Cottage Cheese Cheesecake Bars (No Bake!)

By Lee Funke

1/20/2026

These cottage cheese cheesecake bars are the frozen dessert of your dreams! With protein powder in both layers and cottage cheese in the cheesecake layer, these bars pack a whopping 20g of protein each. I love making a batch and keeping them in a bag in my freezer for a yummy cheesecake treat at my fingertips anytime ❤️.

what makes this recipe great ⤵️

• No bake! That’s right, all you need is a food processor and your freezer for these amazing bars.
• Protein-packed: Thanks to the yummy combination of cottage cheese and protein powder, these bars pack Xg of protein per bar.
• Easily customizable: I topped these with mini m&ms, mini chocolate chips and chopped peanuts, but honestly they’d be amazing with literally any of your favorite ice cream toppings 😋😋.

How to Make Cottage Cheese Cheesecake Bars

1. Make the bottom layer: Place peanut butter, chocolate protein powder, rolled oats, chia seeds, and honey into a bowl. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix the dough together. Transfer the dough to the lined baking sheet and press into an even layer. This is your crust!
2. Make the cheesecake layer: Add the cottage cheese, oats, peanut butter, vanilla protein powder, honey, and vanilla extract to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the cottage cheese mixture to the top of the crust.
3. Add your toppings: Top with M&M’s, chocolate chips, chopped peanuts — or any of your favorite ice cream toppings. Crushed Oreos would be incredible.
4. Freeze, slice and enjoy! Freeze for at least 6 hours, and then cut into 9 bars and store in an airtight freezer container.

Top Tips

• Protein powders: This recipe will NOT work with plant-based protein powder! I only recommend using whey protein, but you CAN use either vanilla or chocolate whey protein powders. Both work great, and were equally delicious. It depends on whether you’re looking for a vanilla cheesecake or chocolate cheesecake vibe, so you do you here!
• Cottage cheese: I prefer to use a full-fat cottage cheese for this recipe. Why? Lower fat cottage cheese contains more water, which can produce an “icy” texture when frozen.
• Nut butters: You can use any nut butter in this recipe! Cashew butter would be absolutely creamy and delicious, and so would almond butter.

More High-Protein Desserts

• Peanut Butter Protein Balls
• Protein Puppy Chow
• Protein Cookie Dough Truffles
• Blueberry Protein Donuts
• Protein Cookie Dough Bark

Ingredients1x2x3x

Bottom Layer

• ▢ 1 cup drippy peanut butter
• ▢ ⅓ cup chocolate whey protein powder
• ▢ ½ cup rolled oats
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• ▢ 3 tablespoons honey
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ▢ ¼ cup water

Middle Layer

• ▢ 2 cups cottage cheese
• ▢ ¼ cup rolled oats
• ▢ 2 tablespoons drippy peanut butter
• ▢ ⅓ cup vanilla whey protein powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• ▢ 2 tablespoons mini M&M’s
• ▢ 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Instructions

• Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Place peanut butter, protein powder, rolled oats, chia seeds, and honey into a bowl.
• Use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix the dough together. Depending on how drippy your peanut butter was, you may need to add water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
• Transfer the dough to the lined baking sheet and press into an even layer. Set aside.
• Add the cottage cheese, oats, peanut butter, protein powder, honey, and vanilla extract to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.
• Transfer the cottage cheese mixture to the top of the chocolate layer. Top with M&M’s and chocolate chips.
• Freeze for at least 6 hours before serving. Cut into bars and store in an airtight freezer container.

Tips & Notes

• I tested this recipe with both vanilla and chocolate protein powders. Both work great.
• This recipe will NOT work with plant-based protein powder.
• I prefer to use a full-fat cottage cheese for this recipe.
• You can use any nut butter in this recipe.

Watch It

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Photography by: The Wooden Skillet

No Bake Cottage Cheese Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

Bottom Layer

• 1 cup drippy peanut butter
• ⅓ cup chocolate whey protein powder
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¼ cup water

Middle Layer

• 2 cups cottage cheese
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons drippy peanut butter
• ⅓ cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 2 tablespoons mini M&M’s
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Instructions

• Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Place peanut butter, protein powder, rolled oats, chia seeds, and honey into a bowl.
• Use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix the dough together. Depending on how drippy your peanut butter was, you may need to add water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
• Transfer the dough to the lined baking sheet and press into an even layer. Set aside.
• Add the cottage cheese, oats, peanut butter, protein powder, honey, and vanilla extract to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.
• Transfer the cottage cheese mixture to the top of the chocolate layer. Top with M&M’s and chocolate chips.
• Freeze for at least 6 hours before serving. Cut into bars and store in an airtight freezer container.

Video

Notes

• I tested this recipe with both vanilla and chocolate protein powders. Both work great.
• This recipe will NOT work with plant-based protein powder.
• I prefer to use a full-fat cottage cheese for this recipe.
• You can use any nut butter in this recipe.

Nutrition