The Difference Between Ricotta and Cottage Cheese—and When to Use Each

Ricotta and cottage cheese are affordable fresh cheeses prized for their creaminess and mild flavor. They are versatile, too, used hot or cold and in sweet and savory recipes. And given their health benefits, they have taken on starring roles in any number of social media cooking trends.

“While people often think of cheese as an indulgent food, cottage cheese and ricotta absolutely fit into healthy eating patterns thanks to several essential nutrients important to wellness like high-quality protein, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, iodine, and certain B vitamins,” says Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN award-winning nutrition expert, and National Dairy Council ambassador.

Ahead, we spoke to Amidor and a cheesemonger to explore all things cottage and ricotta cheese. So, grab a spoon, and let's dig in! 

Ricotta and Cottage Cheese Are Made Differently 

Ricotta Cheese: Ricotta is most commonly made using cow’s milk, but you can find it made from goat, sheep, and water buffalo if you know where to look, says Bonnie Jackson, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional and cheesemonger,. She explains that cheesemakers heat the whey that’s left over after making cheese, add an acid, pulling any remaining curd together. "From there, they drain any remaining whey and serve as is, add milk or cream for ricotta con latte, or make ricotta salada, it’s drier counterpart," she says.

Cottage Cheese: Cottage cheese is predominantly made using cow’s milk, but other milk types are sometimes used. Jackson says she has only ever seen cottage cheese made from two kinds of milk: cow and sheep. “Cottage cheese is made by heating whole milk and adding an acid for coagulation," she says. "The coagulated milk is cut and drained, then salted before adding buttermilk. If makers were to take the drained curd and create a simple cheese, it would be a farmer’s cheese.” 

How to Use Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese has a distinctive pebbly texture of curds and can be dry or have some liquid. It can also be small or large curd and has a milky, delicate flavor. “It has a subtly tangier, saltier flavor and a less smooth texture compared to ricotta," says Amidor. "It too can pull double duty in sweet and savory dishes while helping to pump up the protein content. Many creative cottage cheese ideas have gone viral on TikTok, igniting what some have called a ‘cottage cheese renaissance.’” 

Cottage cheese can be used as a topping for toast, mixed into pancakes (like shown above), pureed into dips, mixed into sauces, used to stuff things, stand in for bread dough, blended into smoothies and more.

How to Use Ricotta 

Ricotta is much firmer than cottage cheese and has a finer, slightly grainy texture. It has a naturally subtly sweet flavor. It becomes firmer when baked. It is available in full-fat and low-fat versions and is commonly used to fill recipes such as lasagna and cannoli. It can also be mixed into pasta, pancake batter, a topping on pizza, and Italian Ricotta Cheesecake—among many other uses.

Ricotta and Cottage Cheese Nutrition

According to Amidor, both kinds of cheese are good-to-excellent sources of calcium, phosphorus, selenium, iodine, riboflavin (vitamin B2), and vitamin B12 per half-cup serving. Adds Amidor, “While both ricotta and cottage cheese provide the B vitamins riboflavin (B2) and B12, cottage cheese also is a good source of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), which helps your body use carbohydrates, fats, and protein for fuel—similar to riboflavin.”

 Nutritional Differences 

Amidor says that both ricotta and cottage cheese can be found in a range of fat and calorie levels to meet individual nutrition and taste preferences (e.g., whole milk or part-skim ricotta; fat-free, two percent, or whole milk cottage cheese). "However, when comparing them in their whole form, ricotta cheese tends to be more calorie-dense than cottage cheese because of its higher fat content," she says.

 What About Lactose? 

Per gram, both cheeses are similarly packed with high-quality protein while delivering relatively few carbs and a lower amount of lactose compared to milk.  Amidor notes that as they’re both lower in lactose, both may make good options for people with lactose intolerance. “A quarter-cup of ricotta cheese has about 2 grams of lactose, and ½-cup of cottage cheese has roughly 3 grams of lactose—both of which are far lower than the 12 grams of lactose found in a cup of dairy milk,"

 The Salt Factor

Amidor also notes that for those following a lower sodium diet, cottage cheese will have more sodium than ricotta cheese. However, you can purchase low-sodium cottage cheese.