This super simple stovetop ricotta is rich, creamy, and totally satisfying. Once you try it, there’s no going back.
Homemade ricotta cheese is seriously satisfying. Fresh ricotta is miles better than the stuff at the store, and all it takes is two ingredients and a few minutes on the stovetop. In fact ricotta is the perfect home cheesemaking project for a beginner. How can you not make it??
What you’ll need to make homemade ricotta
- some good whole milk
- fresh squeezed lemon juice
equipment
- a heavy bottomed pot
- 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.
making ricotta cheese step by step
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’s just about to boil
- Then stir in 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.
homemade ricotta faqs
Yes, you can make ricotta with half-and-half or cream, though the texture and yield will be a little different. Half-and-half works well and gives you a richer, softer ricotta ~ though you might get a slightly smaller yield since it has less protein than whole milk. Cream on its own doesn’t curdle as reliably and can result in a greasy texture, so it’s best used in combination with whole milk. A common approach is to use mostly whole milk with a splash of half-and-half or cream for added richness.
It could be the milk ~ ultra-pasteurized milk sometimes doesn’t work. Or the mixture might not be hot enough. Try adding a bit more acid and gently reheating.
Homemade ricotta will keep in the fridge for up to 4–5 days. Store it in an airtight container.
Whey is full of nutrients ~ you can use it in smoothies, soups, bread dough, or even to water your plants.
Yes, you can absolutely make ricotta cake with homemade ricotta. If your homemade ricotta is especially soft or wet, you may want to drain it a little longer before baking to avoid excess moisture in the cake.
how to use 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
Add The View from Great Island as a Trusted Google Source
How to Make Ricotta Cheese
Video
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
Can I substitute the lemon juice for acv my husband is allergic to citrus?
You may like to know that tried this recipe using goats milk for a friend who is basically non-bovine dairy. It worked extremely well – even if I did mess up my milk to lemon juice ratio. The extra lemon really added extra depth to the flavour. My intention is to use this as a substitute for cream in a fresh avocado soup recipe. I used 1 litre of goats milk and it made at least a cup of ricotta.
I’ve tried the same thing Wendy, I pressed mine into little rounds, it was fun! Thanks for the feedback, I’m sure others will want to try this.
Hi Sue
Can I use any plant based milk for your recipe?
You can’t make it with this method, but I have seen recipes for imitation ricotta made with almonds and nutritional yeast.
This is the second time I’ve made this ricotta. This time I halved the recipe because I had a quart of milk. It looks good and tastes delicious but it only made about a cup. Do you think that is about right? Seems it should have been at least a cup and a half. I followed the recipe, heating the milk up slowly before adding the lemon juice. I let it cook a full two minutes or slightly more (the recipe says ‘just about a minute’. But it still didn’t look at translucent as in your video. I let it sit off the heat for 5 minutes and poured it into a cheesecloth lined stainer. D o you think I should have cooked it even longer to get to more translucent whey?
You can let it sit longer, and sometimes that will result in more separation, Patricia. I usually go by eye, and let it cook a little longer if the whey is still milky.
I have never tried Ricotta, I’m not sure why, but I usually just replace ricotta in my recipes with cream cheese. I have looked at this recipe and the one for cream cheese, and they are the same except for the blending part. So do cream cheese and ricotta cheese actually taste that similar?? Have I been denying myself a wonderfully tasting product just because I absolutely love cream cheese!! Oh say it isn’t so!! ? I will be trying both of the recipes today and I can’t wait to see how good they are going to taste. Thank you so much! You may have just changed my life! I had 4 packages of cream cheese on my grocery list (yes, I love it in everything) but now I think I just need milk!! Total life changer!
Several years ago I purchased Ricotta from the store and I hated the grainy texture. I’ve not tried it since. Is homemade any better as I’d love to give it a try. I make my own yogurt so I do have my hands in already, so to speak.
Homemade ricotta is very creamy and delicate, so I think you’d love it Sandy.
Would like some feedback please if anyone can help. I made this ricotta recipe and yes it was delicious however my curds were not lumpy and the consistency was definitely more cream cheese -like. I am trying it again today see if the result changes however, I was wondering if my result was because where I live, we don’t have fresh milk like most people. Our milk is all taken in, turned into powder and then reconstituted. We get full milk, semi skinned and skimmed but all from powder. Do you think this could be why my curds are not so lumpy? Thanks a lot. Wendy.
I do think this works best with fresh milk, Wendy, so that could have well been the problem.
I am happy to know this. I love recipes with Ricotta, but it’s always so expensive that I never keep it on hand.
Now I can make my own! Thanks for sharing.
Would this be suitable for making cannoli filling?
Sure!
I tried this and it was great! I’ll do my ricotta cheese this way from now on. Thanks!
I’m so glad Pastora, enjoy all your ricotta 🙂