5 Creative Ideas For The Ultimate Cottage Cheese Toast

Move over, avocado toast, cottage cheese toast is having a moment. With protein-packed cottage cheese on top of the world's most comforting food, it's no wonder that the combination is popular, and suggestions for imaginative toppings are cropping up in viral videos all over the internet. After all, this simple combination is a blank canvas for experimentation, with mix-ins, toppings, and the bread itself all open to customization. Cottage cheese has a mild, tangy flavor that pairs well with just about any food: It can go sweet or savory, whipped and creamy or chunky-textured, and it pairs with an endless variety of fruit, veg, nuts, and herbs. Cottage cheese toast is also a great way to repurpose leftovers, making it a quick and satisfying meal to throw together on the fly.

Cottage cheese toast first gained popularity in the '50s and '60s as a high-protein diet food, and perhaps the first printed mention of it appeared in a Weight Watchers cookbook in a recipe with the name "healthy cheese Danish." Our ideas about nutrition — and flavor — have evolved over the years, but cottage cheese lives on in our imaginations, our social media feeds, and on our toast. The possibilities may be endless, but we have five creative ideas to get you started.

If you're not quite ready to give up your avocado toast, why not give it an update by combining it with the new recipe in town? Whether you have leftover condiments from last night's Taco Tuesday takeout or you're just in the mood for extra-punchy flavors, start by swapping your mild mashed avocado for your favorite guacamole.

Use a sturdy sourdough bread, pile on the guac, add the cottage cheese, and top that with a bright, fresh pico de gallo to cut through the creamy flavors of cheese and avo. If you're still in the mood for extra heat, add a drizzle of your favorite hot sauce or some sliced jalapeños.

In the early days of cottage cheese toast being a thing, it was often paired with peanuts to up the protein factor. The combination is good on its own, but the flavors and textures are a little one-note, and there's no reason you shouldn't take it up a notch with some crunchy vegetables and a few extra-flavorful ingredients in the mix.

Top your cottage cheese with crispy julienned carrots and cucumber and drizzle over an umami-rich simple 3-ingredient Thai peanut sauce. Add a sprinkle of crushed roasted peanuts, some Thai basil or cilantro, and a squeeze of lime, and you have a twist on a classic that's anything but boring.

The original Weight Watchers dish that mimicked a cheese Danish called for a drizzle of honey and a dusting of cinnamon, and the combo was heated through until it was warm and mushy. For a more refreshing alternative, start with a slice of toasted cinnamon raisin or cinnamon swirl bread and top it with the requisite cottage cheese, plus thinly sliced or diced apples.

Give the toast a little kick with a drizzle of hot honey and add some crunch in the form of a handful of your favorite granola. If you happen to have some particularly superior apple pie filling (like the kind made with sour cream), you can swap that in. Applesauce will also work in a pinch.

For a cute kid-friendly version, take inspiration from pretty Japanese fruit sandos. These simply perfect sandwiches start with soft, slightly sweet Japanese milk bread (which makes great French toast). Brioche, challah, or even a good white bread would work here, too.

The original version is basically a whipped cream sandwich. Instead, you can whip the cottage cheese until it's super-creamy and then top it with your favorite sliced fruit. Halved strawberries are popular, but you could also opt for melon, kiwi, banana, or even citrus segments. Top with a drizzle of honey and some sesame seeds for a little sweetness and crunch. For an attractive green twist, add the herby earthy flavor of matcha by mixing some powder right into the whipped cottage cheese.

Green goddess dressing probably had its first wave of popularity around the time cottage cheese toast hit the recipe books and tables of nutrition-conscious Americans. And, like cottage cheese toast, green goddess is making a comeback. This vivid, herby, creamy dressing is popular for a reason: It's packed with flavor and perfectly balanced between freshness and umami.

It's easier than you might think to whip up a copycat Trader Joe's green goddess dressing for one nutritious, retro, and very verdant slice of cottage cheese toast. Slather the dressing on a piece of toasted protein bread or mix it right into the cottage cheese. Top everything with sprouts or microgreens, sliced avocado, and a handful of toasted pumpkin seeds. If you want to lean into the umami, add a few anchovies to the pile.