cottage cheese

American  

noun

1. an extremely soft, or loose, white, mild-flavored cheese made from skim-milk curds, usually without rennet.

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cottage cheese British  

noun

1. a mild loose soft white cheese made from skimmed milk curds

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Regionalisms

Farmer cheese and farmer's cheese are widely used throughout the U.S. as terms for a kind of cottage cheese. This same kind of cheese, with varying curd size and sourness, is also called sour-milk cheese in Eastern New England; curd or curd cheese, chiefly in the Northeastern and Southern U.S.; pot cheese, chiefly in the Hudson Valley; smearcase, chiefly in the North Midland U.S., and sometimes cream cheese in the Gulf States.

Etymology

Origin of cottage cheese

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Compare meaning

How does cottage-cheese compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ricotta vs. cottage cheese
• cottage cheese vs. cream cheese

Example Sentences

I like making homemade cottage cheese tzatziki with grated cucumbers, diced mint, fresh dill, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic powder and salt.

From Salon • May 24, 2026

I’m talking about cottage cheese, the curd-filled dairy product that sits alongside yogurt, butter and milk in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store.

From Salon • May 24, 2026

Here are my top five favorite ways to enjoy cottage cheese.

From Salon • May 24, 2026

My rule of thumb is to add one cup of cottage cheese for every cup of sauce.

From Salon • May 24, 2026

He’d eaten extra helpings of cantaloupe and cottage cheese, so it was a colorful and fragrant display.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman