diff --git a/packages/lib-user/src/components/UserHome/components/RecentProjects/RecentProjects.js b/packages/lib-user/src/components/UserHome/components/RecentProjects/RecentProjects.js
index 107da9beb7..04d860ace3 100644
--- a/packages/lib-user/src/components/UserHome/components/RecentProjects/RecentProjects.js
+++ b/packages/lib-user/src/components/UserHome/components/RecentProjects/RecentProjects.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { Anchor, Box, ResponsiveContext, Text } from 'grommet'
-import { arrayOf, bool, shape, string } from 'prop-types'
+import { arrayOf, bool, number, shape, string } from 'prop-types'
 import { useContext } from 'react'
 import { Loader, ProjectCard, SpacedText } from '@zooniverse/react-components'
 
@@ -7,26 +7,24 @@ import { ContentBox } from '@components/shared'
 
 export default function RecentProjects({
   isLoading = false,
-  projectPreferences = [],
+  recentProjects = [],
   error = undefined
 }) {
   const size = useContext(ResponsiveContext)
 
   return (
     <ContentBox title='Continue Classifying' screenSize={size}>
-      {isLoading && (
+      {isLoading ? (
         <Box fill justify='center' align='center'>
           <Loader />
         </Box>
-      )}
-      {!isLoading && error && (
+      ) : error ? (
         <Box fill justify='center' align='center' pad='medium'>
           <SpacedText>
             There was an error fetching your recent projects
           </SpacedText>
         </Box>
-      )}
-      {!isLoading && !projectPreferences.length && !error && (
+      ) : !recentProjects.length ? (
         <Box fill justify='center' align='center' pad='medium'>
           <SpacedText>No Recent Projects found</SpacedText>
           <Text>
@@ -37,41 +35,44 @@ export default function RecentProjects({
             .
           </Text>
         </Box>
+      ) : (
+        <Box
+          as='ul'
+          direction='row'
+          gap='small'
+          pad={{ horizontal: 'xxsmall', bottom: 'xsmall', top: 'xxsmall' }}
+          overflow={{ horizontal: 'auto' }}
+          style={{ listStyle: 'none' }}
+          margin='0'
+        >
+          {recentProjects.map(project => (
+            <li key={project.id}>
+              <ProjectCard
+                badge={project.count}
+                description={project?.description}
+                displayName={project?.display_name}
+                href={`https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/${project?.slug}`}
+                imageSrc={project?.avatar_src}
+                size={size}
+              />
+            </li>
+          ))}
+        </Box>
       )}
-      {!isLoading &&
-        projectPreferences?.length ? (
-          <Box
-            as='ul'
-            direction='row'
-            gap='small'
-            pad={{ horizontal: 'xxsmall', bottom: 'xsmall', top: 'xxsmall' }}
-            overflow={{ horizontal: 'auto' }}
-            style={{ listStyle: 'none' }}
-            margin='0'
-          >
-            {projectPreferences.map(preference => (
-              <li key={preference?.project?.id}>
-                <ProjectCard
-                  badge={preference?.activity_count}
-                  description={preference?.project?.description}
-                  displayName={preference?.project?.display_name}
-                  href={`https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/${preference?.project?.slug}`}
-                  imageSrc={preference?.project?.avatar_src}
-                  size={size}
-                />
-              </li>
-            ))}
-          </Box>
-        ) : null}
     </ContentBox>
   )
 }
 
 RecentProjects.propTypes = {
   isLoading: bool,
-  projectPreferences: arrayOf(
+  recentProjects: arrayOf(
     shape({
-      id: string
+      avatar_src: string,
+      count: number,
+      description: string,
+      display_name: string,
+      id: string,
+      slug: string
     })
   )
 }
diff --git a/packages/lib-user/src/components/UserHome/components/RecentProjects/RecentProjectsContainer.js b/packages/lib-user/src/components/UserHome/components/RecentProjects/RecentProjectsContainer.js
index d085aa9f4a..a19b75656a 100644
--- a/packages/lib-user/src/components/UserHome/components/RecentProjects/RecentProjectsContainer.js
+++ b/packages/lib-user/src/components/UserHome/components/RecentProjects/RecentProjectsContainer.js
@@ -1,90 +1,56 @@
 import { shape, string } from 'prop-types'
-import { panoptes } from '@zooniverse/panoptes-js'
-import useSWR from 'swr'
-import auth from 'panoptes-client/lib/auth'
-
-import { usePanoptesProjects } from '@hooks'
+import { usePanoptesProjects, useStats } from '@hooks'
 import RecentProjects from './RecentProjects.js'
 
-const SWROptions = {
-  revalidateIfStale: true,
-  revalidateOnMount: true,
-  revalidateOnFocus: true,
-  revalidateOnReconnect: true,
-  refreshInterval: 0
-}
-
-async function fetchUserProjectPreferences() {
-  const user = await auth.checkCurrent()
-  const token = await auth.checkBearerToken()
-  const authorization = `Bearer ${token}`
-  try {
-    const query = {
-      sort: '-updated_at',
-      user_id: user.id
-    }
-    const response = await panoptes.get('/project_preferences', query, { authorization })
-    if (response.ok) {
-      const projectPreferencesUserHasClassified =
-        response.body.project_preferences
-          .filter(preference => preference.activity_count > 0)
-      return projectPreferencesUserHasClassified
-    }
-    return []
-  } catch (error) {
-    console.error(error)
-    throw error
-  }
-}
-
 function RecentProjectsContainer({ authUser }) {
-  // Get user's project preference.activity_count for 10 most recently classified projects
-  const cacheKey = {
-    name: 'user-project-preferences',
-    userId: authUser.id
+  const recentProjectsQuery = {
+    project_contributions: true,
+    order_project_contributions_by: 'recents',
+    period: 'day'
   }
+
   const {
-    data: projectPreferences,
-    isLoading: preferencesLoading,
-    error: preferencesError
-  } = useSWR(cacheKey, fetchUserProjectPreferences, SWROptions)
+    data: stats,
+    isLoading: statsLoading,
+    error: statsError
+  } = useStats({ sourceId: authUser?.id, query: recentProjectsQuery })
 
-  // Get more info about each project and attach it to correct projectPreference object
-  const recentProjectIds = projectPreferences?.map(
-    preference => preference.links.project
-  )
+  // limit to 20 projects fetched from panoptes
+  const contributions = stats?.project_contributions.slice(0, 20)
+  const projectIds = contributions?.map(project => project.project_id)
+
+  // Get more info about each project
   const {
     data: projects,
     isLoading: projectsLoading,
     error: projectsError
   } = usePanoptesProjects({
     cards: true,
-    id: recentProjectIds?.join(',')
+    id: projectIds?.join(',')
   })
-  
-  // Attach project object to each project preference
-  let projectPreferencesWithProjectObj
-  if (projects?.length) {
-    projectPreferencesWithProjectObj = projectPreferences
-      .map(preference => {
-        const matchedProjectObj = projects.find(
-          project => project.id === preference.links?.project
-        )
 
-        if (matchedProjectObj) {
-          preference.project = matchedProjectObj
+  // Attach project info to each contribution stat (see similar behavior in TopProjects)
+  let recentProjects = []
+
+  if (projects?.length && contributions?.length) {
+    recentProjects = contributions
+      .map(projectContribution => {
+        const projectData = projects?.find(
+          project => project.id === projectContribution.project_id.toString()
+        )
+        return {
+          count: projectContribution.count,
+          ...projectData
         }
-        return preference
       })
-      .filter(preference => preference?.project?.slug)
-      .slice(0, 10)
+      .filter(project => project?.id) // exclude private or deleted projects
   }
 
   return (
     <RecentProjects
-      isLoading={preferencesLoading || projectsLoading}
-      projectPreferences={projectPreferencesWithProjectObj}
-      error={preferencesError || projectsError}
+      error={statsError || projectsError}
+      isLoading={statsLoading || projectsLoading}
+      recentProjects={recentProjects}
     />
   )
 }
diff --git a/packages/lib-user/src/components/shared/ContentBox/components/ContentLink.js b/packages/lib-user/src/components/shared/ContentBox/components/ContentLink.js
index f162e4d3ee..a9a117f9d3 100644
--- a/packages/lib-user/src/components/shared/ContentBox/components/ContentLink.js
+++ b/packages/lib-user/src/components/shared/ContentBox/components/ContentLink.js
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 import { SpacedText } from '@zooniverse/react-components'
 import { Anchor } from 'grommet'
-import { shape, string } from 'prop-types'
+import { object, oneOfType, shape, string } from 'prop-types'
 import styled from 'styled-components'
 
 const StyledAnchor = styled(Anchor)`
-  font-family: 'Karla', Arial, sans-serif; 
+  font-family: 'Karla', Arial, sans-serif;
   font-size: 1rem;
   line-height: normal;
   background: none;
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ function ContentLink({
 
 ContentLink.propTypes = {
   link: shape({
-    as: string,
+    as: oneOfType([object, string]),
     href: string,
     text: string
   })