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

Maybe I’ll have some cottage cheese or shredded carrots as well.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

I had cottage cheese, marinara, some noodles on hand, and little else.

From Slate • May 6, 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

Consumers are using cottage cheese to make everything from pancakes to smoothies, in addition to eating it straight out of the container.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

There would be stacks of petri dishes next to the cottage cheese and butter.

From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm