For decades, cottage cheese sat forgotten in the back of the dairy aisle, dismissed as bland diet food from the 1950s. Then TikTok happened. What was once “your grandparents’ food,” as Circana dairy analyst John Crawford put it, has exploded into one of the hottest items in U.S. grocery stores.
The shift began when health-focused creators started blending cottage cheese into ice creams, dips, and baked goods, turning its lumpy texture into creamy, high-protein recipes. By spring 2023, videos of cottage cheese, strawberry cheesecake ice cream, and buffalo chicken dip had gone viral. The result? A category-wide boom.
According to Circana, U.S. cottage cheese sales jumped 20% in the past year alone, building on two consecutive years of double-digit growth. Organic Valley reports sales up over 30%, while Good Culture, a TikTok favorite, can’t keep shelves stocked. “Demand is WILD,” the brand admitted on Instagram, as customers flooded them with calls and DMs about shortages.
Big dairy is scrambling to catch up. Daisy Brand is building a new facility in Iowa. Westby Cooperative Creamery is investing in new vats after orders exceeded capacity by 30%. Even grocery execs are surprised. “I had to double-check the numbers,” said Albertsons CEO Susan Morris. “Cottage cheese is actually a strong growth category.”
Why the sudden love affair? Cottage cheese ticks every modern food trend box: high-protein, low-sugar, GLP-1 friendly, and versatile enough to work in both savory and sweet dishes. With dairy consumption rising overall, TikTok didn’t just revive cottage cheese—it turned it into a cultural phenomenon.
Facilities are maxed out, but producers are racing to expand. Whether this is a lasting revival or a viral bubble, one thing’s clear: cottage cheese is no longer just diet food—it’s the star of the dairy aisle.