Flavored cottage cheese can be really, really hit or miss. It can taste like fresh fruit and tender curds, or it can taste like sour milk and sweet goo. (In the case of one flavored cottage cheese we tried, it really did taste like sour milk because it was expired. Our job is not without its risks!)
I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder when it comes to cottage cheese with fruit, because I have often purchased what I think is plain cottage cheese only to find out upon tasting that it’s actually pineapple cottage cheese. And that is a shocking experience. So, I’ve come to think of cottage cheese flavors as sneaky interlopers trying to jump into my basket. But this taste test turned me around. I tried 12 different cottage cheese flavors, including cottage cheese with peaches, strawberry cottage cheese, cottage cheese with pineapple, and even one savory cottage cheese with chives, which, sadly, did not make it onto the list (but I really do think there should be more savory cottage cheese flavors out there!). And these were the four best cottage cheese flavors that I would buy again—on purpose. (And if you’re looking for the best plain cottage cheese, we ranked those, too.)
- Daisy with Pineapple
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The problem with cottage cheese with pineapple is a lot of times the pineapple tastes oxidized—like it’s gone bad. Not here. Daisy’s pineapple cottage cheese features a very tangy pineapple jam packed separately from the cottage cheese so you get to choose how much you want to mix in. (The packaging for all of the Daisy cottage cheese flavors is extremely cute.) I liked that the fruit wasn’t too sweet—it didn’t taste like I was having a dessert for breakfast. It tasted like cottage cheese with fruit.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Knudsen Raspberry
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Raspberry is such a subtle flavor; it’s easy for it to go wrong and be far too subtle. But here, it shines. The raspberry jam in the side car is vibrant and very sweet without being very sugary. There are even little seeds (which was off-putting for managing editor Gwynedd Stuart, but I liked the texture). The cottage cheese itself was not the most flavorful in the world, but that’s okay. This is really all about the raspberry, anyway.
Credit: Merc / Kroger
- Good Strawberry Chia
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This is the only fruit-on-the-bottom-style flavored cottage cheese on the list and that’s not the only thing that sets it apart from the others. It also includes chia seeds, which give the mix crunch and a touch of earthy flavor. And the strawberry is chunky—it’s not a jam. Once everything is mixed up it tastes almost like strawberry ice cream. The cottage cheese itself is so good—it’s one of the best cottage cheese brands, after all—and its sweet cream flavor melds with the strawberry to create that delectable flavor. It might sound strange but you really should try this strawberry cottage cheese.
Credit: Merc / Whole Foods
- Daisy with Peaches
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This cottage cheese with peaches is just about perfect. The cottage cheese is thick and creamy and not too salty (but there’s still a little bit of savory flavor to complement the sweet fruit). And the peaches are chunky with fresh peach flavor. It’s so satisfying. It’s a summery little breakfast you can have all year round.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
Best Pineapple
Best Raspberry
Best Strawberry
Best Peach
Other flavored cottage cheese we tried: Knudsen Strawberry, Daisy with Strawberries, Knudsen Black Cherry, Daisy with Blueberries, Knudsen Pineapple, Lucerne with Pineapple, Lucerne with Chives, Knudsen Peach
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!