3-Ingredient Cottage Cheese Garlic Knots

3-Ingredient Cottage Cheese Garlic Knots are soft, fluffy, and packed with buttery garlic flavor, and they come together with just self-rising flour, small curd cottage cheese, and garlic butter. There’s no yeast, no proofing, and no waiting around for dough to rise. You stir the dough together, roll it into ropes, tie them into knots, and bake. In under 30 minutes you have a pan of golden garlic knots that taste like pizzeria favorites with a protein boost from the cottage cheese.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Just 3 ingredients: self-rising flour, cottage cheese, and garlic butter
• No yeast, no proofing, and no rising time
• Ready in about 28 minutes from start to finish
• Makes 16 knots, with about 6 grams of protein each, as provided by the recipe source
• No need to blend the cottage cheese, just stir and shape

Because the dough is mixed in one bowl and shaped by hand, these garlic knots are also a great way to get a warm, homemade bread side on the table fast, whether you’re serving pasta night, soup, or a game day spread.

What Does It Taste Like?

These knots taste like classic pizzeria garlic knots: soft and fluffy inside, lightly golden outside, and brushed with melted garlic butter the moment they leave the oven. The cottage cheese adds a gentle tang and a tender, moist crumb, and you don’t taste it as cottage cheese once the dough is baked. The garlic butter gives each knot a savory, buttery shine, and an optional sprinkle of parmesan and parsley adds a salty, fresh finish.

Recipe Overview

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 13 minutes
• Total Time: 28 minutes
• Yield: 16 knots

Ingredients

PIN IT

For the Dough:

• 3 cups (410g) self-rising flour
• 2 cups (452g) small curd cottage cheese (1%, 2%, or 4% fat)

For the Topping:

• 4 tablespoons (56g) garlic butter, melted
• Grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
• Marinara sauce, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Notes

Self-rising flour: This is what makes the recipe work without yeast. Self-rising flour already contains the leavening and salt, so the knots puff up in the oven with no rise time. The recipe source notes that a self-rising flour with about 3 grams of protein per ¼ cup, such as Gold Medal, works best.

Small curd cottage cheese: The cottage cheese isn’t blended, so the curds need to be small enough to mix smoothly into the dough. The recipe source specifically warns that large curds won’t melt properly. Any fat level, 1%, 2%, or 4%, works.

Garlic butter: Melted and brushed over the knots as soon as they come out of the oven, so it soaks into the warm surface. Use store-bought garlic butter or make your own by melting butter with garlic.

Parmesan and parsley: Optional, but they add salty depth and a pop of green color on top of the glossy garlic butter.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need

• Large mixing bowl
• Spatula
• Two baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Pastry brush
• Wire cooling rack (optional)

Substitutions and Variations

These are optional ideas, not part of the original recipe, apart from the optional garnishes noted above:

• Serve the knots with warm marinara sauce for dipping, as the recipe source suggests.
• Sprinkle grated parmesan and chopped parsley over the buttered knots for extra flavor and color.
• Add a pinch of Italian seasoning to the melted garlic butter for a more herby finish.

How to Make the Recipe

This recipe is about as simple as bread gets. The self-rising flour and cottage cheese are mixed together until a soft dough forms. The dough is divided into 16 pieces, each piece is rolled into a rope about 10 inches long, and each rope is tied into a knot. The knots bake until golden and are brushed with garlic butter straight out of the oven.

Step-by-Step Instructions

PIN IT

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the self-rising flour and cottage cheese with a spatula or your hands until a soft dough forms.
3. Lightly flour your work surface and your hands. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and roll each portion into a rope about 10 inches long.
4. Tie each rope into a knot, tucking the ends underneath.
5. Space the knots 1 to 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
7. Immediately brush the hot knots with the melted garlic butter. Garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired.
8. Let cool slightly before serving. Serve with marinara sauce, if you like.

Tips for Success

• Choose small curd cottage cheese. Large curds don’t blend into the dough as smoothly.
• Lightly flour your hands and the counter. The dough is soft, and a little flour keeps it from sticking as you roll.
• Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces so the knots bake evenly and finish at the same time.
• Roll the ropes to about 10 inches so each knot has enough length to tie and tuck neatly.
• Tuck the ends underneath when you tie each knot so they hold their shape while baking.
• Brush with the garlic butter right away. The knots are hottest and most absorbent straight out of the oven.

How to Know It’s Done

The knots are done after 13 to 15 minutes in a 425°F oven, when they’re golden brown on the outside and cooked through in the center. Look for an even golden color across the tops and edges before you take them out.

What to Serve With It

Serve these garlic knots warm alongside pasta, soup, or salad, or as a snack with a bowl of marinara for dipping. For more cottage cheese and garlic bread ideas from Poulef, try our Cheesy Cottage Cheese Garlic Knots, an almond-flour, low-carb version, or our Zero Carb Cheesy Garlic Bread.

Storage Instructions

The recipe source says to store any uneaten knots in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. It doesn’t give an exact duration. As general guidance, bread like this keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days, and reheating the knots briefly in a warm oven helps refresh the crust.

Freezing Instructions

The recipe source confirms the knots can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container. As general guidance, let them cool completely before freezing, then thaw at room temperature and warm them in the oven before serving.

Common Mistakes

• Using large curd cottage cheese, which won’t mix into the dough as smoothly.
• Substituting all-purpose flour for self-rising flour, which leaves out the built-in leavening this no-yeast dough depends on.
• Skipping the flour on the work surface and hands, which makes the soft dough stick while you roll.
• Cutting uneven portions, which makes some knots overbake while others stay pale.
• Waiting to brush on the garlic butter, instead of applying it while the knots are hot from the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need yeast for these garlic knots?

No. The self-rising flour provides the leavening, so the dough needs no yeast and no proofing time.

Do I have to blend the cottage cheese?

No. The cottage cheese is stirred into the flour as it is, which is why the recipe calls for small curds.

What kind of cottage cheese works best?

Small curd cottage cheese works best, and the recipe works with 1%, 2%, or 4% fat.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of self-rising?

This recipe is written for self-rising flour, which has the leavening and salt built in. Swapping in all-purpose flour would be a change to the original recipe and would need added leavening.

How many knots does this make?

The recipe makes 16 knots, each rolled from an equal portion of dough into a rope about 10 inches long.

What’s the difference between this and your other cottage cheese garlic knots?

This version uses self-rising flour and no blending, so it’s a simpler, bready dough. Poulef’s Cheesy Cottage Cheese Garlic Knots use almond flour for a low-carb take, so the two recipes are made differently.

What should I serve them with?

Marinara sauce for dipping is the classic choice, and the knots pair well with pasta, soup, or a simple salad.

Recipe Background

Garlic knots are a pizzeria staple, traditionally made from leftover pizza dough that’s tied into knots, baked, and tossed in garlic butter. This version keeps the familiar knotted shape and garlic butter finish but replaces the yeast dough with a simple two-ingredient dough of self-rising flour and cottage cheese. The cottage cheese adds moisture and protein, while the self-rising flour lets the dough puff without any rise time, which is why this style of recipe has become so popular for quick weeknight bread.

Conclusion

3-Ingredient Cottage Cheese Garlic Knots are proof that fluffy, buttery, garlicky bread doesn’t need yeast or hours of waiting. Stir, roll, tie, bake, and brush, and you have a batch of warm knots in under 30 minutes. Enjoy!

More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love

• Cheesy Cottage Cheese Garlic Knots
• Zero Carb Cheesy Garlic Bread
• Everything Bagel Cottage Cheese Biscuit
• Soft Buttery Dinner Rolls
• 20-Minute Homemade Bread

Follow Poulef on Pinterest

Loved this recipe? Save it for later and follow @PoulefRecipe on Pinterest for more cozy, comforting recipes: https://www.pinterest.com/poulefrecipe/

Nutritional Information

Nutrition is per knot (16 knots), as provided by the recipe source.

Nutrient	Amount per Serving
Calories	123
Carbohydrates	18g
Protein	6g
Fat	3g
Saturated Fat	2g
Sodium	403mg
Sugar	1g

Print