How to Make Homemade Ricotta Cheese ~ this is super easy, and so satisfying. Fresh homemade ricotta cheese is worlds away from the stuff in the supermarket and it’s ridiculously quick to make, with just 2 ingredients!
If you think making homemade cheese is something you could never attempt, think again. Ricotta cheese is the perfect home cheesemaking project for a beginner, and once you try it, there’s no going back.
What you will need to make homemade ricotta ~
- You’ll need some good whole milk
- fresh squeezed lemon juice
- a heavy bottomed pot
- You’ll also need some cheesecloth to strain the whey from your cheese curds…you can also use a fine mesh nylon bag such as a nut milk bag. I prefer these because they’re easy to clean and re-use.
Here’s the easy no stress method. Don’t let the fancy complicated tutorials put you off. I think those people secretly want to keep cheesemaking all to themselves. Just heat your milk just until it wants to boil, then add fresh lemon juice. The curds will appear almost instantly, like magic.
Strain the whole thing through cheesecloth or a mesh nylon nut milk bag and you’l be left with soft fresh ricotta cheese. Use it immediately or within a few days. It’s fabulous in so many dishes.
What to do with your homemade ricotta ~
- in pasta recipes, either mixed into a sauce, or spooned on to the plated pasta.
- on pizza
- in lasagna
- in stuffed shells
- as a base for fresh, stewed, or roasted fruits
- on ricotta toast
Reader Rave ~
“This was great and so easy! I added salt and pepper. It really kicked up my frozen pizza. Thanks” ~ H. Washington
How to Make Easy Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon whole milk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Open out your cheesecloth and line the colander with a double layer of the cloth, covering all sides of the colander. Set that over a deep bowl for draining and set aside.
- Pour your milk into a heavy bottomed pot and set on medium heat. Let it heat slowly, until it's just about to boil.
- Add in your 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and almost immediately you will see the curds form.
- Keeping it on the heat, let the curds fully form. Don't stir it much, just check to see if the curds have fully separated from the whey. The liquid should be translucent. This won't take long, just a minute or so.
- Take it off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Then, using a slotted spoon or skimmer, skim the curds out and into your cheesecloth lined strainer. You can gently pour the liquid from the pan straight into the lined colander if you like.
- After a few minutes, pull up the cheesecloth and gently press to release more whey. The more you drain the cheese the firmer it will become. I like it soft so I just let the moisture drip for a few minutes and then put my fresh cheese in an airtight container until I'm ready to use it. The cheese will keep 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
I just attempted to make your great recipe. I don’t have milk in the house,now I used 100% whole milk powder with warm water. At a near boil (200*) I added in the fresh lemon juice. I got small curds but the whey never got clear. So I went with what I had and it does look like ricotta. I then reheated the whey/ milk solution and added in more lemon juice and I now have another small batch of cheese which looks and tastes like cream cheese. I’m a newbie to cheese making, but I’m having such fun!
I’m working on a homemade cream cheese recipe 🙂
Can you make this with skim milk instead of whole milk?
I haven’t tried that Sara so I can’t say for sure. I did a little research but didn’t come up with anything definitive.