Leave it to the Amish to put cottage cheese into a pie! This light, custardy treat is a staple in many Amish kitchens especially during summer.
Try this recipe that comes to us from an Amish woman in Ohio. This is one of these pies that actually tastes better the next day after sitting overnight in your fridge.
Most Amish cooks, by the way, would make their own homemade cottage cheese for the pie.
🥄 The Amish and Homemade Cottage Cheese
I'm kind of meh about cottage cheese. I really should eat it more because it is filling and protein-packed but not super high in calories. I've tried homemade cottage cheese at an Amish home before and it was good, maybe a little grainier or grittier in texture that the plump curds you get in store-bought.
The only store-bought cottage cheese that I've ever really loved is a now defunct brand called Trauth that was based in Cincinnati. It was this rich, creamy cottage cheese that I absolutely loved. I haven't found a comparable one.
Anyway back to the cottage cheese pie. I wasn't sure what to expect when I made this but, man, I came away impressed and this is a pie I definitely would make (and eat) again.
📋 Step-by-Step Cottage Cheese Pie
This is a recipe given to me by an Amish woman but the instructions were very sparse, including no baking time.
Not the best photo in the world. The instructions say to let the cottage cheese drain for an hour,but it occurred to me later that probably refers to homemade cottage cheese which would have more liquid associated with it. The kind I bought at the store, I plopped into a strainer and very little liquid dripped out, even after and hour, so, honestly, unless you have very liquid-like cottage cheese, you can probably skip that step.
This is me adding stiffly beaten egg whites to the mix. I'm not sure how stiff they ultimately were, but I beat the heck out of them and the pie worked, so my advice is just beat the whites as much as you can an add them.
I cheated and used a store-bought graham cracker crust. It was really good and it probably would be better if you made your own crust. As you can see I baked it just a tad too long. I didn't overbake it by much. In fact, the filling - the most important part - was fine. The crust just started to get overdone. So I'd start watching the pie at 30-35 minutes and take out if the crust starts getting too burnt.
Homemade cottage cheese pie. This resembles a chess pie or a custard pie, but the cottage cheese curds give it this unique texture and taste all its own. I should add that this pie is very good just like this. But if make it again and I am certain I will sometime, I will add a teaspoon or two of cinnamon to it. I just think that would have added additional depth of flavor.
I am a huge fan of this pie, though, and I highly recommend it!
🥧 More Amish Pies
Sour Cream Raisin Pie
Amish Butterscotch Pie
Amish Peanut Butter Pie
Chocolate Coconut Pecan Pie
🖨️ Full Recipe
Amish Cottage Cheese Pie
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package small curd cottage cheese
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 ½ cups milk
Instructions
- Place cottage cheese in strainer and let drain for about 1 hour or until most of liquid has been drained
- .Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, sugar, flour, lemon juice, salt, egg yolks, evaporated milk, and regular milk.
- Mix well.In a separate clean bowl, beat egg whites until firm.
- Add egg whites to the milk-cottage cheese mixture.
- Pour all into pie crust.
- Bake at 425 for about 35 - 45 minutes or until crust is golden.
- Chill for several hours before serving so it firms completely.
Judith
I don't understand the purpose of draining the liquid from the cottage cheese only to add both evaported milk and regular milk liquid back into the recipe. Why waste that liquid and add more?
Becky Wellington
This recipe sounds wonderful. Have you had it. I'm going to make it. Becky
brenda
having liked cottage cheese all my life, I missed this recipe before. wonder where I have been ?? will most certainly try it.
do you think the reason for draining the liquid is for portion control for the recipe to succeed as well as what drains away is not as rich ?????????
Kevin
Brenda, I think that makes sense!
Judith
It doesn't make any sense to me because cottage cheese is made from whole milk so the liquids is the left over milk that was used in making the cottage cheese but didn't "curdle". So if you drain it off and then add back a different whole milk, it isn't portion control because you are adding back MORE of the same item, just a different source of the milk from a different container. My reason for the lower rating is throwing away a perfectly good source of the milk and then adding some more of what you threw out, (milk) back again. I've never known Amish to be wasteful as this recipe seems to be. Just looking for a good reason to be wasteful.
brenda
I am sure one could use the same drained liquids if they were measured and complied with the measurements in the recipe. ratio might have been a word that would have made you happier than portions. ???????????
Bonnie
This sounds good. I notice it says "pour into pie crusts". Does it make two pies?
Kevin
Yes, two pies!
Ken
You don't actually say how many pies this recipe makes but you do use the terms, "pie crusts" and "Cool on racks". Does this make more than one pie?
Kevin
2 pies!