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:

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

Example Sentences

Alyssa Zarou, an insurance agent on Long Island, said TikTok videos encouraged her to incorporate cottage cheese, known for its high protein content, into her diet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Even a dairy-aisle staple like cottage cheese has been in short supply after TikTokers talked up its value as a protein source.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 10, 2026

In recent years, younger consumers flocked to cottage cheese as its popularity exploded online across channels such as TikTok, Merrill said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

Alongside a steady diet of cottage cheese and salsa, the weight came off relatively quickly.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 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