Is Cottage Cheese Healthier Than Yogurt? Nutrition Experts Weigh In

Is cottage cheese healthier than yogurt—or is it the other way around? Cottage cheese is getting plenty of love these days, reborn as a social media darling after years of being pigeonholed as only for dieters. Meanwhile, yogurt's popularity, reflecting consumers' obsession with high-protein foods, holds steady. We asked registered dietitians if one dairy product has a nutritional edge over the other—and whether you should make room in the fridge for both.

Is Cottage Cheese Healthier Than Yogurt?

Cottage cheeseand yogurt both tick off boxes for our daily dairy needs. According to the USDA, adults and children who need 2,000 calories daily should eat or drink about three cups of dairy every day to meet their calcium and vitamin D requirements. One cup of low-fat yogurt, for instance, counts as a serving; a standard serving of low-fat cottage cheese is about a half-cup.

"When it comes to protein, fat, and carbohydrates, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese closely stack up," says Jamie Mok, MS, RD, RYT, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The differences come in the vitamin, mineral, and probiotic content.

Protein

"With an ingredient deck of essentially cultured milk and salt, cottage cheese is a high-quality protein you can rely on for quick and easy meals, or as a helpful tool to reach your daily protein goal," Amy Davis, RDN, founder of Amy Davis Nutrition, says. Depending on the brand, cottage cheese has about 12–15 grams of protein per serving.

Greek yogurt and regular yogurt are cultured, or fermented, dairy products. The straining process used to make Greek yogurt concentrates the nutrients, yielding yogurt with more protein and less sugar than regular yogurt. Regular yogurt has about 8–12 grams of protein, while Greek yogurt has about 10–17  grams. A complete protein, Greek yogurt has all nine essential amino acids.

Vitamins and Minerals

Both cottage cheese and yogurt also contain similar amounts of calcium, potassium, and vitamin B12, though Greek yogurt is a slightly richer source.

"Their difference lies in their sodium and magnesium content: Cottage cheese contains nearly nine times the amount of sodium and half the amount of magnesium as Greek yogurt," Mok points out. Per cup, Greek yogurt has about 75 milligrams of sodium while cottage cheese has about 680 milligrams, Davis adds.

Probiotics

Probiotics, the living microorganisms that help the body digest food, may also give yogurt a leg up. Yogurt and Greek yogurt are always cultured, or fermented, and acidified; bacterial cultures (starter cultures) are added to milk, fermenting its lactose into lactic acid.

"Yogurt is made with live and active cultures that naturally provide probiotics, which support gut health," Mok says.

Commercial cottage cheese is either cultured/fermented or acidified. Some brands use a "direct-set" method, acidifying the milk with a food-grade acid like vinegar, while others add a bacterial culture, producing a probiotic product. "Greek yogurt with live active cultures contains gut-loving probiotics, whereas only specific cultured cottage cheese varieties contain these beneficial bacteria," Davis says.

In other words, probiotics are not a given in cottage cheese. "To be sure, check the label for the phrase 'live and active cultures' or for specific probiotic strains like Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium," Mok suggests.

Fat

High-fat cottage cheese usually has a creamy texture and buttery taste, while lower-fat products are drier and tangier. Full-fat yogurt is also thicker and richer, while yogurt with one or two percent fat may be thinner, with a sour taste and chalky mouthfeel due to the dearth of fat.

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The Best Choice

While you might assume that low-fat products are always preferred, Mok says that the most beneficial choice depends on individual needs and goals. 

"In general, plain low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese is a healthy option for most people, however, those with higher calorie and fat requirements—such as individuals managing chronic conditions like COPD, cancer-related cachexia, or cystic fibrosis, as well as elite athletes with high training volumes—may benefit from choosing full-fat versions to help meet their energy needs," she says.

Low-fat or nonfat varieties are sensible choices, she says, for individuals who want to reduce their overall calorie or fat intake, including those pursuing weight loss or heart-healthy eating habits to manage high cholesterol.

How to Enjoy Both

Though cottage cheese doesn't fully measure up to yogurt, there's still room for both in your diet, Davis says. "Even if it doesn't have quite as much nutrition as Greek yogurt, it's still a convenient and satisfying protein choice," she says.

For instance, both products give you the boost you need to start your day. "I like to rotate plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese as the base of breakfast parfaits and top with berries, nuts, and cinnamon for an easy, balanced breakfast," she says. And there's no need to stop there. 

Yogurt is eminently adaptable. It adds creaminess to sauces, tenderizes poultry and meat in marinades, zips up smoothies and dips, and enhances the moistness of baked goods.

Cottage cheese also expands your recipe repertoire. "Beyond eating it with fruit or adding a dollop to soups, it's an incredibly versatile cooking ingredient," Davis says, noting that blended cottage cheese can be used in smoothies, protein pancakes, muffins, scrambled eggs, creamy pasta sauces, or savory dips. "It's a great way to add a fluffy, creamy texture to your favorite dishes while boosting protein and lowering fat," she says.