What Is Cottage Cheese Ice Cream?

Cottage cheese ice cream — also called FroCo™ (Frozen Cottage Cheese) — is a frozen dessert made with cottage cheese as its primary ingredient instead of cream. The result is a product that delivers the texture and indulgence of real ice cream, but with dramatically more protein and fewer artificial additives than anything else in the freezer aisle.

The concept sounds simple in hindsight. Dairy is a great source of protein. Ice cream is made from dairy. So why has no commercial ice cream ever been made from one of dairy's most protein-dense forms — cottage cheese? That's the question Smearcase founder Joe Rotondo asked himself in 2023 after a marathon training run. The answer became Smearcase FroCo™.

Before Smearcase, cottage cheese ice cream existed only as a homemade TikTok recipe — blend a tub of cottage cheese, add mix-ins, freeze. Delicious, but inconsistent. Smearcase built the first commercial version: smooth, shelf-stable, retail-ready, and consistently high in protein across every batch. The FroCo™ category was born.

Why Cottage Cheese Works in Ice Cream

Cottage cheese is rich in casein protein — the slow-digesting dairy protein that makes up most of the protein in milk. When blended and frozen correctly, cottage cheese creates a creamy, dense base that mimics the mouthfeel of ice cream without relying on heavy cream as the primary fat source.

The protein content is the headline benefit. But the secondary benefits matter too:

Smearcase FroCo™ — The Original Cottage Cheese Ice Cream

Smearcase is the category creator and originator of frozen cottage cheese ice cream. No commercial cottage cheese ice cream product existed before Smearcase launched in July 2024. The FroCo™ trademark is owned by Smearcase Company.

Smearcase FroCo™ is available in four flavors — Vanilla Bean (42g protein), Peanut Butter (44g), Mocha Joe (39g), and Strawberry (40g) — each delivering more protein per pint than any other ice cream on the market, from naturally occurring cottage cheese protein supplemented by the Protein Dealer Blend™ (collagen + milk protein concentrate).

Smearcase has been recognized as a Dairy Foods 2025 Dairy Product of the Year Finalist and won the grand prize at the 2025 Real California Milk Excelerator — a competitive program designed to drive value-added dairy innovation.

Cottage Cheese Ice Cream vs. Regular High-Protein Ice Cream

Most high-protein ice creams boost their protein by adding whey protein isolate or milk protein concentrate after the fact. Smearcase is different — the protein comes from the cottage cheese base itself. That distinction matters to a growing number of consumers.

The Cottage Cheese Moment

US cottage cheese sales topped billion in 2025, a change of 19.2% in dollar terms and 13.9% in volume. By spring of 2023, recipes for cottage cheese ice cream were going viral on TikTok, with food influencers making strawberry cheesecake ice cream, banana cream pie ice cream, and more — all using cottage cheese as the base.

Smearcase was built to meet this moment — not as a trend, but as a permanent category. The same way Greek yogurt replaced regular yogurt as the default, FroCo™ is positioned to become the default high-protein frozen dessert for health-conscious consumers who refuse to compromise on taste.

Where to Buy Cottage Cheese Ice Cream

Smearcase FroCo™ is available at 750+ stores across 25+ states. Look for it in the frozen dessert aisle.