The Best Cottage Cheese Frosting (Naturally Sweet)

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This cottage cheese frosting recipe is naturally sweetened and ultra creamy. Using cottage cheese—an eastern European cooking staple—creates a protein-rich alternative to traditional frosting. It’s incredibly easy to make with just 6 basic ingredients and a blender or a food processor. It’s perfect for your carrot cakes, muffins, and everything else in just 5 minutes. 

Though it might sound unconventional, making delicious frosting using cottage cheese—a cornerstone of Baltic dairy traditions—isn’t complicated at all.

I’m sharing the basic Vanilla recipe that goes with practically every cake or muffin plus three delicious variations: a bright lemon version perfect for blueberry muffins, a warm spiced version for carrot cake, and a fragrant chai-spiced option that pairs beautifully with apple or banana muffins.

This cottage cheese frosting is a delicious topping for my blueberry cottage cheese muffins and banana cottage cheese muffins. I grew up with cottage cheese always in my Latvian grandmother’s fridge, and if you love cottage cheese like me, you can try my other cottage cheese recipes such as my avocado and cottage cheese toast recipe and this avocado cottage cheese dip recipe 😀

Ingredients for the Basic Vanilla Frosting

• 1 cup cottage cheese – whole milk is best
• 4 oz cream cheese – provides firmness and structure to the cottage cheese cream cheese frosting, so it doesn’t just slide off 😅
• 2-3 tablespoons pure Maple syrup or honey (or powdered sugar or glucose powder if you prefer to use sugar)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean extract (if making the basic vanilla frosting, see variations below)
• Pinch of salt – I use sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice – the secret ingredient – it helps stabilize the frosting

Instructions for Basic Vanilla Frosting

1. For best results and if your cottage cheese appears quite liquidy, drain cottage cheese in a fine-mesh strainer for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.
2. In a food processor, blend the drained cup of cottage cheese until you get a creamy consistency (about 1-2 minutes). You can use a hand mixer, but you will not get the same smooth consistency, and you may see small little cottage cheese clumps.
3. Add cream cheese and blend until fully incorporated.
4. Add your chosen sweetener, vanilla extract, salt, and lemon juice. Blend until combined and you have a creamy texture.
5. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using to firm up.
6. Apply to completely cooled muffins.

Cottage Cheese Frosting Variations

Lemon Cottage Cheese Frosting 

• 1 cup cottage cheese 
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• and only use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Spiced Cottage Cheese Frosting (for Carrot Cake)

• 1 cup cottage cheese 
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice (to stabilize the frosting)
• Pinch of salt

Chai Cottage Cheese Frosting (for Apple or Banana Cottage Cheese Muffins)

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 4 oz softened cream cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch of cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice (to stabilize the frosting)
• Pinch of salt

Tips for the Best Cottage Cheese Frosting

• Use full fat cottage cheese and cream cheese for best flavor, but you can use low fat if you choose.
• Use Vanilla bean paste if you can, it really does make a difference for this cream cheese icing recipe.
• Make sure muffins are completely cool before frosting.

Cottage Cheese Frosting Recipe Card

Cottage Cheese Frosting

Marissa

Light, creamy, and naturally sweet, this vanilla cottage cheese frosting blends cottage cheese and cream cheese for a smooth, protein-rich topping. Includes three delicious café-style variations: chai, warm spice, and zesty lemon.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Course Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American, Baltic, European

Servings 12 muffins

Equipment

• 1 Food processor, blender, thermomix or similar You can use a handmixer, but the texture will not be as light and airy

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Basic Vanilla Cottage Cheese Frosting

• 1 cup cottage cheese – whole milk is best 225 grams
• 4 oz cream cheese 112 grams
• 2-3 tablespoons pure Maple syrup or honey or powdered sugar or glucose powder if you prefer to use sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Recipe Variations:

Lemon Cottage Cheese Frosting

• 1 cup cottage cheese 225 grams
• 4 oz cream cheese 112 grams
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Spiced Cottage Cheese Frosting (for Carrot Cake)

• 1 cup cottage cheese 225 grams
• 4 oz cream cheese 112 grams
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice to stabilize the frosting
• Pinch of salt

Chai Cottage Cheese Frosting

• 1 cup cottage cheese 225 grams
• 4 oz cream cheese 112 grams
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• Pinch of cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice to stabilize the frosting
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

 

• For best results and if your cottage cheese appears quite liquidy, drain cottage cheese in a fine-mesh strainer for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.
• In a food processor, blend the drained cup of cottage cheese until you get a creamy consistency (about 1-2 minutes). You can use a hand mixer, but you will not get the same smooth consistency, and you may see small little cottage cheese clumps.
• Add cream cheese and blend until fully incorporated.
• Add your chosen sweetener, vanilla extract, spices, salt, and lemon juice. Blend until combined and you have a creamy texture.
• Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using to firm up.
• Apply to completely cooled muffins.

Notes

Tips for the Best Cottage Cheese Frosting

• Use full fat cottage cheese and cream cheese for best flavor, but it will work with low fat if you choose.
• Use Vanilla bean paste if you can, it really does make a difference for this cottage cheese cheese icing recipe.

 

Storage:

• Refrigerate in an airtight contane for up to 4 days.
• Do NOT freeze. It does not defrost well and loses its shape.

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