A 3-Ingredient Dessert Made With Cottage Cheese Is Packed With A Ton Of Protein

Getting your daily dose of protein can get, well, boring. After a while, you might start craving something beyond meat, poultry, or tofu. (Here are some uncommon foods that are excellent sources of protein). That's when you start looking for innovative recipes, such as a three-ingredient mousse that packs on the protein and satisfies the sweetest tooth.

The light-as-air mousse features cottage cheese as its main ingredient. But cottage cheese isn't just used for texture or taste; it also offers up a substantial amount of protein in every bite. A single cup of low-fat cottage cheese contains 28 grams of protein – which is remarkable, if you consider how much protein you really need each day. 

Per the American Heart Association, the standard rule of thumb for setting a protein goal involves multiplying your weight in kilograms by 0.8. Therefore, if you weigh 150 pounds (about 68 kilograms), you'd need 54.4 grams of protein. Ironically, eating a one-cup serving of cottage cheese each day would get you more than halfway to that target. And if you can turn your cup of cottage cheese into a lip-smacking treat, so much the better.

In this particular mousse recipe, the cottage cheese is accompanied by a tablespoon of cocoa powder and no more than three tablespoons of honey (or a similar syrup). Just put them in a blender, press puree, and watch them transform into a fluffy, protein-rich delight that can stay fridge-fresh (when stored in a container) for about four days. 

Protein is necessary for the proper functioning and recovery of your muscles, bones, and other crucial body parts. That's a core reason nutritionists recommend eating protein post-workout rather than skipping it, which is one of the worst things you can possibly do after a workout. (Yes, you can enjoy your cottage cheese mousse in place of your usual protein drink.) In a Vogue interview, sports nutritionist Nicole Linhares Kedia praised after-exercise protein: "When you work out, muscle fibers undergo stress and tiny tears; protein helps to repair these fibers, promoting muscle strength and recovery."

Aside from being rich in protein, this three-ingredient dessert is also filled with calcium and potassium. In general, calcium helps you build bones, and potassium can assist in improving cardiovascular health. But those aren't their only roles; without them, your body couldn't function normally in other ways.

A 2024 study in Nutrition and Diabetes looked at the disease burden effects of calcium deficiency in humans on a global scale. The authors found that a lack of calcium could be linked to an elevated risk of colorectal cancer; thus, getting enough calcium in your diet could have future anticancer outcomes. A lack of potassium can also be harmful to your system: Individuals who don't get enough potassium may experience unwanted respiratory, cardiovascular, muscular, and kidney-related problems.

But remember that despite your newfound treat's nutritional upsides, it's not perfect. One cup of low-fat cottage cheese contains 162 calories, and each tablespoon of honey adds about 64 more calories. If you opt for two tablespoons of honey, your dish will reach around 300 calories (a tablespoon of cocoa powder brings 21 calories) — not necessarily a light snack. Plus, the cottage cheese contains 6.2 grams of sugar, and the honey contributes a staggering 17.2 grams of sugar per tablespoon. Consequently, you may want to limit your after-workout mousse moments so you don't overdo it.