Homemade Ricotta Cheese is surprisingly simple to make! All you need are a few ingredients, and in about 30 minutes, you’ll have made the best ricotta cheese you’ve ever tasted. It’s super creamy and puts store bought ricotta to shame!
How to Make Ricotta Cheese
As far as homemade cheese goes, making ricotta is as easy as it gets.
- Heat milk, cream, and salt. Bring to a boil, around 200-205 degrees. Stir continuously.
- Once bubbling, add an acid (vinegar or lemon juice) and turn off heat.
- Allow to sit off of heat, without stirring, for 10 minutes while the milk curdles from the acid.
- Separate the curds from the whey. There are a couple ways to do this, and a factor to help with your decision is to know if you want to keep your whey (the leftover liquid). There are a few uses for leftover whey. I opt not to keep mine, I can hardly keep up with the ingredients I have in my kitchen alone.
- Keep whey? Use a slotted spoon to transfer the curds onto the cheesecloth.
- Keep whey? Place. large bowl under a strainer (colander) to retain it.
- Don’t want to keep the whey? Down the drain it goes. Pour the curdled milk into a strainer lined with a cheesecloth.
Straining Ricotta Cheese
Once the curds and whey are separate, you’re left with ricotta cheese! The next step is to strain the liquid, and how much you strain it depends on what you plan to use it for.
- Dense cheesecakes, or stuffed pasta like cannelloni or manicotti require a firmer ricotta (I.E. strain very well).
- If you’re straining well, wrap up the ricotta in the cheesecloth like a bag and twist tightly (see right side photo below)
- If you’re making a dip, or adding a dollop on top of pasta for creaminess, this requires less of a strain. For a looser ricotta, allow it to strain through the cheesecloth for about 5 minutes. Ever so slightly squeeze it.
Tools for Making Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Most of the tools you’ll need for this are already in your kitchen but I’ll link to what I used just incase!
- Large Pot
- Electronic Thermometer
- Strainer
- Cheesecloth
- Storage Jars
More Tips and Storing Homemade Ricotta
I know this can seem daunting, but it’s really super easy. Follow along with these tips to make your delicious cheese even more foolproof. Read this before you make it, it will make the process much smoother!
- Use only whole milk for the best ricotta cheese. Make sure you are not using ultra pasteurized milk as it will not curdle (the high temps change the protein in the milk preventing curdling).
- As it heats, stir often. Scorched milk will make for scorched ricotta. We want bright, and fresh!
- You can use a couple different ingredients for the purpose of the acid. White vinegar, red vinegar, or lemon juice. I do not recommend using anything other than fresh squeezed lemon juice for the purpose of curdling (it can have lower acid and the curdle can be impacted).
- If you notice the curds not being as curdled as you like, add another teaspoon of acid at a time until you reach desired results.
- Homemade ricotta keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It really is best when fresh. Store it in an airtight container if refrigerating.
Recipes featuring Ricotta
We love ricotta around here! Here’s our favorite ways to use it.
- Lemon Ricotta Cake
- 20 Minute Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Rollatini Chicken
- Chicken Breast with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Ricotta
- Lasagna Roll Ups
- Zucchini Lasagna
What do you think about this recipe? Have questions? Comment below! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, and connect with us on Instagram and tag your @Laughingspatula recipes with #laughingspatula,while you’re at it…We love to see your pics!
Homemade Ricotta Cheese
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Ingredients
- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar, see notes)
Instructions
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Place cheese cloth over strainer in sink (use bowl method if you want to preserve whey for later, see notes).
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In a large pot on medium high heat, combine milk, cream, and salt. Stir to combine. Continue to stir slowly with a wooden spoon as the milk mixture heats up to prevent burning.
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Once the milk reaches a rolling boil (it should be around 200 degrees fahrenheit on an electronic thermometer), add acid (lemon juice or vinegar). Turn off heat, and stir one final time to fully incorporate acid.
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Allow milk/cream/salt/acid mixture to sit for 10 minutes untouched on the warm stove.
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Transfer curds to cheesecloth lined strainer (see notes), and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to allow excess draining.
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If you want a firmer ricotta cheese, twist cheesecloth into 'bag' and strain liquid. If you want a looser ricotta, only lightly strain. See notes for different uses.
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Once ricotta has completely cooled, transfer to a storage container with an airtight lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Separating the curds from the whey. There are a couple ways to do this, and a factor to help with your decision is to know if you want to keep your whey (the leftover liquid). There are a few uses for leftover whey. I opt not to keep mine, I can hardly keep up with the ingredients I have in my kitchen alone.
- Keep whey? Use a slotted spoon to transfer the curds onto the cheesecloth.
- Keep whey? Place. large bowl under a strainer (colander) to retain it.
- Don’t want to keep the whey? Down the drain it goes. Pour the curdled milk into a strainer lined with a cheesecloth.
- Dense cheesecakes, or stuffed pasta like cannelloni or manicotti require a firmer ricotta (I.E. strain very well through a tight cheesecloth).
- If you’re making a dip, or adding a dollop on top of pasta for creaminess, this requires less of a strain. For a looser ricotta, allow it to strain through the cheesecloth for about 5 minutes.
Nutrition
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