it the extra creamy texture and spicy flavors of true queso!

Here’s what you’ll need to make our cottage cheese queso dip:

• Low fat cottage cheese (2%)
• Pepper jack cheese
• Half and half
• Ground red cayenne pepper
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Salt

We’re not kidding when we say this literally tastes like the queso you’d buy in a jar at the grocery store. It’s so delicious – but so much healthier! Less calories, less fat, less than a third of the sodium, and 3 times the protein.

Plus, ingredients you can pronounce 🙂

If you’re interested in a more in-depth analysis of the nutrition information for our cottage cheese queso versus store bought, we’ve broken it down for you below.

Cottage Cheese Queso Nutrition

Here’s how our homemade cottage cheese queso dip compares to an equal serving of Tostitos Salsa con Queso:

So basically, this means you can eat a whole lot more queso when it’s made with cottage cheese!

As avid queso lovers, this epiphany has truly brought more joy to our lives.

How To Make Cottage Cheese Queso Dip

You can make our easy cottage cheese queso recipe in just 2 easy steps and less than 10 minutes! All you need is a blender and a rubber spatula.

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender.
2. Blend on medium to high speed for a few minutes, scraping the sides of the blender as needed, until it’s smooth and creamy.

We like to serve this healthy queso as a cold dip with tortilla chips, but you can also heat it up in the microwave if you prefer it warm. Microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

Storing and Reheating

If you love queso as much as we do, this cottage cheese queso will probably disappear in minutes. But just in case you have some left over, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

To serve, give it a good stir and then serve cold, or reheat in the microwave as usual (1 to 2 minutes, stir every 30 seconds).

Cottage Cheese Queso Serving Suggestions

Since you can make this healthy queso dip ahead of time, it’s a perfect party appetizer! Prepare it up to 2 days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to party. Then, serve it cold or simply heat it up when guests arrive.

You can also use cottage cheese queso in place of traditional queso for so many different recipes. Here are a few suggestions:

• Make high protein nachos with cottage cheese queso, chicken, and black beans
• Use it in place of other cheese sauces for tacos, burritos, or enchiladas
• Serve it with homemade salsa and guacamole, restaurant style dipping trio style (perfect for parties or Cinco de Mayo!)

It also just makes a great midnight snack if you’re feeling munchy!