Cottage Cheese Pizza Puffs   

These Cottage Cheese Pizza Puffs are an easy, high-protein, low carb way to enjoy pizza flavors in a fun gluten free bite-sized snack. Cottage cheese and eggs are blended until smooth, then baked in a muffin pan and topped with pizza sauce or marinara, mozzarella, and your favorite pizza toppings. They’re great for an easy party appetizer, afternoon snack, lunchboxes, or even breakfast.

These cottage cheese pizza muffins are surprisingly easy and fun to make, puffing up while baking and then settling as they cool. Great for meal prep, customizable with your favorite toppings, and diet friendly.

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Note on cottage cheese

Cottage cheese varies considerably between brands. Some are very wet, while others are thicker.

I typically use, and have good results with Lucerne full fat large curd cottage cheese. This is what I recommend for this recipe. It will bake in better and give you the best texture and flavor.

If your cottage cheese is thin and watery, place it in a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter over a bowl and refrigerate overnight to drain off the excess liquid. Alternatively, place it in a strainer without the cheesecloth and drain for 10 minutes to get the excess moisture out of it.

Serving Suggestions

For breakfast: Serve with fresh fruit for a high-protein breakfast.
Lunch: Pair two or three pizza puffs with a green salad or raw vegetables.
For kids’ lunches: Let them cool completely, then pack them with fruit and vegetables. They can be eaten warm or at room temperature, depending on your food-safety practices.
Parties: Put this high-protein snack on a platter with warm marinara sauce for dipping. They’re naturally portioned and easy to pick up.
For game day: Serve alongside other bite-sized appetizers. Turkey pepperoni, mozzarella, and marinara make them an especially natural fit for a pizza-themed appetizer spread like Tailgating Snacks Month. Add some pizza tarts, cheesy stuffed pizza sticks, and pizza biscuits to your game day spread.

How to make

If you’ve been around Life Currents for a while, you probably know that I’m a big fan of cottage cheese. I use it in all kinds of recipes because it’s such an easy way to add a little extra protein.

And let me tell you, these high-protein easy pizza bites turned out so good! They’re cheesy, full of pizza flavor, and really easy to throw together. Plus, it’s basically a one-bowl recipe, where we mix all the stuff in the bowl of the blender, which means less cleanup.

Grease generously, especially around the sides of the metal muffin pan. Cottage cheese/egg mixtures can stick, and a well-greased nonstick muffin pan makes the puffs easier to remove. A silicone muffin pan also works really well for these, and there’s no need to grease the pan if it’s silicone.

Can I make them in paper muffin cup liners?

Yes, you can make them in paper liners, but with some reservations. I’ve tested them, and they look… well… disheveled or really messy. They taste good, but they aren’t as crisp because the liners trap more moisture for the crust, they aren’t quite as fluffy because the paper keeps them from rising. And honestly, they’re pretty easy to remove from a good pan that’s been sprayed with non-stick spray, so I don’t really recommend the paper liners.

continue making them

I’ve been using my immersion blender with the beaker for quick blending and easy clean up. You can also use a high powered blender like a Vitamix or even a food processor.

TIP: Blend the cottage cheese and eggs until completely smooth for the best texture.

Divide the cottage cheese mixture evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about ½ to ⅔ full. Don’t overfill the muffin cups. Leave room for the mixture to rise as it bakes. There may be additional batter, if so, just fill additional muffin cups.

And, with these kinds of recipes, I like to place the muffin tray on a large baking sheet to catch any spills that might happen, and the baking sheet makes it easier to get the muffin pan in and out of the oven.

Bake up the pizza “crusts”. They’re fun to watch too, because they puff up quite a bit while they bake.

Next up, top them! Carefully take them out of the oven, this is where the baking sheet underneath really helps. Spoon on some sauce, cheese, and your toppings. I have lots of toppings suggestions below too. Be sure to finely dice any vegetables so they cook quickly and don’t add too much moisture.

Then, just pop them under the broiler to melt the cheese. Broilers vary, so watch the pizza puffs closely during this final step; the cheese can go from perfectly melted to burnt very quickly under a broiler.

Let the puffs cool for 5–10 minutes before removing them from the pan. The puffs will be delicate when they first come out of the oven but will firm up, and easier to remove from the pans as they cool.

Can I make these in the air fryer?

Air Fryer Method: Preheat the air fryer to 325° F. I recommend silicone muffin cups for the air fryer rather than putting a standard metal muffin pan in the basket. Silicone also makes these little pizza bites much easier to remove. Divide the cottage cheese mixture evenly among the cups, filling each about ½ to ⅔ full.

Air fry for 12–16 minutes, or until the centers are set and the tops are lightly golden. Carefully remove the cups from the air fryer. Top each pizza puff with about 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, and your desired toppings.

Return to the air fryer and cook at 325° F for 2–4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Keep a close eye on them during this final step.

Let the pizza puffs cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing them from the muffin cups.

Topping suggestions

Serve these pizza puffs warm as a snack, breakfast, lunch, or appetizer.

Use your favorite sauce on them: Pizza sauce, marinara, you can also make these with pesto or garlic Parmesan cream sauce.

If you’re adding vegetables, chop them into small pieces. Large chunks can make the little puffs difficult to eat. Vegetables with a lot of moisture, such as mushrooms or zucchini, can release water as they cook, so use them sparingly or cook them first to remove some of their moisture.

Some of our favorite toppings are:

• finely diced bell pepper
• finely chopped sauteed mushrooms
• finely diced black olives
• finely chopped spinach
• finely diced pepperoni

Make ‘em fancy as BBQ chicken pizza, buffalo wing style with buffalo sauce and blue cheese crumbles, or goat cheese and arugula.

Make sure to serve them with extra marinara or pizza sauce for dipping. Or try ranch or garlic butter dipping sauce.

Make ahead and storage

For great meal prep, make these up to 4 days ahead, and pop in the microwave, or place them in a 350°F oven or air fryer until hot. Heck, they’re even good cold from the fridge.

Store leftover pizza puffs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

For longer storage, freeze completely cooled pizza puffs in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2 months. Place parchment or wax paper between layers if needed to prevent sticking. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating for the most even texture. They do soften a bit after being frozen, but they’re still great.

Can I use low-fat cottage cheese?

Yes, low-fat cottage cheese can be used, although the texture may be slightly different. And the bites won’t be as tasty. Also, you’ll need to make sure to drain the cottage cheese of the additional liquid. Full-fat cottage cheese gives the pizza puffs a richer texture and is what this recipe was developed with.

Can these be made as mini muffins?

Yes, these make great little mini bites. Use a silicone pan, and don’t grease it. Cut back on the baking time a bit. And use about 1 teaspoon sauce per puff.

Can I add other pizza toppings?

Absolutely. Try finely diced bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, spinach, pepperoni, or other favorite pizza toppings. Keep the toppings relatively small and avoid adding too much, since these are small individual portions.

More cottage cheese recipes

Cottage cheese is like the it girl… she’s everywhere. Try my Cottage cheese everything bagel dip, cottage cheese queso, Cottage cheese dill bread, and cherry tomato lentil bowls .

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