Put down the storebought tub and learn How to Make Ricotta Cheese from scratch! It’s surprisingly easy and uses minimal ingredients. Use your homemade cheese for cannolis, cheesecake, lasagna, stuffed pasta, and more!
⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you thought a storebought tub of ricotta was something special, wait until you taste ricotta cheese made from scratch. With 4 simple ingredients, these easy-to-follow instructions will show you How to Make Ricotta Cheese right in your own kitchen in under 2 hours.
I discovered the difference between storebought ricotta cheese and fresh ricotta at one of my favorite spots back in Seattle, The Fat Hen, and I’ve been making it ever since. DIY ricotta may not be as convenient but the final product is well worth the time and effort. Cottage cheese and cream cheese is one thing - but this homemade ricotta recipe takes things to the next level.
The fresh batch is perfect for stuffing into lasagna and pasta shells, making pound cake (like my Blueberry Ricotta Pound Cake and Cherry Ricotta Pound Cake), or spreading on toast with roasted tomatoes!
❓ What is ricotta?
“Ricotta” translates to “recooked” in Italian, which refers to how the cheese is historically prepared. Traditionally, the liquid released during the cheese-making process (whey) is recooked to become the soft and creamy curds we know as ricotta.
Instead of making ricotta with whey, this homemade version only requires you to precisely heat whole milk and cream with fresh lemon juice in order to kick-start the curdle. After straining the curds, you’ll be left with a fluffy, spreadable, and delicious homemade ricotta cheese.
🍴Ingredients
- Whole milk and heavy cream - A blend of whole milk and heavy cream make this ricotta recipe extra rich and decadent. Full-fat milk and cream are non-negotiable. No substitutions, please!
- Sea salt - Just a pinch to enhance every sweet, tangy, and savory flavor.
- Lemon juice - The citric acid in lemon juice makes the magic happen. Shortly after stirring in the lemon juice, you’ll notice curds start to form. If you don’t have lemon juice, you can use white vinegar instead.
📖 Step by Step Instructions
The great thing about making your own ricotta is that you have control over how moist the final product is going to be (depending on how long you leave it to drain). The ricotta you see pictured has been sitting for about two hours. Here's how you can make it yourself:
Step 1: Heat the milk and cream. Stir the milk, cream, and salt together in a large pan. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches between 190ºF and 195ºF.
Step 2: Add the acid to activate the curds. Take the pan off the heat and immediately stir in the lemon juice. Let the mixture sit undisturbed until you see curds beginning to form.
Step 3: Drain the whey from the curds. Once you see curds forming near the surface, carefully pour the mixture into a colander lined with a double layer of cheesecloth. Let the liquid whey drain out until the ricotta is at your desired consistency.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Do not use ultra-pasteurized milk! There isn’t enough natural bacteria to react with the acid and the curds will not form.
- Meyer lemons are also a NO. While delicious, Meyer lemons aren’t nearly as acidic.
- The longer you let the curds drain, the thicker your ricotta will be. Let it drain for at least 2 hours for a firm texture or 1 hour for a thinner, spreadable consistency.
- If you really like smooth and creamy ricotta, pulse the finished cheese a few times in the food processor before serving.
🍽️ How to use fresh ricotta
If you want to enjoy your homemade ricotta cheese with a spoon, go for it! Otherwise, it’s a sweet and tangy addition to all kinds of recipes, such as:
- Spread over a toasted baguette or crusty bread with pesto.
- Use ricotta instead of mascarpone to make apple crostini with balsamic and thyme.
- Layered in a homemade lasagna.
- Added to pancake batter (it makes them extra soft and moist).
- Add a few dollops on a homemade pizza.
- Stuffed into pasta shells.
- In pound cakes and cheesecakes.
- In a cheese omelet.
- Whipped into scrambled eggs.
- A drizzle of honey with fresh herbs!
❄️ Storing and freezing
To store: After straining, transfer the fresh ricotta to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To freeze: Homemade ricotta will be ok in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just keep in mind that the texture will be dry and crumbly once thawed.
💭 Recipe FAQs
After draining the ricotta curds, you’re left with a good amount of liquid whey. Don’t toss it! It can be used as a thickener for sauces and stocks, added to smoothies for protein, or even used to cook pasta. In addition, you can use whey instead of water in bread, pizza dough, dinner rolls, and cracker recipes.
No. Even after straining the curds from the liquid whey, ricotta contains lactose. Ricotta should be avoided if you have a lactose allergy or intolerance.
Heat your chosen milk on medium heat until small curds form, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them into a large bowl, resulting in a creamy homemade ricotta cheese recipe.
Homemade ricotta cheese recipes yield fresher and creamier cheese with a richer taste due to the control over milk proteins, whey proteins, and absence of preservatives compared to most grocery store versions.
For a delightful twist, season your homemade ricotta with a dash of kosher salt, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, making it akin to ricotta salata, a classic creamy cheese variant.
More helpful how-to guides
If you try this recipe for Fresh Ricotta, please leave a 🌟 review and share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter! 📧
Fresh Ricotta
Equipment
- Colander
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 4 cups (946.35 g) Whole Milk
- 1 ⅓ cup (317.33 g) Heavy Cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 4 tablespoon Lemon Juice, Freshly Squeezed
Instructions
- Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and place in the sink
- Combine the milk, salt and cream in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and stir together4 cups Whole Milk, 1 ½ teaspoon Sea Salt, 1 ⅓ cup Heavy Cream
- Heat your mixture over medium-high heat until mixture reaches 190-195 degrees Fahrenheit
- Remove from heat and immediately add lemon juice4 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Stir once slowly then let everything sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Wait until you see curds starting to form before continuing on!
- Once you see curds forming on the top of your milk mixture, pour mixture into the prepared colander carefully and let drain for one to two hours, depending on how dry or moist you would like your ricotta to be!
Notes
- Do not use ultra-pasteurized milk! There isn’t enough natural bacteria to react with the acid and the curds will not form.
- Meyer lemons are also a NO. While delicious, Meyer lemons aren’t nearly as acidic.
- The longer you let the curds drain, the thicker your ricotta will be. Let it drain for at least 2 hours for a firm texture or 1 hour for a thinner, spreadable consistency.
- If you really like smooth and creamy ricotta, pulse the finished cheese a few times in the food processor before serving.
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