Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 27 minutes ago
Cottage cheese is nearly impossible to find right now — and my whole channel runs on it. So I took my most famous recipe, the pizza bowl, and tested the 3 best cottage cheese substitutes head-to-head against the real thing: ricotta, Greek yogurt, and farmer's cheese. One of them shocked me.
Get my High Protein Low Carb cookbook — 15 recipes, instant download: dkmkt.com
Check out my website for awesome kitchen stuff: daveskitchenmarket.com
MACROS (per bowl):
Original cottage cheese: ~410 cal | 33g protein | ~6g net carbs
Ricotta: ~530 cal | 29g protein | ~8g net carbs
Greek yogurt: ~390 cal | 29g protein | ~7g net carbs
Farmer's cheese: ~420 cal | 33g protein | ~6g net carbs
EVERY BOWL USES: 1 egg yolk, 2 tbsp grated parmesan, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, ⅛ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper, optional pinch MSG — blended with the base until smooth. Then ¼ cup pizza sauce mixed with ¼–½ tsp minced garlic, ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella, 10 pepperoni slices, 2 tbsp diced green pepper, 2 tbsp diced onion.
METHOD (same for all): Blend the base completely smooth, pour into a greased ramekin (or muffin cups) ¾ full, bake at 400°F for 8–12 minutes until mostly set — it should jiggle like Jell-O, not slosh. Spread on the garlic sauce, add toppings, bake 2–3 minutes until melted, broil 1–2 minutes until bubbling. Cool 3–5 minutes before eating — it sets as it rests.
THE 4 BASES:
ORIGINAL: ¾ cup full-fat cottage cheese
RICOTTA: ¾ cup whole-milk ricotta + 1 extra tbsp parmesan (ricotta runs sweet — this pulls it savory)
GREEK YOGURT: ¾ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, pressed between paper towels for 2 minutes to drain (skip the strainer — thick yogurt just sits there) + 1 extra tbsp parmesan
FARMER'S CHEESE: ¾ cup farmer's cheese + 2 tbsp milk (it's literally cottage cheese with the whey pressed out — find it near the queso fresco)
Cottage cheese is nearly impossible to find right now — and my whole channel runs on it. So I took my most famous recipe, the pizza bowl, and tested the 3 best cottage cheese substitutes head-to-head against the real thing: ricotta, Greek yogurt, and farmer's cheese. One of them shocked me.
Get my High Protein Low Carb cookbook — 15 recipes, instant download: dkmkt.com
Check out my website for awesome kitchen stuff: daveskitchenmarket.com
MACROS (per bowl):
Original cottage cheese: ~410 cal | 33g protein | ~6g net carbs
Ricotta: ~530 cal | 29g protein | ~8g net carbs
Greek yogurt: ~390 cal | 29g protein | ~7g net carbs
Farmer's cheese: ~420 cal | 33g protein | ~6g net carbs
EVERY BOWL USES: 1 egg yolk, 2 tbsp grated parmesan, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, ⅛ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper, optional pinch MSG — blended with the base until smooth. Then ¼ cup pizza sauce mixed with ¼–½ tsp minced garlic, ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella, 10 pepperoni slices, 2 tbsp diced green pepper, 2 tbsp diced onion.
METHOD (same for all): Blend the base completely smooth, pour into a greased ramekin (or muffin cups) ¾ full, bake at 400°F for 8–12 minutes until mostly set — it should jiggle like Jell-O, not slosh. Spread on the garlic sauce, add toppings, bake 2–3 minutes until melted, broil 1–2 minutes until bubbling. Cool 3–5 minutes before eating — it sets as it rests.
THE 4 BASES:
ORIGINAL: ¾ cup full-fat cottage cheese
RICOTTA: ¾ cup whole-milk ricotta + 1 extra tbsp parmesan (ricotta runs sweet — this pulls it savory)
GREEK YOGURT: ¾ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, pressed between paper towels for 2 minutes to drain (skip the strainer — thick yogurt just sits there) + 1 extra tbsp parmesan
FARMER'S CHEESE: ¾ cup farmer's cheese + 2 tbsp milk (it's literally cottage cheese with the whey pressed out — find it near the queso fresco)
