How To Turn Cottage Cheese Into Banana Pudding

Cottage cheese is having its biggest moment since the 1970s, when the dairy staple was the latest food fad for dieters (served with chunks of pineapple, please). Social media is currently brimming with influencers using the dairy product to make everything from strawberry cottage cheese ice cream to cottage cheese flatbread you can cook in the air fryer (though you won’t want to use it in lasagna). A new trend is showing the high-protein snack can make a convincing dupe for banana pudding, one that contains less sugar and zero gelatin.

All you need to do is blend cottage cheese with a ripe banana plus some vanilla extract. When the mixture is blitzed in a blender, the result is a creamy, rich, spoonable concoction that tastes just like banana pudding. Make sure you’re using the correct type of banana. That is, one that’s a little overripe since the sugar content will be higher. With that said, most recipes for cottage cheese banana pudding online also contain an additional sweetener, like maple syrup, honey, or agave syrup plus a dash of cinnamon for extra flavor.

Once the “pudding” is done, layer on other classic elements of regular banana pudding. Put some banana slices or vanilla-flavored wafers on top and you’ve got a dessert the South (where the dish is a favorite) would be proud of. You can even mix up the additions and garnish with squares of pound or sponge cake, sliced strawberries, graham crackers, or banana bread (because isn’t banana bread just cake, anyway?). Drizzle some rum on top as well as some torched meringue for a grown up bananas foster imposter.

As far as altering the pudding itself, there’s plenty of ways to do so. If you want some tanginess reminiscent of cheesecake (not to mention extra protein), add some Greek yogurt. If protein is your concern, why not add some vanilla-flavored protein powder? You could also blend the pudding mixture with a bit of almond butter or add some luxurious pistachio paste for a flavor twist. Adding unsweetened cocoa powder will give you a chocolate banana pudding which you can garnish with chocolate chips or shavings.