Cottage Cheese Chocolate Chip Buns

Name: Cottage Cheese Chocolate Chip Buns
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup thick cottage cheese (or thick Greek yogurt); 1 egg, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/4 cup chocolate chips (or more); Melted butter or oil spray, for brushing

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These Cottage Cheese Chocolate Chip Buns are soft, fluffy little buns studded with melty chocolate chips, with 8 grams of protein in each one. There’s no yeast and no rising time, and they’re ready in just 35 minutes.

A chocolate chip bun torn open to show the soft, fluffy inside with pockets of melted chocolate.

Recipe Highlights

No yeast, no waiting: The dough is ready in 10 minutes, just like my Cottage Cheese Pizza Buns.
Simple ingredients: cottage cheese, an egg, flour and chocolate chips are the stars, and you probably have everything on hand already.
Soft and fluffy: blended cottage cheese melts right into the dough, so you get a fluffy inside!
A more satisfying snack: the cottage cheese and egg make these more filling than your average chocolate chip bun.

Jess holding a chocolate chip cottage cheese bun.

Notes From My Kitchen

These buns are where my cottage cheese baking series took off. They were the first recipe in the series to go viral on Instagram, and then they went viral a second time when I shared them again. Since then the series has grown to include my Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Rolls and Cottage Cheese Apple Fritters, but the recipe for these only ever lived in an Instagram caption. They finally have a proper home here on the blog!

I’ve tested these cottage cheese chocolate chip buns a few times now, and the one step that makes the biggest difference is the finish. The first time I made them, I didn’t brush the tops with anything and they came out of the oven a little pale. A quick brush of butter or spray of oil before baking is what gives them that golden brown crust.

The other thing to know is that this isn’t a bread dough. You’re looking for a firm but scoopable dough that you dollop onto the baking sheet, so the buns bake up with a rustic, craggy look. No kneading or shaping required!

I also tested them with and without a little sugar in the dough. The chocolate chips add plenty of sweetness on their own, so the recipe leaves it out, but I’ve included how to make them a bit sweeter below if you want more of a dessert bun.

Key Ingredients

Ingredients for chocolate chip cottage cheese buns.

Cottage cheese: use a thick cottage cheese. Brands vary a lot in how much liquid they have, and a runny one will give you a wet dough that spreads in the oven. Thick Greek yogurt is a great substitute in the same amount. I’ve tested it and it works really well! Use up the rest of the tub in my Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough or Cottage Cheese Chocolate Lava Cake.

All-purpose flour: start with the amount in the recipe card and add a little more if your dough feels loose. For a gluten-free version use a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend.

Chocolate chips: 1/4 cup is the starting point, but add more if you like them extra chocolatey. (I mean, who doesn’t!) You can sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top. Got leftover chips? Toss them into my Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

How To Make Cottage Cheese Chocolate Chip Buns

*This is a recipe overview. The full recipe with measurements and instructions can be found below in the recipe card.

Blended cottage cheese, egg and other wet ingredients in a glass mixing bowl with a whisk, ready to be mixed.

Wet ingredients whisked into a smooth, creamy batter in a glass bowl.

Step 1: Blend the cottage cheese until smooth, then whisk it together with the egg and vanilla.

Flour added on top of the creamy wet mixture in a glass bowl before stirring.

Thick, shaggy dough stirred together with a spoon in a glass bowl.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.

Chocolate chips on top of cottage cheese dough in a glass mixing bowl with a spoon.

Chocolate chips folded into the sticky dough in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 3: Fold in the chocolate chips.

Six scoops of chocolate chip dough spaced out on a parchment-lined baking sheet before baking.

Baked buns on parchment paper, golden brown on top and studded with melted chocolate chips.

Step 4: Dollop the dough into 6 mounds on a lined baking sheet, then brush the tops with butter or spray with oil. Bake at 350°F until golden, then let them cool slightly before digging in.

Close-up of golden, craggy chocolate chip buns on parchment paper.

How To Store

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat before serving. These also freeze well. Freeze them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months, then warm them in the oven straight from frozen.

Jess’s Tips

Blend the cottage cheese until totally smooth: a small food processor, an immersion blender or a powerful single-serve blender all work. You shouldn’t see any curds left.
Check the dough before scooping: it should be firm but scoopable, thicker than a batter but softer than a bread dough. If it feels loose, add a little more flour.
Don’t skip the butter or oil: brushing or spraying the tops before baking is the secret to a golden crust, the same trick I use on my Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Crunch Biscuits.
Keep the dollops rustic: there’s no need to shape them. The craggy tops get extra golden in the oven.
Serve them warm: they’re delicious on their own or split open with a little butter or my Chia Seed Jam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my cottage cheese buns turn out flat?

If your buns spread out like pancakes, the dough was too wet or didn’t have enough flour. When you dollop it onto the baking sheet, it should sit in a nice fluffy mound. A thin or runny cottage cheese is usually the culprit, so add a little more flour until the dough holds its shape.

Can I use other mix-ins?

Definitely. Swap the chocolate chips for your favourite mix-ins, keeping the amount about the same so the dough isn’t weighed down. For a savoury spin on mix-ins, check out my Jalapeño Cheddar Cottage Cheese Biscuits.

Two hands lifting a golden chocolate chip bun off the parchment.

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Desserts