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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Recipes

    Homemade Ricotta Cheese

    Published: Jul 20, 2013 · Modified: Oct 5, 2022 by Samantha Ferraro · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    After you read this post, you can now call yourself a cheese maker.

    Homemade Ricotta Cheese via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    Well after you make this recipe too, of course. I think adding “cheese maker” to your repertoire has a nice ring to it, don’t ya think?

    You can say cool things like… “Last week when I was making cheese…” or “I’m sorry, I can’t go out tonight, I’ll be making cheese”. See, you can use your newly found cheese making skills to cancel a date instead of saying you have to blow dry your cat.

    It’s been said before…don’t judge.

    Homemade Ricotta Cheese via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    The process is pretty easy really. All you need is milk and cream, acid and some time. Get the best whole milk you can find, you can taste the difference. Then you bring it up to temp and get it nice and sweaty. After a few heightened degrees, acid is added it help form the curds. And speaking of curds, here’s a vocabulary lesson for you! Curds are the curdling cheese that starts to pull away from the whey, which is the liquid that’s leftover. When I was making the ricotta, Joe said “Wow, how much water did you pout in there?” And that is when he learned what curds and whey were.

    This batch makes enough to stuff in a few 4oz mason jars and are perfect for homey gifts. Tie a little ribbon around it with a tag that shows off your cheese and you have the perfect food-lovers gift, if they last that long, that is.

    Don’t be surprised if you find yourself sneaking big spoonfuls. It’s pretty addictive.

    Also, another tip, thanks to Wonky Wonderful: As the curds are draining, do not..and I repeat..DO NOT press down on the curds to squeeze more liquid out. This will cause you to have a very dry cheese! Instead, just allow the liquid to naturally drip off and once you don’t see any more liquid, then you should be goo to go. It took me a solid 2 hours.

    Method:

    1) In a large pot, combine milk, cream and salt. Place on low-medium heat and use a candy thermometer to bring the milk up to 190 degrees F.

    Homemade Ricotta Cheese via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    2) Once it reaches temperature, turn off heat and add lemon juice. Stir it once and allow to sit for 5 minutes. At this point you should see the milk beginning to curdle.

    Homemade Ricotta Cheese via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    3) Line a large mesh strainer we several layers of cheese cloth. Place the strainer on top of a very large pot and ladle the milk mixture into lined strainer. You will need a large pot to catch all of the liquid, there will be a lot.

    Homemade Ricotta Cheese via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    4) Allow the mixture to drain for 2 hours. Do not squeeze the cheese, just allow the liquid to nationally drip off.

    5) When done, scoop fresh ricotta into large or small mason jars and show off your work to your friends.

    Homemade Ricotta Cheese

    Samantha Ferraro
    Learn to make homemade ricotta cheese made with just 4 ingredients.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Servings 10 servings
    Calories 282 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 8 cups whole milk
    • 2 cups heavy cream
    • 10 Tb fresh lemon juice strained (about 3-4 lemons)
    • 1 tsp salt

    Instructions
     

    • In a large pot, combine milk, cream and salt. Place on low-medium heat and use a candy thermometer to bring the milk up to 190 degrees F.
    • Once it reaches temperature, turn off heat and add lemon juice. Stir it once and allow to sit for 5 minutes. At this point you should see the milk beginning to curdle.
    • Line a large mesh strainer we several layers of cheese cloth. Place the strainer on top of a very large pot and ladle the milk mixture into lined strainer. You will need a large pot to catch all of the liquid, there will be a lot.
    • Allow the mixture to drain for 2 hours. Do not squeeze the cheese, just allow the liquid to nationally drip off.
    • When done, scoop fresh ricotta into large or small mason jars and show off your work to your friends.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 282kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 8gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 320mgPotassium: 354mgFiber: 0.04gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1017IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 273mgIron: 0.1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know on Instagram!

    Homemade Ricotta Cheese via LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    More Vegetarian Recipes

    • Greek Rice Pilaf with Orzo
    • Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Mint and Lemon (Mercimek Çorbasi)
    • Greek Fries with Feta and Tzatziki
    • Homemade Tzatziki Sauce (with Pita Chips)

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. DB-The Foodie Stuntman says

      July 20, 2013 at 10:08 am

      Great job making your own ricotta, but you’re missing half of the fun! In other words, what dish did you make with your ricotta? Might I suggest a ricotta cheesecake? Lasagna Bolognese?

      Also, a hint I learned from reading Michael Chiarello: To help drain the whey from the curds, tie the corners of your cheesecloth to a faucet to create a bag. I was able to drain the whey off in about 20 minutes. I have a picture when I made ricotta myself about a year ago.

      Reply
    2. Dinaz says

      July 20, 2013 at 12:12 pm

      Growing up in India, we used a lot of paneer in our cooking. After coming to the US I learnt to make my own paneer. Reading your blog I learnt paneer is the same as ricotta cheese!!!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        July 24, 2013 at 3:22 pm

        Ah that is great to know! I didn’t know ricotta and paneer are the same thing? Awesome!

        Reply
    3. DessertForTwo says

      July 24, 2013 at 11:41 am

      I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. I need to make it happen!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        July 24, 2013 at 3:19 pm

        It is SOOO easy…seriously!! I tried to make mozzarella…that was a disaster! lol

        Reply
    4. Stu B. says

      July 28, 2013 at 7:29 pm

      I just did this using goats milk. Ended up with wonderful goat cheese.

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        July 30, 2013 at 10:47 am

        Hey Stu! Such a great idea using goat milk…that’s next on my list! Thanks for the suggestion.

        Reply

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