Cottage Cheese Pop Tarts

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These Cottage Cheese Pop Tarts are a fun homemade twist on the version you grew up on made with a simple cottage cheese dough and filled with real fruit jam. Each one has 10 grams of protein, and they’re just as fun to make as they are to eat!

Cottage cheese dough pop tarts topped with icing sugar and sprinkles on a marble counter.

Recipe Highlights

10 grams of protein each: The blended cottage cheese works right into the dough, so every pop tart packs 10 grams of protein without any protein powder.
A healthier homemade version: Made with just 5 simple ingredients for the dough and real fruit jam, so you know exactly what’s in them.
Fun to make with kids: My daughter Summer loves to help me make these(especially adding the sprinkles).
Make-ahead friendly: Bake a batch on the weekend and keep them in the fridge for easy breakfasts and snacks all week.

Notes From My Kitchen

If you’ve made my cottage cheese cinnamon rolls, you already know how much I love this cottage cheese dough as a base for baked goods!

These pop tarts use a similar base with cottage cheese blended smooth and mixed with flour, with one small change: less baking powder. The cinnamon rolls need that extra lift to get fluffy, but pop tarts need to stay a little more flat so the two layers can seal around the jam. I’ve tested this with same amount of baking powder I use in the Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Rolls and they come out more puffy.

I also tested these with both strawberry jam and raspberry jam and honestly couldn’t pick a favourite, so use whichever one you love. I always use my Chia Seed Jam as a base. (Also blueberry jam would be amazing!)

These have also become a favourite activity in my house. I made them with my daughter and she was completely obsessed. From spooning the jam to crimping the edges with a fork to (obviously) going wild with the sprinkles, especially the pink ones.

If you’re looking for a baking project to do with kids, this is a great one.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

Cottage cheese: Make sure to blend it until completely smooth so the dough comes together without any lumps or curds. I use 2% cottage cheese, but 0% or full-fat works too. Extra cottage cheese can be used to make some Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins or my Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse.

Jam: I tested this recipe with both homemade strawberry and raspberry chia seed jam and both are so good. Homemade or store-bought works, just make sure it’s a thicker jam. (Runny jam is more likely to leak out the sides while baking.)

All-purpose flour: You’ll need 2 cups plus a little extra for adjusting. Cottage cheese brands vary in moisture, so add more flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft and no longer sticky.

How To Make High Protein Pop Tarts

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

Mixing cottage cheese in a clear bowl with a spoon.

Step 1: Blend the cottage cheese and mix with the vanilla.

Step 2: Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine.

Hands kneading cottage cheese cinnamon roll dough in a glass bowl.

Step 3: Form into a springy dough.

Rolling out cottage cheese cinnamon roll dough with a rolling pin.

Step 4: Roll out the dough into a rectangle.

Cottage cheese dough cut into small rectangles on parchment paper.

Step 5: Cut into even small rectangles.

Cottage cheese dough filled with homemade chia seed jam.

Step 6: Spoon jam into the center of half the rectangles.

Cottage cheese dough poptarts filled with homemade chia seed jam.

Step 7: Top each one with a piece of dough. Use a fork to seal the edges.

baked Cottage cheese dough pop tarts on a baking sheet.

Step 8: Brush with egg wash (optional) and bake until golden brown.

Cottage cheese dough pop tarts on a wire rack topped with sprinkles.

Step 9: Let cool then decorate with icing sugar and sprinkles.

How To Store & Reheat

Store these pop tarts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them (ideally before icing) for up to 2 months, then thaw and ice them fresh.

They’re delicious cold or at room temperature, but if you want them warm, pop an un-iced one in the toaster oven for a few minutes. If you warm the iced ones just note the icing will get melty.

Jess’s Tips

Blend the cottage cheese really well: This is the most important step. Any lumps left in the cottage cheese will show up in your dough, so blend until it’s completely silky smooth. Blended cottage cheese is also delicious in my Cottage Cheese Chia Pudding.
Adjust the flour until the dough feels right: Cottage cheese can vary a lot in moisture from brand to brand, so treat the 2 cups of flour as a starting point, not a rule. The dough should feel soft and springy but shouldn’t stick to your hands. If it does, keep adding flour a tablespoon at a time until it doesn’t. Just don’t go overboard, too much flour will make the pop tarts dense and dry.
Don’t overfill them: A tablespoon of jam doesn’t look like much, but trust me on this one. A little leakage is normal but overfilled pop tarts will pop open.
Leave a border and crimp firmly: Keep the jam away from the edges and press down properly with the fork so the two layers actually seal together, not just decoratively.
Cool completely before icing: If the pop tarts are even a little warm, the icing will melt and slide right off instead of setting.
Switch up the jam: Strawberry and raspberry are the two I’ve tested and loved, but any thick jam will work here. This would also be delicious with the compote from my blueberry chia pudding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you taste the cottage cheese in the dough?

Not at all! Once it’s blended smooth and baked, the cottage cheese just makes the dough tender and adds protein just like it does in my Protein Pancake Bowl. These taste like a classic pastry, not like cheese.

Why did my cottage cheese pop tarts leak while baking?

This usually comes down to overfilling or not sealing the edges well. Stick to about a tablespoon of jam per pop tart, leave a border around the edges, and press firmly with a fork all the way around.