You only need milk, cream, salt, and vinegar to make deliciously creamy ricotta cheese. No special tools are required!
A Soft Homemade Cheese
Ricotta is Italian for ‘recooked’ and ricotta cheese is a soft curd cheese with a mild flavor and creamy texture. It pairs well with bold flavors like tomato marinara, basil pesto, or roasted garlic. It’s also great with fruit and a drizzle of honey over crostini.
Ricotta vs. Cottage Cheese
While they can be used interchangeably in most recipes, cottage cheese is curds so the texture is more chunky while ricotta is smoother. I find ricotta cheese to be a bit sweeter in flavor and richer. Cottage cheese is less expensive and easier to find than ricotta.
What You Need For Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Milk: The base of this ricotta cheese recipe is milk. While I use cow milk, it can also be made with goat, sheep, or even buffalo milk. Do not use ultra-pasteurized milk (UHT). Heavy cream gives ricotta its rich, creamy flavor. Vinegar: Vinegar is the acidic ingredient that creates the curds. If you don’t have vinegar, lemon juice is a great substitute. Salt: Salt is added for flavor.
How to Make Homemade Ricotta Cheese
It’s fun and easy to make fresh ricotta cheese!
Storage and Leftovers
Store Ricotta cheese in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It may need to be drained or stirred before using. It can be frozen, but it will be watery once it’s thawed because the cell structures that were once frozen will break down, so it may not perform as well in recipes. In this case, drain and make dips or spreads with thawed ricotta.
Did you love this Ricotta Cheese recipe? Leave a comment and a rating below. Adapted from: “No Whey.” Canadian Living, Sept. 2018, 9. © SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
