Homemade Ricotta cheese is so much fun to make! And honestly, it really does taste so much better than what you buy at the store. It’s so sweet, creamy, and very delicious. It doesn’t take any special cheese-making equipment or supplies and takes less than 15 minutes of hands on time. It would be a great project to do with your kids. They love watching the milk suddenly separate into curds and whey!
Ricotta cheese is so versatile. You can use it in savory dishes as well as sweet. Mixed with some herbs, it makes an amazing spread for crackers. Use it to fill crepes, make lasagna, or a Spinach Ricotta Pie (this is one of our favorites!). The possibilities really are endless.
Four simple ingredients are all you need. 2 quarts of whole milk, 1 cup of cream, 3 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. That’s it!
To begin combine the milk and cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat. Gently cook the milk and cream, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. You will heat the milk up until it gets all foamy and frothy on top or until an instant read thermometer reads 185oF. This should take about 10 minutes.
Once the milk and cream are heated up to 185o remove the pan from the heat. Add the vinegar and gently stir for 30 seconds. The milk will immediately begin separating into curds. Add the salt and continue stirring for 30 seconds longer. At this point, place a clean towel over the pot and let it set for two hours.
Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer the curds from the pan to a large colander lined with cheesecloth. If you do not have any cheesecloth, feel free to cut up one of your husband’s clean white t-shirts and use that instead. 
Chances are, he will not even realize it is missing, but in case he does the homemade ricotta will really help in smoothing things over.
Bring up the edges of the cheesecloth and fasten or tie them together. Set the colander over a bowl and let the whey drain off of the ricotta for 30 minutes. (You can adjust this time to get the cheese to your desired consistency. Drain longer for a firmer cheese and less for a looser cheese.)
Transfer to a clean container and use immediately or place in the refrigerator. The yield is around 1 1/2 pounds or 3 1/2 cups. It will stay good in the refrigerator for up to four days, but it will probably not last that long. At least, it never does in our house!
Go ahead and give it a try! I promise that it really is as easy as it sounds, and the results will be the sweetest, creamiest, tastiest, Ricotta cheese you have ever had!
Have you ever tried your hand at homemade cheese before? If so, I would love to hear your experiences!
This post has been shared with Finer Things Friday, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Friday Potluck, Fight Back Friday, I’m Lovin’ It, Full Plate Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Tip Day Thursday, Things I Love Thursday, It’s a Keeper Thursday, Real Food Weekly, Ultimate Recipe Swap,
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Wow! Can it get any easier? We’ll be giving this a try next time lasagna is on our menu. Blessings, ~Lisa
Yum, Lisa! That sounds great! I hope you enjoy making the ricotta – there is something so satisfying about it
This is a very very nice tutorial! I have made fresh ricotta with our raw goat milk and we love it. Sometimes I press it into a bowl when it is still warm, cover and chill, and then we can slice it, too. I also have vacuum packed it (i.e. Food Saver bags) and it freezes and keeps for a LONG time.
That’s good to know Yolanda. I’ll have to try vacuum packing and freezing it – great idea!
This looks great. I never knew that it was that easy. I’m going to try it.
I’m a new follower, I just came from Miz Helen’s Full Plate Thursday.
Please stop by when you have a chance.
Thanks for sharing,
Joanne
http://wineladycooks.blogspot.com
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This might be a silly question – but can I use pasteurized milk and cream? I don’t have access to raw milk.
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Hi Christy! Not a silly question at all, and yes, you can use pasteurized milk and cream. Actually, even if you did have raw milk, this would not be a raw cheese because of the temperature that you have to bring it up to.
thank you – I must give this a try now!
Christy recently posted..Hearth and Soul Hop 46
I love this post! I’ve been planning to make cottage cheese soon… I love the bit about your hubby’s t shirt! Thanks for linking up to Friday Potluck!
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Hi Mindy,
I am so happy to have this recipe, it just looks awesome. I will be trying it very soon. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you next week!
Miz Helen recently posted..Swiss Strips
I’ve actually made ricotta a couple of ways; the whey method and this one. I really only use the whey method after making mozzarella. I’ve been working my way through my cheese book since we brought home our dairy goat a couple of weeks ago. I just fumbled my way today though cottage cheese- nearly ruined it but it’s still sort of cottage cheese (it tastes like it but the curd is too soft- my rennet is old so thats my guess as to what went wrong). I still have a lot to learn and it’s certainly easier to brave the more difficult cheeses when you have a steady milk supply available to play with.
What a timely posting! Have you tried this with soured milk? I have two gallons that have gone sour that I’m looking for something to do with.
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I have never tried this with soured milk before Tracey, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I do know that ricotta tastes and smells like the milk that it is made from. So if you use sour milk, it would most likely just have a different taste compared to ricotta made with fresh milk.
Let me know if you try it and how it turns out.
I make a “cheese” for my lasagna using sour milk. I simply put the milk into a pan and heat it. As it heats it separates beautifully, then I drain like you mentioned above. I don’t use the cream, because I am always trying to get rid of sour milk when we have had our fill of pancakes and scones. It does freeze well. I think yours would taste better, and will try the salt. But since we are always using the cheese in a sauce, it absorbs the flavour of the white sauce, or the other ingredients that I throw in.
This tip just made my day! I’ve never tried my hand at making cheese, but this looks easy enough
Thanks so much for sharing this today with Kitchen Tip Tuesday!
Your welcome! Have fun making the ricotta!
I’ve been making lots of yogurt lately with gallons of milk in our fridge (my little ones don’t like to drink it much, but love to eat other dairy products), and I’m looking forward to making the ricotta. Thank you for the recipe!
Blessings,
Michele
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Hi Michele! We don’t drink a lot of milk either – we mostly just use it to make kefir or yogurt and sometimes cheese.
I hope you enjoy the ricotta!
You know, I have made ricotta cheese with the by-product of making 30 min. mozzarella and the process was very similar only of course it wasn’t whole milk ricotta at that point. I will give it a try this way because it looks like the yield is much higher.
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That’s looks wonderful! If I was eating dairy, I’d definitely be trying this. Thanks for participating in Gluten-Free Wednesdays!
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So is the leftover whey usable, say in smoothies? While I love ricotta I’d hate to lose all those valuable minerals and nutrients.
Hi Rachel! The leftover whey from the ricotta is considered an “acid” whey, which is different than the “sweet” whey that you get from yogurt or kefir. It has a more tangy taste than sweet whey, and it does not have any beneficial bacteria like the whey from yogurt. I have never tried it in my smoothies before, because I usually use the whey I get from my kefir (or yogurt). I have used it in baked goods and homemade bread before with good success though! It wouldn’t hurt to try it in your smoothies and see what you think! Let me know how it goes if you do.
Of course, I wasn’t even thinking about the fact that once heated that high it would be devoid of the good bacteria. But I’m assuming that like sweet whey it would still contain many of the minerals from the milk. Hmm, not sure vinegar-based whey would go over well in the smoothie
If I make the ricotta I’ll definitely taste the whey and see if it’s compatible with smoothies. Otherwise I’ll have to find some other places to sneak it in.
Question —
Can the whey be saved for other uses like I do when I make greek yogurt/yogurt cheese? The yogurt whey has been cultured where this has not. But there might still be a use for this?
I’ve been wanting to make lasagna, but ricotta cheese is just so expensive. I’m thinking this might just be a bit cheaper!
Oh, and what kind of vinegar did you use?
Hey Diana! I use the leftover whey in my baking. See my comment above to Rachel for the reason why.
It is definitely cheaper for me to make the ricotta than to buy it pre-made, and the taste and texture is SO much better.
I use white vinegar for this recipe. You can try other acids, such as lemon juice, but I always have the best results with the white vinegar.
Hope this helps!
I just found your site today and I am definitely trying your ricotta cheese recipe soon. It is so nice to see young families eating healthy traditional foods.(My hubbie and I are in our 50s) I will be checking your site for more great recipes very often, Thank You!
Hi, I just wondered if anyone has tried making ricotta with kefir in place of the milk/vinegar or buttermilk? Thanks.
that’s it? i’m definitely giving it a try!
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I just made homemade cottage cheese with Elton Brown’s recipe, wondering what is the difference between the 2 ,almost exactly the same directions except for the temp that you heat the milk (cottage @ 120, yours @185). Does that make the difference in the texture or taste?
I’ve been trying to make ricotta lately and I am just not having much luck. I keep accidentally making queso fresco, which is a nice addition to some recipes, but not what I’m trying to do. My milk just never curdles all the way, then I have to add more vinegar or citric acid, and by the time I get it to curdle it’s not quite ricotta..
Your recipe does use a little more vinegar than the ones I’ve been trying so I’ll try that out next and see if it works. I’d love to be able to make ricotta at home@
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Thanks for the excellent recipe, it’s far superior to anything in the grocery store. It’s definitely the best ricotta I’ve had while not in Italia!
This is the recipe I always use…always turns out great!! I also like to add Basil or Italian seasonings if using it for lasagna or something similar!!