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These High-Protein Strawberry Cheesecake Oats Will Keep You Full
Despite its virality on TikTok, I'm just not a cottage cheese girl. I desperately want to love it (it's packed with protein, probiotics, and B vitamins!), but I can't get past the curdy texture. I've tried to hide it in various recipes, but other than blending it up in a smoothie, nothing has made me forget about the bumpy yet creamy consistency.
It turns out I was approaching it all wrong: The answer isn't to disguise the cottage cheese but to actually enhance its lumpiness (just trust me on this). And I recently came across the perfect base to do so: overnight oats.
Add some strawberries, a dash of cinnamon, and some high-quality protein powder, and it tastes like a healthy cheesecake—promise!
How to make high-protein strawberry cheesecake oats
Cottage cheese is naturally high in protein, with an average range of 15 and 25 grams of protein per cup (depending on the brand), but you'll likely need a serving of high-quality protein powder to actually meet your daily protein goals.
As a reminder, eating around 30 grams of protein during each meal is a good target for most people, and it's especially important at breakfast. "Protein supports blood sugar balance and satiety, which is key for helping you stay full1, energized, and focused through the morning—and less likely to struggle with compulsive snacking," dietitian Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., CDN, INHC, previously told mbg.
mindbodygreen's grass-fed whey protein isolate+ is a superb choice in helping you reach that goal. Each serving has 25 grams of clean, bioavailable protein (plus 2.5 grams of leucine) to help keep you satiated, balance blood sugar, and support muscles and metabolism.*
With the 15 or so grams you get from cottage cheese, this breakfast kickstarts your day with 40 (!) grams of high-quality protein.*
I recommend snagging the vanilla option for this recipe, as it adds a little something extra to the strawberry cheesecake flavor. It contains organic vanilla, pink Himalayan salt, organic monk fruit, and organic cinnamon—all ingredients you'd want in a light, fluffy dessert, no? But if you prefer a chocolate cheesecake moment, go ahead and use the chocolate version. You really can't go wrong.
I'm no recipe developer, but here's the concoction I've been loving as of late:
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 scoop mindbodygreen vanilla grass-fed whey protein isolate+
- ¾ cup milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Dash of cinnamon
- Extra dash of vanilla extract (optional)
- ½ cup chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen)
Simply place all the ingredients into a bowl or jar, mix until well combined, and store in the fridge for at least 3 hours (ideally overnight). In the morning, you'll have a decadent treat that, no lie, tastes like cheesecake.
The oats make me forget about the lumpiness of cottage cheese, as they wind up with a similar consistency after soaking, but if you're especially texture-averse, you may want to blend the cheese a bit before adding (a tip I recently received from a mbg staffer and must try!).
The takeaway
Dessert for breakfast is always a good idea. These strawberry cheesecake oats will help you hit that sweet craving and supply you with over 30 grams of protein for your morning meal. Not bad for a TikTok recipe!
