The Popular Brand That Makes The Absolute Worst Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is considered an acquired taste, so most people tend to either love it or hate it. If you're just learning what exactly cottage cheese is and joining its recent comeback, one thing to keep in mind is that not all store-bought cottage cheese is the same. There's actually a science behind why cottage cheese can be so inconsistent, but that's another story. For now, let's focus on a brand that you should just avoid at the store: Lactaid.

During Daily Meal's ultimate ranking of cottage cheese brands, we focused on tasting varieties made with 4% milkfat and small curds. We based our rankings on aroma, flavor, nutritional value, texture, and overall quality. While we recognize that Lactaid's cottage cheese is one of the limited options for those with lactose intolerance, it falls short on two very important characteristics: flavor and texture.

The sweetness is the biggest problem because cottage cheese is supposed to be tangy and slightly salty. What's worse is that the sweet flavor lingers like an artificial sweetener (even though none are in the ingredients) and completely hides the saltiness. Also, cottage cheese is supposed to be creamy but not completely smooth because of the small curds. The Lactaid brand's thick and tacky texture is way off the mark, likely because of the binders and emulsifiers added to the product. Some people have described the curds as feeling squeaky upon biting into them and having a chalky texture.

Improve Lactaid cottage cheese or get an alternative?

While Lactaid is the worst brand of cottage cheese available, you don't have to throw it out if you already have a container. Instead, mix in your favorite foods — from sweet ingredients like fresh fruit, granola, jam, and chocolate chips to savory options like bacon pieces, avocado, tomatoes, and pepper. You can also use it in various recipes, although these may be limited because of the uneven curd sizes. Some ways to use cottage cheese where the curd size isn't a big deal is blended into breakfast smoothies or whipped into a smooth spread or topping for fruits, vegetables, toast, and desserts. You can even use up your cottage cheese in a loaf cake to replace ricotta.

If you don't already have Lactaid cottage cheese, we recommend that you try one of the brands that we ranked higher. The Good Culture brand (our number four pick) has a lactose-free version of its cottage cheese. We didn't try this specific product ourselves, but since it's made with only natural ingredients and no binders or emulsifiers like the Lactaid counterpart, we expect the texture to be much better. On social media, some people have expressed switching to only the Good Culture lactose-free cottage cheese after eating Lactaid for years because it's creamier and more flavorful.