Top 10 brands of cottage cheese in 2022
We talk about how to choose cottage cheese in a store, what to look for when buying, and offer a rating of the best brands of cottage cheese, compiled taking into account the opinions of experts and consumers

Crumbly and soft in “hogs”, grained in whey and a dense briquette, fatty with a creamy tint and snow-white fat-free, and also farmer’s and slightly “baked”, made from baked milk – the assortment of cottage cheese in stores is huge. And demand too. According to the “Analysis of the cottage cheese market in Our Country” compiled by BusinesStat1, in the past five years, sales of this dairy product in Our Country have not fallen and amount to about 570 thousand tons per year. But in these tons, bought up by s in supermarkets, small shops and markets, different things are “mixed”.

Some manufacturers go to tricks, reducing the cost of production. One of the most unpleasant ways is the use of new ingredients, for example, the so-called food glue, the effect of which on humans is still poorly understood. And the most common is the replacement of part of the raw material with moisture-absorbing starch, which makes the product heavier and no longer quite curd. After all, real cottage cheese consists only of milk and sourdough. 

In addition, cottage cheese, a curd product and a food product prepared using cottage cheese technology are not the same thing. The curd product contains 50% milk fat and 50% vegetable fat. A food product based on cottage cheese technology is 100% vegetable fats and, most likely, a few more additives that should not be in cottage cheese. 

In such an abundance, it is important to be able to distinguish a high-quality pure product from the likeness of cottage cheese. Based on expert opinions and the choice of consumers, we have compiled a selection of the best cottage cheese in 2022 (products in the rating are represented by different fat content).

Rating of the top 10 brands of the best cottage cheese according to KP

When choosing products for our rating, we evaluated brands according to several criteria:

  • composition of the product,
  • the reputation of the manufacturer, his approach to work, as well as technical equipment and base,
  • assessment of products by specialists of Roskachestvo and Roskontrol. Please note that Roskachestvo is a structure formed by the Decree of the Government of the Federation. Among its founders are the Government and the Association of Consumers of Our Country. Roskachestvo specialists issue a pentagonal badge “quality mark”. There are no state bodies among the founders of Roskontrol,
  • value for money.

1. Cheburashkin Brothers

The Cheburashkin Brothers agro-industrial holding producing cottage cheese is a complete production chain, starting with the collection of feed for cows from their own fields and ending with the distribution of products to stores. This means that the company can rely on raw materials and offer a high quality product, the control of which begins with the selection of the diet for the livestock.

Last year, Roskachestvo experts, evaluating the XNUMX% cottage cheese of seven popular brands, especially noted the quality of the Cheburashkin Brothers brand cottage cheese.2.

The product was found to be safe, free of dyes, preservatives, antibiotics, pathogens and starch. The milk from which the cottage cheese is made, the high content of lactic acid bacteria, which make it useful, also received good marks from Roskachestvo. Of the complaints – the product contains less protein than established by the standards of Roskachestvo. Because of this, the operation of the Quality Mark, which the Cheburashkin Brothers was awarded earlier, was temporarily suspended by experts. 

Cottage cheese is made according to SRT – technological conditions developed in production. The content of fat and protein in the samples at the time of the test turned out to be slightly higher than indicated on the label. This suggests that the manufacturer did not save on raw materials. The shelf life of Cheburashkin Brothers cottage cheese is 10 days. Available in 2 and 9 percent fat. 

Advantages and disadvantages

The taste of rustic cottage cheese, convenient packaging, natural composition 
There is a greasy film in the mouth, the price
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2. “Cow from Korenovka” 

Cottage cheese “Korovka from Korenovka” is produced at the Korenovskiy dairy canning plant. This is a fairly young enterprise that produces tons of products every year and works with a large number of milk suppliers. This imposes additional obligations to check its quality. After all, it is one thing to be responsible for the milk that you received from your own cows, and another thing for imported milk. 

Last year, Roskachestvo subjected the Korovka from Korenovka cottage cheese, produced with a fat content of 1,9%, 2,5% and 8%, to a thorough check and recognized it as high quality and in line with the standard. Cottage cheese is made according to GOST3.

The composition does not contain ingredients and microorganisms hazardous to health. No preservatives, vegetable fats and dyes. Cottage cheese, judging by the conclusion of experts, is balanced in terms of the amount of proteins, fats and is made from high-quality milk. A few years ago, Korovka from Korenovka cottage cheese was awarded the Quality Mark, but after a check in 2020, its validity was suspended. The reason was the lack of lactic acid bacteria, which made the product less useful. But already in 2021, the manufacturer regained the badge of honor: a new check by state inspectors showed that there are as many beneficial bacteria in cottage cheese as needed.4.

Shelf life 21 days.

Advantages and disadvantages

Delicious, not dry, without grains
Not available in all stores, high price, poorly expressed aroma
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3. Prostokvashino

The Danone Our Country company, which produces this cottage cheese, has strict requirements for milk and raw materials. As the largest dairy processor in Our Country and one of the top five, Danone can afford fixed long-term contracts for raw milk, which should guarantee an excellent price. Yes, and business reputation for companies of this level is not an empty phrase. 

According to the results of last year’s inspection by Roskachestvo, Prostokvashino cottage cheese, produced in accordance with GOST3 (the fat content of the product varies from 0,2% to 9%), received 4,8 points out of five possible. Experts concluded that cottage cheese is safe and contains no preservatives. In addition, it is made from good pasteurized milk.

The manufacturer’s assortment includes traditional cottage cheese, crumbly and soft. Of the minuses that did not allow the product to receive the highest score, its organoleptic properties. Specialists of Roskachestvo came to the conclusion that the taste and smell of cottage cheese do not correspond to GOST. In the cottage cheese “Prostokvashino” they caught a slight smell of ghee, and in taste – a slight flouriness5.

Advantages and disadvantages

Convenient packaging, naturalness, perfect consistency
Wet, sometimes sour, high price
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4. “House in the country”

A lot of good reviews from market experts are awarded by the Wimm-Bill-Dann company, whose product range includes Domik v derevne cottage cheese. This manufacturer, like other large enterprises, has an impressive list of internal standards and “quality policies”.

As for the assessment of cottage cheese by the expert community, during last year’s check by Roskachestvo, the product received 4,7 points out of five.6.

Cottage cheese “House in the Village”, like other samples from our rating, is absolutely safe, clean, made from excellent milk, and does not contain preservatives, but it contains less protein than necessary, according to Roskachestvo standards. This means that there is less calcium in the cottage cheese. Also, the inspectors had some complaints about the taste and smell of cottage cheese: they caught notes of melted butter in it.  

In the rating of independent experts of “Roskontrol”, who checked the “House in the village” 0,2%, the sample took the fourth line. 

Such cottage cheese is stored for a month without losing its beneficial properties. And they are: there are enough lactic acid bacteria here.

Advantages and disadvantages

Consistency – cottage cheese is light and fluffy, moderately dry
High cost, mild taste
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5. “Clean line”

The Chistaya Liniya cottage cheese, which is produced in Dolgoprudny near Moscow, has also undergone more than one expert check. Experts of Roskontrol, evaluating cottage cheese with a fat content of 9%, recognized it as safe and natural, did not find any unnecessary additives in it, but gave it 7,9 points out of 10, lowering the rating for low calcium content7. In the “Chistaya Liniya” cottage cheese, this useful microelement turned out to be almost two times less than in other samples. At the same time, some buyers consider the reduced calcium content as another proof of the naturalness of the product. Say, it means that the cottage cheese is not enriched artificially. 

Cottage cheese is produced according to the technical conditions developed at the enterprise, while it complies with GOST3.

The line also includes fat-free cottage cheese – 0,5% fat, as well as fat, 12 percent. 

Curd is stored for 30 days.

Advantages and disadvantages

No vegetable fats in the composition, high-quality packaging, long shelf life
Difficult to find in stores, high price
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6. “Vkusnoteevo”

Cottage cheese “Vkusnoteevo” from the dairy plant “Voronezh”, manufactured in accordance with GOST3 and is presented in three types: fat content of 0,5%, 5% and 9%. The Voronezhsky plant is a large enterprise that works with many milk suppliers. Because of this, it is necessary to monitor its quality especially carefully.   

In 2020, experts from Roskachestvo examined cottage cheese. The results of the analysis can be called twofold. On the one hand, neither antibiotics in dangerous doses, nor pathogenic microorganisms with E. coli, nor soy, nor starch were found in the sample. Another plus is that cottage cheese is made from high-quality milk, it contains enough proteins, fats and lactic acid bacteria. 

However, the fly in the ointment was the excess of yeast standards. According to microbiologist Olga Sokolova, yeast is a common tenant of dairy products. But if there are a lot of them, this indicates an unimportant sanitary condition at the production site (perhaps the brought milk was poorly processed, or the containers were not washed, or the air in the workshop is oversaturated with yeast bacteria – there can be many reasons). Yeast bacteria are a marker of fermentation. If there are a lot of them in the curd, then it will have a changed taste, the product will quickly deteriorate.8.

But responsible enterprises usually respond quickly to comments, correcting errors. In the rating from independent experts of Roskontrol, cottage cheese Vkusnoteevo has already received 7,6 points and took third place9.

In addition, this cottage cheese is recognized as the best in Our Country according to the results of the 2020 nationwide vote, in which more than 250 people took part.

Expiry date: 20 days.

Advantages and disadvantages

Composition without starch, preservatives, vegetable fats and antibiotics, neutral taste, convenient packaging, crumbly
Underweight, too much yeast, tasteless to some customers
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7. “Brest-Litovsk”

This cottage cheese, produced by JSC “Savushkin Product” in Belarus, would have every chance to receive the Quality Mark, if not for its “foreignness”. Our insignia is not issued to Belarusian goods. In general, Brest-Litovsk cottage cheese, produced with a fat content of 3% and 9%, passed last year’s Roskachestvo test perfectly and was recognized as absolutely safe. No pesticides, no antibiotics, no pathogens, no E. coli with staphylococci, no yeast and mold, no preservatives with synthetic dyes. Fats and proteins in cottage cheese are the norm, the milk from which it is made is beyond praise, it does not smell of plant components. But lactic acid bacteria – as much as you need in order for the cottage cheese to become useful.10.

In addition, according to the results of the popular vote in the Test Purchase program, buyers put Best-Litovsk cottage cheese in second place out of six. 

Among the comments: the increased content of carbohydrates in the composition. 

Shelf life of cottage cheese “Brest-Litovsk”: 30 days.

Advantages and disadvantages

Creamy taste, good composition, delicate aroma
Taste is sour, high price
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8. “Savushkin farm” 

The cottage cheese “Savushkin Khutorok” produced in Belarus as a whole always receives rather high expert ratings. Consumers love it. However, like everything Belarusian. However, from test to test, the product does not hold the bar and sometimes surprises. For example, if during the examination of Roskachestvo in 2018, 9% found an antibiotic and sorbic acid used as a preservative in Savushkin Product cottage cheese. But already in 2021, the product scored 4,7 points out of 5 possible. This time, the only drawback in absolutely safe cottage cheese without soy, dyes, starch and antibiotics was a slightly changed taste with sourness. This suggests that the manufacturer is working to improve product quality, cares about its own reputation and cares about the health of consumers.11.

Cottage cheese “Savushkin Khutorok” is soft, granular, classic, crumbly and semi-hard. Expiration date – 31 days. 

Advantages and disadvantages

A wide range, affordable price, does not squeak on the teeth
A little dry, not very convenient packaging
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9. Ecomilk

This sample closes the top three products of Belarusian manufacturers. Ecomilk cottage cheese exists in several versions: fat content of 0,5%, 5% and 9%, in packages of 180 and 350 grams. Made in Belarus, at the Minsk Dairy Plant No. 1. Having checked the product last year for all the main indicators, Roskachestvo gave the overwhelming majority the highest score – “five”. The experts did not find anything artificial in the cottage cheese. There are no antibiotics, no milk powder, no dyes in it. But the rosy picture was spoiled by one “but”: yeast. We hope the manufacturer has already taken measures to clean up production. Since the taste of this curd and its natural composition are invariably praised by consumers12.

Advantages and disadvantages

Not sour, delicate, large grains
Dry, whey may come out closer to the end of the shelf life
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10. “Sincerely yours”

Dmitrogorsk Dairy Plant, producing sincerely Vash cottage cheese, is part of a large “dairy city”, with fields where feed for dairy cows is grown, its own farm equipped with the latest technology, and production facilities. Producers do not depend on the integrity of milk suppliers. And this is a huge plus. Cottage cheese “Sincerely yours” is made according to GOST3.

At the same time, the results of product checks by various regulatory authorities are not always unambiguous. In an analysis last year by the Institute for Consumer Testing, which received a presidential grant, Sincerely Vash cottage cheese was named a genuine dairy product that complies with regulatory requirements. But in this study, cottage cheese was tested only for some indicators. In particular, according to the actual fat content of the one indicated on the package. At the same time, the product passed the test of Roskontrol not without complaints. Despite the fact that the raw materials were recognized as pure and natural, without dangerous additives, experts found that this curd contains 4 times less lactic acid microorganisms than it should be. Such a product, according to the norms, “cottage cheese” can be called a stretch13.

In addition, he received comments due to the excess of yeast content – already according to the results of the Roskachestvo check. 

The fat content of the curd assortment is from 0% to 9% with a shelf life of 7 to 28 days, depending on the type and packaging. 

Advantages and disadvantages

Does not sour, no large grains, pleasant texture
Harsh, slightly pronounced taste of cottage cheese
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How to choose cottage cheese

1. First of all, you need to pay attention to the price. A good product will not be cheap outside of special promotions. Natural cottage cheese can hardly cost less than 400 rubles per kilogram.

2. Be sure to check the expiration date and type of packaging. 

– Cottage cheese in a paper pack, which is stored for 14 days, most likely, hides something in the composition, – says Head of Technological Customer Support Service at FOODmix LLC, Technologist for the production of dairy products Anna Grinvald. – Cottage cheese in plastic containers tightly sealed under the film can be stored for longer, since most often such packaging takes place in a special gaseous environment, which protects the product from contact with air and the development of pathogenic microflora or rancidity of fats.

3. You can also look at whether the cottage cheese is made according to GOST or according to TU. But it is worth remembering that in Our Country there are now mandatory requirements established by the regulations of the customs union (TR CU). Cottage cheese producers draw up a declaration of compliance with these requirements. GOST is also a valid document, but the GOST R (Our Country) certificate after the introduction of the Regulations is now a voluntary matter. 

— The manufacturer can get it too, — explains Anna Greenwald. – For this, he will have to conduct additional tests in an accredited laboratory.  

4. Do not take cottage cheese with a grayish tint. The color of the curd should be white. Fat-free cottage cheese will be almost snow-white, bold 2% fat may have a barely noticeable light beige tint. But if the cottage cheese looks yellowish or grayish, this is a reason to doubt its quality. 

5. But a little serum in the package does not indicate anything bad. Cottage cheese, especially in a pack, can give off a little moisture.  

“But if there is a lot of serum, the manufacturer cheated,” the expert assures. 

6. Pay attention to the name of the manufacturer and its address on the packaging. At large enterprises, quality control is higher: after all, they follow not only all- requirements, but also internal protocols, as well as international standards. If for any reason, even accidental, the production address is not indicated, this is a violation of the regulations. Look at the trade mark, the brand. Does he have other fermented milk products in stock? Sour cream, kefir, yogurt, milk? If not, the risk of running into a fake increases. 

7. Study the label. You need to make sure that you are buying cottage cheese and not a curd product. The inscription “BZMZH” (without milk fat substitutes) will help you not to make a mistake. You can also pay attention to the nutritional value. Here we are interested in the proportion of protein: higher means better. 

8. The smell of cottage cheese depends largely on how it was prepared, and a little on how it was packaged. In the production of cottage cheese, starter cultures are used – these are lactic acid microorganisms. Each of their types has its own characteristics: some produce acid, fermenting milk, others give the product a flavor, sourness or creamy aftertaste. 

“Depending on which company of microorganisms has gathered, you get a different smell,” emphasizes Anna Greenwald. – Absolutely, good cottage cheese will not have foreign odors. A moldy or yeasty smell is a reason to doubt the quality. If the product has no smell at all, this is not bad: firstly, it could be packaged in an airless environment, and secondly, it could be fermented by bacteria incapable of aroma formation.

9. The place where you buy cottage cheese is also important. Buying it in a chain store, you can be 99% sure that the product has been tested in all respects. And in small shops or markets, vigilance does not hurt. 

Popular questions and answers

The questions most often asked by our readers are answered by Anna Grinvald, Head of the Technological Customer Support Service of FOODmix LLC, technologist for the production of dairy products.

Zero percent fat in cottage cheese – is it true?

Absolute zero grams of fat in cottage cheese is impossible. Prior to the introduction of customs regulations, when the main document in the production of cottage cheese was GOST, fat-free cottage cheese was considered to be up to 1,8% fat. Now the minimum fat content is 0,1%. This has become possible with the development of technology and equipment. But remember that according to the law, more fat is allowed, less is not. Therefore, the inscription 0% is still a trick.

Is it necessary to be afraid of cottage cheese with a long shelf life?

I would really like us to stop being afraid of products with a long shelf life. The type of packaging, production conditions and the selected starter, among other things, affect the shelf life. For example, starters are living organisms, and recent research in the field of microbiology tells us that these small unicellular organisms can interact with each other within the same colony and between colonies, and are able to fight for a place under the sun, and therefore one species can suppress the development of another. And good can defeat evil – that is, lactic acid strains can suppress the development of pathogens, including molds, yeasts, E. coli: these are the three types of microorganisms that are usually in the top culprits in spoiling fermented milk products. The cleanliness of production also affects seeding: when the same mold and E. coli “jump” into ready-made good cottage cheese in some way. And, of course, packaging – the less air contact the product has, the longer it will live on the shelf. But let’s not be naive: if cottage cheese is stored in a plastic bag for three weeks, it is most likely full of preservatives.

What are the features of farm cottage cheese?

Farm cottage cheese from the store will differ primarily in fat content. Farmer’s is fatter. All other things being equal, farm cottage cheese will taste better, in part because it has more fat and more creaminess in flavor. The farmer looks after his beloved Burenka more carefully. It is important that not every farmer studied as a veterinarian or livestock specialist, not everyone knows about modern safety requirements and can meet them. High-quality farm products are more expensive than store-bought.

But the products labeled “farm” in large chain stores are a marketing ploy: if you imagine a kind farmer and a small family farm where three generations keep twenty cows and make cottage cheese, opting for “farm”, then you are caught. Such farmers exist, but their products are not found in large stores. It will not pass the price, and the farmer will not be able to guarantee the retail chain the volume of goods it needs.

  1. Analysis of the cottage cheese market in Our Country. BusinesStat. URL: https://businesstat.ru/Our Country/food/dairy/cottage_cheese/ 
  2. Cottage cheese 9% Cheburashkin brothers. Examination of the composition and manufacturer | Roskachestvo – 2021. URL: https://rskrf.ru/goods/tvorog-bratya-cheburashkiny-9-traditsionnyy/
  3. GOST 31453-2013 Cottage cheese. Specifications dated June 28, 2013. URL: https://docs.cntd.ru/document/1200102733
  4. Cottage cheese 9% Korovka from Korenovka. Examination of the composition and manufacturer | Roskachestvo – 2021. URL: https://rskrf.ru/goods/tvorog-korovka-iz-korenovki-massovaya-dolya-zhira-9/
  5. Cottage cheese 9% Prostokvashino. Examination of the composition and manufacturer | Roskachestvo – 2021. URL: https://rskrf.ru/goods/tvorog-prostokvashino-s-massovoy-doley-zhira-9-0/
  6. Cottage cheese 9% House in the village. Examination of the composition and manufacturer | Roskachestvo – 2021. URL: https://rskrf.ru/goods/tvorog-domik-v-derevne-otbornyy-s-massovoy-doley-zhira-9/
  7. Curd “Clean Line” 9% – Roskontrol. URL: https://roscontrol.com/product/chistaya-liniya-9/
  8. Cottage cheese 9% Vkusnoteevo. Examination of the composition and manufacturer | Roskachestvo – 2021. URL: https://rskrf.ru/goods/tvorog-vkusnoteevo-massovaya-dolya-zhira-9/
  9. Cottage cheese “Vkusnoteevo” 9% – Roskontrol. URL: https://roscontrol.com/product/vkusnotieievo_9/
  10. Cottage cheese Brest Lithuanian. Examination of the composition and manufacturer | Roskachestvo. URL: https://rskrf.ru/goods/brest-litovskiy/
  11. Cottage cheese 9% Savushkin Hutorok. Examination of the composition and manufacturer | Roskachestvo – 2021. URL: https://rskrf.ru/goods/tvorog-savushkin-khutorok-s-massovoy-doley-zhira-9/
  12. Fat-free cottage cheese Ekomilk. Examination of the composition and manufacturer | Roskachestvo. URL: https://rskrf.ru/goods/tvorog-obezzhirennyy-ekomilk/
  13. Cottage cheese “Sincerely Yours” 9% – Roskontrol. URL: https://roscontrol.com/product/iskrenne-vash-9/

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