Cottage cheese offers a soft yet creamy texture that pairs well with main meals and desserts.
But is cottage cheese keto, and more importantly, can you eat cheese without increasing inflammation and blood sugar?
This post will answer all your questions about eating cottage cheese on keto. We’ll take a look at the nutrition of cheese while reviewing the best keto-friendly cottage cheese brands.
Is cottage cheese keto?
You can eat cheese on the ketogenic diet because half a cup contains only four grams of carbohydrates.
But not all cottage cheese is healthy. Some companies add MSG and maltodextrin, so their products last longer and taste sweeter. Avoid these types, as they will lead to an increase in inflammation and blood sugar.
Also, make sure your cheese is organic and uses whole milk instead of reduced-fat milk. Low-fat products usually contain extra sugar to replace the flavor lost from the fat, which prevents ketosis.
What is cottage cheese?
Cottage cheese is a soft, creamy cheese produced by heating whole milk, turning it into solid curds, and cooking it until soft.
This is why making cottage cheese at home with warm milk and lemon juice is so easy.
All you have to do is pour the milk and lemon juice into a saucepan over medium heat until the milk begins to curdle. Remove this curd, blot it with a clean cloth, and you will get delicious cottage cheese.
What are the best cheeses for keto?
Even though cottage cheese is keto, you’ll still want to read the label. Many brands add maltodextrin and modified food starch to make their products taste better.
Small amounts may not affect ketosis, but they will trigger inflammation. So stick with these healthy cottage cheese brands:
- Traders point creamy cheese
- Whole circle organic cottage cheese
- Wegmans cottage cheese
- Double cream cottage cheese from Good Culture
- Kaluna Super Natural Cottage Cheese
- Organic Westby Cheese
- Nancy’s Organic Cheese
Traders point creamy cheese
Traders Point Creamery cottage cheese is the best choice for keto dieters because half a cup contains three grams of net carbs. This means that you can eat as much as you want while burning fat for fuel.
Traders Point stays clear of added sugar, maltodextrin, and refined oils. Instead, they add:
- 100% Organic Grass-Fed Milk
- kosher salt
- lactic cultures
This keeps blood glucose and insulin levels low while feeding the gut microbiome.
You’ll also be happy to know that multiple studies link a healthy gut microbiome to a longer lifespan and stronger immune function.
Whole circle organic cottage cheese
Organic, whole-circle cottage cheese is another keto-friendly option with 1/2 cup containing 2.7 grams of net carbs. The protein count is also high, at 12 grams, which is ideal for athletes.
Like Traders Point, Full Circle does not use toxic oils and additives. Choose Full Circle organic milk because it is high in healthy fats, which help you stay in ketosis. But you still want to diversify your fat intake by getting most of your fat from butter, coconut oil, beef, eggs and fish.
These are the ingredients you’ll find in a tub of Full Circle organic cottage cheese:
- Skimmed organic milk
- salt
- Full fat organic milk
- Organic cream
- Live active cultures
Organic Wegman’s Cheese
Wegmans created this heart-healthy, low-carb, and gluten-free cottage cheese with all-natural ingredients.
I like that this organic cheese does not have that watery consistency that you get with most healthy cottage cheeses. Feel free to spread it on your keto sandwiches and burgers without worrying about sticky liquids.
Wegmans uses the following ingredients to make this cheese:
- First class organic skimmed milk
- Organic cow’s milk
- Organic cream
- salt
- Live active cultures
Double cream cottage cheese from Good Culture
A half-cup serving of Good Culture fresh cheese contains three grams of carbohydrates, seven grams of fat, 14 grams of protein, and 130 calories.
This makes it a low-calorie option for anyone trying to lose weight because you can use it as a dip to keep you going between meals.
I also like that Good Culture cottage cheese provides your body with 340 mg of sodium, which helps beat the keto flu.
Good Culture is super transparent about their manufacturing process. They use pasture-raised cows and organic cream. This gives you peace of mind knowing that you are buying the highest quality cheese as none of the cows are fed grain.
In this container you will find:
- Milk cream
- Pure milk
- generous
- Celtic sea salt
- Live and active cultures
Unlike the previously mentioned brands, Good Culture uses Celtic Sea Salt, not regular table salt. This is good news because research shows that this form of natural sea salt is some of the healthiest in the world. Sea salt protects your body from kidney damage and high blood pressure.
Kaluna Super Natural Cottage Cheese
Half a cup of Calona Super Natural cheese contains three grams of carbohydrates, seven grams of fat, 12 grams of protein and 120 calories. It keeps the carb content low by using 100 percent organic whole milk and zero additives.
But what really caught my eye about Calona Super Natural is that a small family produces it using renewable farming methods. This means that the farmers do not harm the environment, and the cottage cheese is slightly more nutrient-dense than other brands.
This low-calorie cheese uses the following ingredients:
- Certified organic skim milk
- Full fat organic milk
- Organic cream
- Celtic sea salt
- cultures
You’ll also notice that Kolona chose low-heat pasteurization, which benefits your health because it retains the good enzymes while killing harmful bacteria.
Organic Westby Cheese
Organic Westby cheese contains less than three grams of net carbs per 1/2 cup serving. This fresh keto option is non-gmo and comes in flavors like french onion and sour cream. So if you don’t feel like snacking on regular cream cheese all the time, try Westby Cream Cheese.
Westby also sells grass-fed keto products like butter, snacks, and sour cream. So it’s a convenient way to stock up on keto-friendly dairy products.
Nancy’s Organic Cheese
The ultimate keto-friendly cottage cheese brand is Nancy’s Organic Cheese. It contains three grams of net carbs per serving and contains no dangerous additives.
Nancy’s also sells reduced-fat cheese, but I’m not a huge fan of it because it’s not as tasty as the full-fat version, and it has more carbs.
How many carbs are in cottage cheese?
A half-cup serving of cottage cheese contains four grams of net carbs, making it a suitable choice for keto dieters.
But you still have to read the label. Even though it’s low in carbs doesn’t mean it’s healthy. So avoid ingredients like:
- Maltodextrin
- Modified food starch
- Excess sugar
- Preservatives and additives
Instead, look for brands that use only whole milk, cream, salt and live cultures. If a product contains any additional ingredients, I suggest staying away from it.
If the cheese does not contain maltodextrin and a modified food starch, you don’t have to worry about your blood sugar spikes.
This is why regular cottage cheese is one of my favorite healthy products. It goes along with most keto recipes, you can eat as much of it as you want, and it also positively impacts your gut health. Cottage cheese also contains ample amounts of protein, which helps you recover from workouts faster.
Final thoughts on keto-friendly cottage cheese
Full-fat cheese is included in the keto diet because half a cup only contains about three to four grams of carbohydrates. Feel free to whip up some cheesecake or smoothies.
But always read the label before buying as some companies add monosodium glutamate and cornstarch, which increase your risk of various chronic diseases.
Instead, go for Traders Point, Full Circle, and Wegmans cheese because it doesn’t contain any dangerous ingredients. These brands stick to organic milk, cream, salt, and live cultures, so they don’t harm your body.
If you’re looking for more “is it keto” clues, read our articles on sour cream, ranch, yogurt, cream cheese, oat milk, mayonnaise, quinoa, and lupine flour.