This new vegan cottage cheese packs 17g of protein – and it’s made from a surprising ingredient

From veganfoodandliving.com

Austrian food-tech company Revo Foods has launched a new high-protein vegan alternative to cottage cheese, and it’s made from a rather unexpected ingredient

COTTAGE PROTEIN+ is made using fermented apricot kernels and contains more than 17g of protein per 150g pot, alongside just four ingredients.

The new vegan cottage cheese alternative launches this September in EDEKA and REWE supermarkets across Germany, with UK shoppers also set to be able to get their hands on it through Vegan Wholesaler.

Rather than relying on coconut oil, starches and thickeners to recreate the texture of dairy cottage cheese, Revo Foods has taken a different approach.

COTTAGE PROTEIN+ is made with 40% soft apricot kernels, alongside water, salt and vegan fermentation cultures.

Live cultures ferment the apricot kernels, naturally developing the slightly acidic flavour and distinctive grainy texture associated with traditional cottage cheese.

According to Revo Foods, the process results in a protein content of 11.5%, delivering 17.2g of protein in each 150g pot. The product contains no added fats, with its fat coming naturally from the oil found within apricot kernels, which is rich in unsaturated fatty acids.

And despite its unusual base ingredient, the company claims its vegan version performs well against the dairy original. In a blind taste test conducted by Revo Foods, 60% of participants reportedly preferred its apricot kernel version to dairy cottage cheese for flavour and taste.

Photo © Revo Foods

“We stand for healthy proteins,” said David Petuzzi, CEO of Revo Foods. “That is the thread running from our fungi protein through to COTTAGE PROTEIN+: We use fermentation as a tool to turn natural raw materials into foods that deliver real nutrition and taste great.”

Turning a food by-product into a high-protein ingredient

The use of apricot kernels isn’t just about nutrition. Revo Foods says it also offers an opportunity to make use of a food industry by-product that might otherwise go to waste.

Large quantities of kernels are left behind when apricots are processed to make products such as jam, juice and dried fruit, and many are currently discarded or incinerated.

By turning this existing side stream into the primary ingredient in COTTAGE PROTEIN+, Revo Foods says it can create a new protein source without requiring additional farmland to grow the raw material.

The launch comes as demand for protein-rich foods continues to grow, with cottage cheese sales in Germany almost doubling over the past three years.

Niccolò Galizzi, Head of Food Tech at Revo Foods, said the company wanted to offer an alternative to plant-based chilled products that rely heavily on added fats and thickeners.

“With COTTAGE PROTEIN+, the fermentation cultures do the work for us,” he explained. “Texture, acidity and flavour develop in the fermenter, not on the ingredient list.”

Revo Foods use apricot kernels (a by-product of the jam, juice and dried fruit industries that would otherwise often go to waste) to make COTTAGE PROTEIN+ a more sustainable alternative to dairy. Photo © Revo Foods

3D food structuring

While vegan cottage cheese might be new territory for Revo Foods, the Austrian food-tech company has already made a name for itself by recreating animal products that have traditionally been particularly difficult to replicate.

Founded in Vienna in 2021, Revo Foods uses technologies including fermentation and 3D food structuring to create alternatives designed to closely recreate the taste and texture of meat and seafood. Its current range includes THE FILET, inspired by salmon, alongside THE PRIME CUT and THE FILETEL POLLO, its takes on beef- and chicken-style fillets.

Perhaps its most eye-catching creation to date is The Kraken, a hyper-realistic fungi-based vegan octopus alternative, complete with tentacles and visible suckers.

Originally launched as a limited edition in 2024, the unusual product sold out within just 48 hours and was later brought back following customer demand. When Vegan Food & Living put Revo Foods’ vegan octopus to the test, we were particularly impressed by its firm, bouncy and fibrous texture, which proved surprisingly similar to the real thing.

Its salmon-inspired THE FILET similarly uses fermented mycoprotein to create a juicy, fibrous texture, with Revo Foods using its food-structuring technology to mimic the flakiness and mouthfeel of animal protein.

Now, with COTTAGE PROTEIN+, the company is applying its fermentation expertise to the dairy aisle – while finding an inventive new use for an ingredient that might otherwise go to waste.

UK shoppers will be able to get their hands on COTTAGE PROTEIN+ through Vegan Wholesaler, with the new vegan cottage cheese launching from September 2026. Photo © Revo Foods/VFL

Where can you buy Revo Foods COTTAGE PROTEIN+?

COTTAGE PROTEIN+ launches in September 2026 in 150g pots and will be available from EDEKA and REWE stores across Germany.

For UK shoppers, Revo Foods says the new vegan cottage cheese will also be available through Vegan Wholesaler soon.

Can’t wait to try the new vegan cottage cheese? Satisfy your cheese cravings with the UK’s best vegan cheeses

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/revo-foods-vegan-cottage-cheese-fermented-apricot-kernals/