Cottage cheese has been ‘having a moment’ for a while now and the craze shows no signs of slowing down. We’ve seen it blended into creamy dips, stirred into eggs and baked into everything from wraps and sandwiches to desserts and breakfast staples such as oats. Now, social media’s favourite high-protein dairy staple is getting the crisp transformation.
Content creators are turning spoonfuls of cottage cheese into thin, crispy rounds with just a few seasonings and a hot oven. The result is a salty, savoury snack that’s easy to make at home and satisfying enough to curb a crisp craving.
The idea gained popularity via TikTok creator @the.brittney, whose video helped inspire the cottage cheese crisp trend. Naturally, we had to try it for ourselves to see whether the recipe was actually as easy as it looked – and whether the finished crisps lived up to the hype.
Tips for making the best cottage cheese crisps
Avoid moisture and oil: I originally planned to test three flavours: pesto, chilli crisp and cacio e pepe. However, the pesto contained too much moisture and the chilli crisp added too much oil, causing both versions to burn before becoming crisp.
Focus on dry seasonings: I used za’atar and a cacio e pepe-inspired combination of Parmesan and cracked black pepper, which produced much better results.
The baking method matters, too: Some versions of the recipe suggest skipping baking parchment for extra crispness and baking the chips for 20–25 minutes. In my testing, this resulted in chips that were badly burnt and inedible.
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For the most reliable results: I recommend lining the baking trays with baking parchment and lightly spraying it with nonstick cooking oil. Bake the crisps at 180°C, rotating the trays halfway through. They’ll remain pale for the duration of the cooking time, but can go from lightly browned to burned very quickly in the final few minutes, so keep a close eye on them.
Let the crisps cool briefly before eating; they’ll firm up as they cool, but won’t become as crisp as traditional potato crisps. They have more of a chewy texture and are best eaten soon after baking, so only make as many as you plan to eat that day.
Cottage Cheese Crisps recipe
Prep: 10 mins
Total: 30 mins
Makes: 24 crisps (serves 4)
Ingredients
- Non-stick oil spray
- 250g cottage cheese, drained if watery
- ½tsp za’atar
- 1tsp Parmesan, finely grated
- ⅛tsp cracked black pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper and spray with oil.
- Drop heaped teaspoons of cottage cheese onto the trays, spacing them 5cm apart. You should have around 12 per tray. Flatten with the back of a spoon into thin rounds, roughly 2.5cm in diameter. Sprinkle one tray with za’atar and the other with Parmesan and black pepper.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes, rotating and swapping the trays halfway through, until browned at the edges and dry-looking. Keep a close eye on the crisps during the final few minutes, as they can burn quickly. Leave to cool slightly before serving.
Do cottage cheese crisps live up to the hype?
They do — provided you keep a close eye on them. The crisps are easy to assemble, endlessly customisable and especially satisfying if you like salty, crunchy snacks.
They don’t taste exactly like traditional potato crisps, but they offer a delicate crunch and savoury flavour that makes them surprisingly moreish. The thyme and sesame seeds in the za’atar add a nutty, herby flavour, while the sumac gives the crisps a subtle citrusy zing. The Parmesan and black pepper version has the salty bite of a cheese crisp,
‘As a dietitian, I like that cottage cheese crisps are such an easy, customisable snack,’ says Stefani Sassos, Good Housekeeping US’s nutrition and ditness sirector. ‘They offer protein and calcium, and they’re a lower-carb alternative to traditional crisps.’ Stefani says she was also surprised by the texture: ‘I’m not usually a fan of the taste or texture of plain cottage cheese, but I absolutely loved it baked into a crisp with seasonings.’
She notes that the cottage cheese and seasonings can contribute quite a bit of salt, while the crisps don’t provide much fibre. For a more balanced snack, she recommends pairing them with a fibre-rich dip or topping, such as guacamole or hummus.
Tina Martinez (she/her) is the food producer for the Hearst Lifestyle Group. Her work for Good Housekeeping includes recipe development and testing as well as food styling. She also brings the Kitchen & Cooking Lab’s expertise to GH’s popular “I Tried It” series, where she tests viral recipes and food trends. She has worked in the food industry since 2007, with experience as a restaurant line cook, culinary educator, and food stylist for editorial, digital, and television platforms. Tina now lives in Westchester with her husband after leaving Brooklyn for a little more suburban greenery. When she’s not cooking, she enjoys discovering local breweries, hiking in national parks, and digging for treasures at thrift stores. Instagram: @tina.d.martinez TikTok: @tinadmartinez
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
