Quick Cottage Cheese Buns are light in texture, quick to prepare (only 15 minutes of prep!) and so delicious. You will be in love with these buns at first bite.
If you love this recipe, you will also love our brioche buns recipe.
Quick Cottage Cheese Buns might sound a little strange to you. Cottage cheese? In a dessert?! Oh yes! Eastern Europeans have been baking with cottage cheese (or farmer’s cheese) forever. Be prepared to become addicted!
Cottage cheese buns are so light and creamy — they will just melt in your mouth! Pair them with a hot cup of coffee or tea and let your worries melt away too…
These yeast-free buns are as low-maintenance as it gets. When a sweet tooth calls, nothing is worse than leafing through recipes trying to find a recipe that you have the time to make. Not having to wait for the dough to rise makes these buns a no-brainer.
Tips for Cottage Cheese Buns
Here’s all the top tips to nailing cottage cheese buns each time:
- Dough Texture: Your dough should be sticky, but still workable on a floured surface. You may need to adjust the amount of flour, as some brands have more protein than others. Simply add a cup at a time until you have the texture just right.
- Use a Mixer. To make the dough batter smooth, use a mixer instead of a whisk or spoon.
- Choose Small Curds. Use small curd, full-fat cottage cheese if you can. The smaller curds are easier to blend and make for a more well-incorporated dough.
- Savory Cottage Cheese Buns: In the mood for savory? Skip out on the sugar and vanilla and sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the buns.
- Add a Filling: While the dough is sticky and you can still work it with floured hands, add any of your favorite jams on the inside. Make sure to seal it perfectly to prevent any leaking.
- Brush the tops. Brush the tops with egg wash to create those bakery-perfect browned tops. Then, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Cooking with Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese isn’t a boring diet food! In fact, it adds a TON of great health and texture benefits to cooking. I am always trying to look for new ways to add it to my food. Try substituting it for yogurt, sour cream or ricotta in some of your favorite recipes. It’s lower in calories, higher in protein and lends a really nice, creamy texture.
Cottage Cheese Recipes
At this point, you probably can see that we absolutely love cottage cheese. Check out these other recipes:
- Cottage Cheese Pancakes – My son’s love cottage cheese pancakes. Drizzle them with a little honey or your favorite jam.
- Spinach Cottage Cheese Lasagna Recipe – Cottage cheese acts as a substitute for ricotta in this recipe.
- The Best Crepes with Cottage Cheese – Watch this baked crepe dish get gobbled up! It’s that delicious and decadent.
- Ziti Pasta – Creamy ziti is made a touch lighter with cottage cheese. That being said, this tastes as indulgent as the full-fat version.
Storing Cottage Cheese Buns
If you have leftover cottage cheese buns (go, you!), here’s how to store them:
- Room Temperature: Keep the cottage cheese buns in a sealed container on the counter. When you’re ready to eat one, reheat them for about 15 seconds in a microwave before serving them.
- Freezing: First, allow your buns to completely cool to room temperature. Pop them into a Ziploc bag and into the freezer. When you’re ready to eat one, thaw at room temperature and microwave for 15 seconds before serving.
Hot Tip: You always want to reheat them for at least a few seconds before serving again because they are soft and delicious that way.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup cottage cheese (small curd, full fat)
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
- 4 cup flour
- 1 egg (to brush the tops)
- 1/4 cup sugar (to sprinkle to tops)
Instructions
- Combine together cottage cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Blend using a blender, mixer or a food processor.
- In a small bowl, combine baking soda with vinegar and add to the mixture. Continue by adding baking powder and flour.
- Flour the work area well, as the dough will turn out sticky. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces.
- Form round shapes out of each piece, placing them apart on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg and sprinkle some sugar.
- Bake buns at 350 °F for 20 minutes until they become golden brown. Let them cool to room temperature before serving. Keep the remaining portion fresh, by sealing them in an airtight container.
I'm trying to start using my stand mixer more, so that it doesn't turn into an unused waste of equipment and space. When you mix the cottage cheese with the eggs and sugar at the beginning, what attachment do you use, what speed, and about how long?
Also, are you trying to smooth out the curds, or is it okay if they're still present?
Thank you for your help
Hi Julie! If using a stand mixer, I would use a whisk attachment first and then a dough hook. The smaller the curds the smoother the dough, but I think it's ok if a few curds are still present.
I love this recipe is amazing, but I’m wondering if I can do it with almond flour?
Hey, I have not experimented with almond flour. If you do try it, let us know how it worked out for you.
Hi! I made your pancakes and they were delicious so want to try these now. I have bread flour. Could I use that?
Hey Sats, Yes, that would work! Enjoy!
HUGE hit for grandma's Sunday dinner. Made the recipe as is. My cousin asked if he could take the last 2 rolls home. Yum! Easy and delicious. Thanks, warm fuzzy from my fam.
I'm happy to hear they were such a success Rachel!
I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1-1 all purpose flour and followed the recipe exactly. These were fantastic!! I mixed in my stand mixer on medium for about 1-2 minutes. Baked them at 350 for 22 minutes. These remind us of gluten free soft pretzels!! A big winner in our house. Perfect for jams and jellies or making savory sliders. Thank you!
Hi Casey, I'm so happy you guys love them! I love how versatile they are! Enjoy!
Love this recipe! We made ours with dairy free cottage cheese! Had to add extra flour but they still turned out tasty! Also I didn't have powdered sugar so used Demerara! Very good sub! Thanks so much!
Sharon, thanks for giving them a try! This recipe is always a hit, even with all the modifications and substitutions that our readers make. I'm thrilled with how much folks love and enjoy these pancakes. 😀
What would you recommend for time and temp if making a loaf instead?
Hi Maria, I have not tried making them into a loaf so I am not even sure. If you do try it, please let me know how it comes out for you. Enjoy
Just made them, they are delicious! I also want to try a salty version, with just a dash of salt. Thank you!
Thats awesome, glad you loved them. Hope you love the savory one as well. I would love to hear feedback on the savory version.
I would love to try these! Is the serving size 1 roll?
Hi Tisha, the nutrition is per bun. Enjoy it!
Can you use wheat flour?
Hi Sandra, you can but wheat flour would be dense. They wouldn't come out as fluffy. If you try them, let me know how it is.
Have you tried making these with fat free cottage cheese?
Hi Malisa, I have not, but I had someone comment that they have and they turned out fantastic. I hope this helps. Thank you for reaching out!
Hi Natalya
I made these today as I had exactly 1 1/2 cottage left that was nearly out of date. They look gorgeous. What can I serve these with to make a meal out of them for our Ramadan iftar meal (sunset when we break our fast). 🙏 help. Our family don’t normally have sweet rolls.
Hi Monowara, I am so glad that this recipe was a success. Are you making the sweet or savory version?
If going savory do you skip out on all sugar or just the sugar you sprinkle on top?
Hi Nicole, I have not made it that way before, but if you are making a savory version, I would definitely skip on the sugar you would sprinkle on top and halve the sugar in the dough. If you give it a try, let me know the result!
I would like to know how the savoury buns turned out as well.
Made these tonight. They were so easy and so delicious. I put some raspberry jam inside 12 of them and just normal for the other 12. Both were fantastic
That sounds absolutely delicious, Sandy! Thank you for the feedback, Enjoy!
Made these using lite cottage cheese as that was all I had and they turned out fantastic! So easy and quick to cook. I did have to add plenty of flour when kneading the dough however they were delicious and quickly eaten.
Heartily recommend this recipe.
Hi Alison! Thank you so much for sharing! So glad the recipe turned out great. Enjoy!
Loved this recipe! I added lemon extract and it simply elevated the result! Maybe I'll zest lemon for a glaze next time? We thought we would only eat 12 for breakfast this morning, but my girls convinced me that they wouldn't be as tasty later 🙂
Haha, I love the convincing on your girls part. Lemon zest would be so delicious in the glaze and would actually work well in the filling as well! Great tip! Thank you for commenting, Jamie. 😀
Has any one tried this recipe with "gluten free" flour?
Hi Brian- I haven’t tried substituting with gluten free flour so I can’t say how it would turn out, but I did see another commenter mention using 50/50 regular flour and almond flour. They took a bit longer to bake but she was still satisfied with the results. I hope this helps. If you go with the gluten free flour route, please let us know how they turn out, it’ll be valuable feedback for other readers!
I made half a portion also set up 15 mins and they were just right!
Thank you for the feedback, Anna! I'm glad you gave this recipe a try. 😄
Hello! I don’t have a mixer and I’m the middle of the recipe lol. It’s super
Sticky. What do I do?
Hey Maria, I would either flour hands or oil them to make it easier to control the dough. It will help with shaping the buns. Hope this is helpful!
Hi Natalya, can I make the dough for these buns the night before and bake in the morning? Thank you so much!
Hi Irina- I haven't tried doing that before so I'm not sure how it would turn out. I don't see why it wouldn't work though! My tip would be to refrigerate the balls of dough (covered) overnight, and then bring to room temp before baking. Good luck!
Can I add yeast to this recipe to make them more chewy? If so what do you recommend?
Hey Ellie, I have not tried adding yeast. I think the whole process would change. You would need to allow for the dough to rise. If you do try it, can you share how it goes? Thank you!
Can you substitute Greek Yogurt for cottage cheese?
Greek yogurt or sour cream will be just fine as a substitute
Hi, I have never tried using Greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese. I dont think that would actually work in this recipe. Hope you get to try them.
Could these be made with almond flour?
Hi Jeri- personally I haven't tried substituting with almond flour so I can't say how it would turn out, but I did see another commenter mention using 50/50 regular flour and almond flour. They took a bit longer to bake but she was still satisfied with the results. I hope this helps. If you go with just the almond flour route, please let us know how they turn out, it'll be valuable feedback for other readers!
Absolutely delicious and crazy easy. It just needed some salt
Thank you for the feedback, Mo!
Wait no I take it back I see where it said it I was blind sorry
Ah, no worries! It happens to us all. Enjoy!
So you mention baking soda and powder in what you need but then you don’t say where it goes or when, I am I’m the middle of making them and confused
Hi Lily- it's listed in step 2 of the recipe. "In a small bowl, combine baking soda with vinegar and add to the mixture. Continue by adding baking powder and flour." Hope this helps!
Never really browned. Had to bake 29 minutes longer.
Hi Charlotte- I'm sorry to hear they didn't brown. Did you use an egg wash before baking? How did the buns come out otherwise?
So excited to try these tomorrow! My kiddos will be pumped! They love cottage cheese ANYTHING. haha.
Any experience in making them with coconut flour? Id assume the quantity My husband eats low carb and I'd love to throw it in his meal prep I do!
Also side note: I stumbled upon your website randomly so this is just as random 😆 any tips for Russian buttercream? I'm trying it out for the first time tomorrow and hoping it's stable enough for travel the next day not being refrigerated. 😬
Hi Jodi- I love your enthusiasm! 😄 We have quite a few cottage cheese (and farmers cheese) recipes here on the blog, so your kids are in luck, haha! In regards to the coconut flour- no, I haven't tried using any alternative flours so I can't guarantee the results. I did see another commenter mention using 50/50 regular flour and almond flour, and thought they took a bit longer to bake she was still pleased with the outcome. Otherwise, if you try the coconut flour please let us know how the buns come out!
Regarding the russian buttercream- i'm not sure. I hope it comes out and travels well for you though!
Pancakes were super delicious, had them for dinner with maple syrup and greek yogurt. Thank you, will be making them again for sure.
Sounds like a lovely dinner, Giorgia. Thanks for sharing!
So glad I found this recipe! I'm a baker and also counting my macros for fitness. Cottage cheese is high in protein so this is a perfect addition to my meal preps. I also love that you are so responsive to other commenters. I'm looking forward to using this recipe as a base to tweak to fit my needs. Thank you!
Summer, you're welcome! I'm glad you found this recipe! 🙌🏻