Because my mom was on a diet her entire life, I grew up with cottage cheese. I didn’t dislike it, but I definitely associated it with deprivation. That was then. Today, cottage cheese is a TikTok phenom, with hundreds of millions of views and counting. One leading producer experienced a 102% spike in sales between June 2023 and June 2024.

Young influencers have discovered that the creamy curds aren’t just tasty and high in protein; they’re also a canvas for creativity, welcoming mix-ins and toppings both sweet and savory. If your New Year’s resolutions call for a healthier approach to eating, cottage cheese is your friend.

Good Culture cottage cheese, launched in 2015, is now the number-two branded product in the category, after Daisy. (A lot of supermarket cottage cheese is private label.) You can find Good Culture at Walmart, Target and Whole Foods, where its cottage cheese is the top seller. I toggle between the whole-milk and low-fat versions, with the latter being maybe a little tangier.

Unlike some of its competitors, which use acid to create the curds, and stabilizers and emulsifiers to assist with texture, Good Culture is made the old-fashioned way—by culturing milk. The company blends skim milk, whole milk and cream to get the desired protein and fat, then adds bacterial cultures to launch fermentation.

Cottage cheese may resemble ricotta, but the method is quite different. Cottage cheese curds are firmer because they are cooked in the whey. (Ricotta is scooped out of the whey as soon as it floats to the surface.) Cottage cheese curds are rinsed after the whey is drained, to produce a more mellow result. And, lastly, cottage cheese has a dressing, the salt and cream that cloak the curds.

TikTokkers can show you how to make “pizza” with a cottage cheese crust or ice cream from cottage cheese, bananas and maple syrup. Go for it. I use it more simply, in ways that hardly call for a recipe:

A few toppings for toast (walnut bread is great):

• cottage cheese, golden beets, toasted sesame seeds or dukkah and extra virgin olive oil (pictured above)

• cottage cheese, sliced avocado, Maraş pepper or other red pepper, lemon zest and cilantro (pictured above)

• cottage cheese, red grapes, poppy seeds and honey (pictured above)

• cottage cheese, diced roasted red peppers and pimentón. (Rub the toast with garlic before topping.)

• cottage cheese with minced scallions, chopped toasted walnuts, chopped green olives and chives

Now it’s your turn. If you dream up some great combinations, please share in the Comments section at the end of this post.