Cottage Cheese Taco Bowl (Low-Carb)

My Cottage Cheese Taco Bowl is a low-carb and high protein bowl meal inspired by a cottage cheese bowl that gained popularity on Tik Tok! I suggest various sauces to enhance the flavor of the cottage cheese bowl without adding many carbs.

PIN the Cottage Cheese Taco Bowl to try it later!

This Cottage Cheese Taco Bowl is my twist on a viral recipe that originally featured sweet potatoes and hot honey. To cater to a wider audience, I collaborated with Kara to create a low-carb cottage cheese bowl with taco ingredients!

Our creation includes well-seasoned taco meat, cottage cheese, diced avocado, and cherry tomatoes. While we enjoyed it plain, drizzling it with a complementary sauce elevated the flavors. In this post, I recommend several sauce options, each adding minimal carbs when used in moderation.

Whether you opt for a saucy finish or present it as shown in the photos, this cottage cheese bowl is low in carbs, high in protein, and gluten-free. Preparing the meat in advance allows you to enjoy this bowl meal multiple times throughout the week. Give it a try soon!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for the complete printable recipe. Alternatively, use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page for quick access to the full recipe with ingredient measurements.)

What meat did we use for the Cottage Cheese Taco Bowl?

We prepared the bowl meal featured in these photos using one pound of lean ground beef with 9% fat content. You can opt for higher-fat ground beef or ground turkey if you prefer.

What zero-carb hot sauce did we use?

We experimented with both Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) and Cholula Hot Sauce (affiliate link) for this cottage cheese bowl, and both options were delightful. These hot sauces contain zero carbs, but feel free to use any low-carb hot sauce of your choice.

What cottage cheese did we use?

For the Cottage Cheese Taco Bowls, I highly recommend using full-fat Good Culture Cottage Cheese (affiliate link). Not only is this brand exceptionally creamy and flavorful, but it also boasts lower carbs and higher protein compared to most other cottage cheese brands.

How low in carbs are the Cottage Cheese Taco Bowls?

By following the ingredients in this recipe and making four bowls, each serving will contain 7 net carbs and 36 grams of protein. If you choose to divide the ingredients into 3 servings, each bowl will have 9 net carbs and 48 grams of protein. (Kara and I initially opted for the larger portion, but both of us found it to be more than we’d consume in one sitting.) I have tagged this recipe as Keto, but for strict Keto, consider reducing the amount of tomatoes slightly.

How to make the low-carb Cottage Cheese Taco Bowl:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for the complete printable recipe. Alternatively, use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page for quick access to the full recipe.)

1. Heat olive oil, add ground beef, and break apart. (I love the Hamburger Meat Chopper (affiliate link) shown in the photo, but you can also just break meat apart with a turner.
2. Cook over medium heat, turning often, until ground beef is browned.
3. Then add Kalyn’s Taco Seasoning Mix (or purchased taco mix), zero-sugar hot sauce, Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or Salt Free Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), and water.
4. Reduce heat and let meat simmer until water is evaporated, stirring a few times.
5. (You could make this with thawed Slow Cooker Taco Meat or Instant Pot Taco Meat if you have that in the freezer.)
6. Measure out cottage cheese. I recommend Good Culture Cottage Cheese (affiliate link), but use the brand you prefer.
7. Cut tomatoes in half, and cut avocado into medium-sized pieces..
8. (If you’re not going to eat all the taco bowl ingredients right away, only cut up as much tomato and avocado as you’re going to use.)
9. While the meat is hot, quickly assemble bowls with ground beef, diced tomatoes, chopped avocado, and cottage cheese.
10. Serve right away with your favorite topping for tacos or one of the sauces mentioned below.

What sauce could you use to drizzle on the taco bowls?

We found the taco bowl meal to be delicious as presented in the photos. However, Kara and I enjoyed it even more with a simple sauce or dressing drizzled over the ingredients. Here are some options we tried, each adding only 2 or 3 net carbs when used in limited quantities:

• We loved the straightforward Salsa Ranch Dressing we created by blending equal parts Pace Picante Sauce (affiliate link) and store-bought Ranch Dressing in the Magic Bullet or food processor. This dressing has just over 1 carb per tablespoon.
• Another sauce we enjoyed was Cholula Cremosa Sauce, Cilantro Lime (affiliate link), which was flavorful and contains only 1 carb per tablespoon.
• During our initial recipe development, we savored it with Cafe Rio Salad Dressing, which has only 1 carb per tablespoon.
• My Southwest Ranch Dip recipe would complement the flavors in this bowl excellently and is exceptionally low in carbs, with only 2 carbs in one-fourth cup!
• For those who prefer Ranch Dressing on their taco salad, my homemade ranch dressing, with approximately 1 carb per tablespoon, would be a fitting choice.
• Roasted Red Pepper Aioli with Garlic boasts just 1 carb per tablespoon.
• If you have another low-carb store-bought dressing that pairs well with taco salad, it would also enhance the flavors of these bowls.

Want More Ideas for Bowl Meals?

Check out Bowl Meals for a variety of other low-carb meals served in a bowl!