It’s boom time for Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. The protein craze has catapulted these once-niche health foods into the zeitgeist, as people clamor to eat more of the macronutrient that’s important for everything from muscle and bone health to metabolism regulation.
Though the hype has arguably gone too far — most of us don’t need special protein-enriched snacks or shakes — naturally occurring sources like dairy products are a great way to ensure you’re getting enough protein.
Greek yogurt and cottage cheese “both pack a lot of nutrition in each bite and are high-quality, complete proteins,” meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids, said Caroline West Passerrello, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
We asked experts to explain the main similarities and differences between the two.
The similarities
Nutrition facts are generally broken down per serving of a food item; the typical serving size for Greek yogurt is ¾ cup, and for cottage cheese, it’s ½ cup. Cup for cup, cottage cheese contains a bit more protein than Greek yogurt — roughly 24 to 25 grams versus 19 to 22, depending on the type you choose. But when you compare them per serving, or in the amount generally eaten, you’ll get a bit more protein from the yogurt, at 15 to 17 grams versus about 12 in the cottage cheese.
Overall, Passerrello said, “if protein is your goal, you could pick either.” While the ideal daily protein intake depends on factors like weight, age and activity level, experts commonly recommend 25 to 30 grams per meal — so, a single serving of either dairy item gets you about halfway there.
Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are comparable in several other ways too, which makes sense given that “they both come from the same source: cow’s milk,” said Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition.
Each is sold in nonfat, reduced-fat and full-fat varieties, and they contain similar amounts of fat at each tier, with the whole-milk Greek yogurt capping out slightly higher, around 7 to 9 grams per serving (9 to 12 grams per cup) versus 5 grams per serving (or 10 grams per cup) for cottage cheese. They’re also broadly matched in terms of calories and sugar when you compare plain varieties at the same fat level.
Higher fat amounts mean higher calorie counts, which may be relevant to your health — but recent research suggests the dairy fat itself isn’t as worrisome for heart health as we once thought, Zumpano notes. Avoiding options with flavors or toppings, however, is beneficial for limiting added sugar.
Both cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are great sources of several vitamins and minerals, too, including potassium (which helps your kidneys flush out sodium to lower blood pressure and regulates your heartbeat) and calcium (which helps bone density and facilitates muscle movements) — though Greek yogurt has a slight edge on both of these, Passerrello noted.
Greek yogurt also contains a bit more vitamin B12 (which supports neurological health and red blood cell production), at 1.28 micrograms (mcg) in a serving, or half the recommended daily value, versus about 0.5 mcg in a serving of cottage cheese, or just over 20 percent of the daily value, Zumpano pointed out. (Cup for cup, that’s 1.71 mcg in the yogurt compared to 1 mcg in the cottage cheese.)
Ultimately, these are minor distinctions, and for most people, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are just about equally healthy choices. But there are a couple scenarios, Zumpano and Passerrello said, in which it might be worth considering one versus the other.
If you’re following a low-salt diet
Sodium content is the biggest difference between Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, given that manufacturers typically add salt to cottage cheese to boost flavor.
There are about 350 to 385 milligrams (mg) of sodium in a ½-cup serving of cottage cheese, which equates to more than 15 percent of the recommended upper limit of 2,300 mg (and a quarter of the American Heart Association’s optimal goal of no more than 1,500 mg a day). By contrast, Greek yogurt has only about 60 mg in a typical ¾-cup serving, which is six times less. (This shakes out to over 700 mg per cup of cottage cheese versus 80 mg in a cup of Greek yogurt.)
That means Greek yogurt is generally the better choice for people aiming to reduce their salt consumption, which is especially relevant for lowering blood pressure (or keeping it down).
“You can certainly consume cottage cheese as part of a lower-salt diet — but the amount it’s contributing to your total sodium intake is important to keep in mind,” Zumpano said. (There are also low-salt options on the market, though the taste may be more bland or sour.)
If you’re looking to support your gut health
One other distinction between Greek yogurt and cottage cheese is that generally, the former contains an abundance of probiotics, or healthy bacteria, while the latter does not. In the making of yogurt, beneficial bacteria are added to milk, where they feed on lactose and create the lactic acid that gives yogurt its tang and creaminess. By contrast, cottage cheese is usually produced with acid rather than bacterial fermentation, though there are select varieties that contain probiotics. Look for “live and active cultures” on the label, Passerrello said.
These microbes “help the good [bacteria] in the gut thrive and keep the digestive system working properly,” Passerrello said. This extra support could be a game changer when you consider how many elements of a typical American lifestyle — such as antibiotic use, stress and a low-fiber diet — can deplete your gut bacteria, Zumpano pointed out.
Eating fermented foods such as yogurt has been shown to increase the diversity of microbes in the gut — a marker tied to better metabolic health — as well as reduce inflammation, which is at the root of many chronic conditions, including heart disease.
The probiotics in Greek yogurt may also make it easier on the stomach than cottage cheese for people with lactose intolerance, Zumpano said, as these microbes can help break down the lactose. It’s worth noting, however, that both cottage cheese and Greek yogurt have overall low amounts of lactose, at around 3 to 4 grams per serving (or 4 to 5 grams per cup), because much of the milk whey is stripped out as part of their production. (For reference, a cup of milk contains 12 grams of lactose, and traditional yogurt generally has more than 5 grams per serving.)
The bottom line
Because there are plenty of benefits to eating Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, Passerrello suggested thinking about which one you might be more likely to pair with other foods that you need. For example, if you typically eat cottage cheese on toast, consuming it more often could mean upping your intake of whole grains, too. Whereas, making yogurt bowls might help you eat more fruit, nuts and seeds. The overall pattern is what really matters, Passerrello said.
There may also be a clear winner in certain scenarios, just depending on taste or texture. For instance, Greek yogurt might work better in smoothies, veggie dips or baked goods because of its smooth consistency, and in sweet or tart applications. And cottage cheese might dial up savory foods, like scrambled eggs, or add heft to a pasta sauce.
So, using both in different contexts could help you get more protein, calcium and other nutrients in various meals and snacks throughout the day. But when it comes down to one versus the other on the nutritional front, Zumpano said, “I think they can be quite interchangeable.”
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