Cottage Cheese Makes Its Comeback
The cottage cheese renaissance began on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, where creative recipes like cottage cheese ice cream and protein-packed flatbreads started flooding users’ feeds. In 2024, cottage cheese experienced significant growth in volumes and sales across American markets. Meanwhile, international markets also saw notable growth in cottage cheese sales.
This isn’t just hype – cottage cheese delivers 14 to 25 grams of protein per half-cup serving while staying remarkably low in calories and carbs. Instacart reported increased cottage cheese sales throughout 2024, underscoring genuine consumer demand. Household penetration has reached 45% of American families, representing a 2% increase.
The appeal lies partly in cottage cheese’s clean-label profile and ease of use – consumers see it as a natural food alternative compared to protein powders or bars. Social media gave consumers new ways to use this product, proving that platforms can actually drive growth for entire food categories.
Greek Yogurt Maintains Its Protein Crown
Greek yogurt remains a powerhouse with roughly 18 to 20 grams of protein per serving, making it ideal for smoothies, breakfast, or snacks. The yogurt category showed impressive resilience, surging in mid-to-upper single-digit growth in 2024. It was among the few categories showing unit resilience at the start of 2025.
Yogurt’s versatility keeps it relevant – there’s cooking yogurt, yogurt with added benefits, sugar-free options, and plant-based varieties, broadening appeal to diverse consumer needs. While Greek yogurt typically contains about 18 grams of protein per 8-ounce serving, consumers should stick with plain varieties and add their own honey or fresh fruit to avoid sugar-loaded flavored brands.
Edamame: The Green Protein Powerhouse
Edamame provides approximately 10 grams of protein per half-cup serving – nearly 70% more protein than a large egg – and can be found conveniently in most grocery store freezer sections. As a complete protein source, edamame contains all nine essential amino acids in proportions that support human nutritional needs. Young soybeans deliver around 18 grams of protein per cooked cup, making them excellent for snacking or adding to salads.
Nutritionists consistently list edamame beans among key protein sources alongside more traditional options like chicken and fish. They can be enjoyed steamed with sea salt, tossed into salads, or added to grain bowls for extra protein.
Hemp Seeds: Small But Mighty
Hemp hearts represent one of nature’s most concentrated plant protein sources, providing 9 grams of protein in just 3 tablespoons – that’s 50% more protein than a large egg in a fraction of the volume. Despite coming from the Cannabis sativa plant, hemp hearts contain negligible amounts of THC (less than 0.3%), making them completely safe for everyone.
What makes hemp hearts particularly valuable nutritionally is their exceptional fatty acid profile, providing an ideal balance of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids in the optimal 3:1 ratio that supports cardiovascular health and reduces inflammation. Hemp seeds are considered a complete protein offering all essential amino acids, while being rich in magnesium, zinc, and iron, with studies highlighting their anti-inflammatory benefits.
Quinoa: The Complete Grain Alternative
Quinoa contains about 8 grams of protein per cooked cup, along with fiber and unsaturated fats, joining other higher-protein whole grains like rolled oats, wild rice, buckwheat, teff, millet and amaranth that supply protein plus essential vitamins and minerals. Often called a “pseudo-grain,” quinoa is technically a seed that provides all nine essential amino acids as a complete protein, offering around 8 grams of protein per cup along with being naturally gluten-free and rich in magnesium, manganese, and antioxidants.
While quinoa’s reputation as a good protein source is deserved, it’s technically not complete due to being short on lysine – but this pairs perfectly with lysine-rich legumes like chickpeas or lentils for Mediterranean-style quinoa salads. Research shows that diets including quinoa can improve metabolic health and lower inflammation, with its nutty flavor and fluffy texture making it a wholesome, protein-rich staple.
Legumes Lead the Plant Protein Movement
Legumes including beans, lentils, and chickpeas rank among the best protein sources available, being nutrient-dense and rich in fiber – lentils provide around 18 grams of protein per cooked cup and cook quickly for stews and salads, while chickpeas deliver about 15 grams of protein per cooked cup. Lentils are among the richest sources of plant-based protein, loaded with fiber, folate, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, and manganese, with studies showing that people who regularly consume legumes have lower risks of heart disease and fatty liver disease.
A significant proportion of consumers show interest in lentils (32%) and chickpeas (30%) as alternative protein food ingredients. Bold Bean Co has become the fastest growing brand in the canned pulses category, with sales currently up 112% year on year, impacted by heightened interest in protein.
Plant-Based Protein Powders Diversify
Plant-based protein powders currently trending include pea, hemp, soy, algae, and brown rice varieties, plus pumpkin, sunflower, and chia seed-based products and exotic sancha inchi, along with blends for more varied nutrient profiles. The U.S. plant-based protein supplements market is expected to experience continued growth from 2025 to 2033, with soy accounting for 30.53% market share and protein powder representing 44.17% of the market in 2024.
The pumpkin seeds segment is projected to grow at 9.2% annually through 2033, gaining traction due to its rich nutritional profile and allergen-friendly positioning, naturally free from gluten and lactose while being a strong source of magnesium, zinc, iron, and high-quality plant protein linked to heart health and immune support. Products like Orgain Simple deliver 20 grams of protein per serving from organic ingredients including pea protein, brown rice, peanut flour, almonds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds, earning high marks for mixing ease and flavor.
Tofu and Tempeh: Soy Gets Sophisticated
Tofu offers about 20 grams of protein per cup and can be grilled, stir-fried, or blended into smoothies, while tempeh made from fermented soybeans contains approximately 31 grams of protein per cup with a nutty flavor that works well in stir-fries and sandwiches. Soy tops dietician-recommended complete protein foods, with soybeans containing molybdenum, vitamin K, manganese, folate, both soluble and insoluble fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids – while fermented tempeh supports gut health and contains calcium.
Soybeans are excellent protein alternatives to meat, with one cup of cooked soybeans (edamame) supplying 22 grams of complete protein, while tofu delivers 20 grams of protein per cup with firmer varieties packing slightly more protein than softer ones.
Seeds and Nuts: Tiny Nutritional Giants
Pumpkin seeds serve as delicious complete proteins containing all nine essential amino acids, delivering 21 grams or more per cup, with eating just 1/4 cup providing half your daily magnesium needs – magnesium can reduce migraine frequency and lessen depression effects, while pumpkin seeds are high in tryptophan for better sleep. Many seeds like hemp, flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame appear in protein powder blends, with seeds high in omega-3s like hemp, chia, and flax providing added benefits, though some seeds are limited in lysine except chia and pumpkin seeds.
Chia seeds are small but mighty, with two tablespoons providing about 5 grams of protein plus fiber, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids, forming a gel-like consistency when soaked for puddings and smoothies.
The Social Media Effect on Protein Trends
Social media, particularly TikTok, has played a significant role in making cottage cheese a trending food, with hundreds of millions of cottage cheese-related videos creating sensations from cottage cheese pancakes and flatbreads to protein-packed cottage cheese ice cream. Even potential TikTok bans wouldn’t significantly affect cottage cheese sales since the product is now in consumers’ purchase cycles with plenty of other social platforms available.
Gut health ruled in 2024 but has been replaced in 2025 with protein as the new health crusader – it’s absolutely everywhere, plastered online, in newspapers and magazines, all over social media and podcasts, with scientists, nutritionists, health experts and influencers putting protein on a pedestal.
The Demographics Driving Change
While Boomers and retirees purchased the largest volume of cottage cheese in the past year followed by Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z, the younger generations have been buying more cottage cheese with Gen Z recording double-digit increases. Rising prevalence of lactose intolerance and dairy allergies pushes consumers toward soy, pea, and hemp protein alternatives, with Millennials and Gen Z dominating supplement consumption, motivated by ethical, environmental, and sustainability concerns.
The number of Americans seeking to increase protein intake continues rising: 59% in 2022, 67% in 2023, and 71% in 2024, with a significant driver being the growing use of GLP-1 medications for weight loss and blood sugar regulation. The demographic seeking protein is broad – sports people, health fanatics, Gen-Zers focused on wellbeing, and perimenopausal women, with 28% of shoppers actively boosting protein intake in 2024 and 29% planning increases throughout 2025.
Market Forces and Future Growth
Demand for convenient, protein-rich snacks rises as dietary trends emphasize macronutrient balance, with Euromonitor International reporting that two-thirds of global consumers seek life simplification, with 49.5% willing to spend more to save time (up from 42% in 2023), fueling popularity of on-the-go dairy products. Nearly half of Americans snack three or more times per day, with pandemic indulgence giving way to better-for-you options gaining momentum in 2025.
About half (49%) of consumers globally show interest in protein as an ingredient in foods and beverages, providing strategy for plant-based brands to stand out through protein-fortified beverages like Silk Protein Almondmilk with soy protein and Good Karma Flaxmilk + Protein with pea protein. Worldwide, cottage cheese achieved 2.49% compound annual growth between 2020-2024, with forecasts predicting 3.49% growth for 2024-2028, with some markets projecting even higher growth.
