Learn how to make ricotta cheese at home. With this easy and delicious ricotta cheese recipe you are sure of success! Make a cheese that's soft, mild and creamy.
This is just one of the recipes included in my Simple Cheesemaking ebook. Follow the link to find more wonderful cheese recipes with easy to follow instructions and much more!
Ricotta Cheese is another soft cheese, like feta that can be easily made at home. Being a soft cheese, Ricotta does not require much equipment and does not need to age. It can be eaten fresh, plain, with herbs added or even added to recipes like spaghetti sauce to enhance flavors. As a dessert, ricotta can be found in Lemon Italian Creme which is wonderful!
Once I wanted to learn how to make ricotta cheese and try a ricotta cheese recipe, I wanted to learn more about it.
Ricotta cheese, with its mild flavor, is one of the most versatile cheeses. Ricotta means "recooked" in Italian and while it is traditionally made from fresh whey, it can also be made with whole or skim milk - I will give the recipe for both! But first, some background...
When we got our first family milk cow, Buttercup, I quickly learned how to make cheese. With every 4 gallon batch of cheese, I would be left with about 3 gallons of whey. Whey is the liquid that remains after the curds have been strained. Since whey still contains vitamins and minerals, I hated to just throw it away. So began experimentation to find a use for all the whey.
I tried giving it to the chickens but they were not thrilled with it and Buttercup didn't seem too keen on drinking it either.
I tried making a drink similar to Gatorade with salt, honey and lemon juice. But, my drink was not met with enthusiasm either - and, that is an understatement! I think "yuck" was one word used to describe it!
My next experiment with whey was to use it in cooking. I tried cooking vegetables in it - some were good and some not so good. Green beans were OK but potatoes were not good boiled in whey! And then...
2 Different Ricotta Cheese Recipes - Whey or Milk
I found that ricotta cheese could be made from this leftover whey!
Boy, was my family happy!
Now, I make whey ricotta after almost every batch of cheese - Swiss, cheddar, Monterrey jack, mozzarella ... My favorite ricotta is made from the whey of Mozzarella cheese; to me, it is the finest and best textured ricotta.
According to Wikipedia,
Ricotta is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep (or cow, goat, or Italian buffalo) milk whey left over from the production of cheese.
Tips For How To Make Ricotta Cheese At Home
I use fresh raw cow's milk from our own family cow for all my cheese making and have never experimented with sheep, goat or buffalo milk. And while I almost exclusively make whey ricotta, the yield is lower than that of milk ricotta and depends on what type of cheese the whey is leftover from.
When using leftover whey, it is important to make the ricotta immediately, the whey MUST be fresh or it will not work.
Before getting started, be sure to check out Cheese Making Basics for helpful tips, supplies and ordering information.
How To Make Ricotta Cheese At Home
A Whey Ricotta Cheese Recipe is given first followed by a Milk Ricotta Cheese Recipe. Please note that the yield for Whey Ricotta is lower than for Milk Ricotta.
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Ricotta Cheese Recipe Using Whey
📋 Recipe
Whey Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 gallons fresh whey*
- ⅓ cups apple cider vinegar
Instructions
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Pour the whey into a large pot and heat until it starts to boil.
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Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Let sit for at least 10 - 15 minutes. I usually leave it until the whey has cooled and is just warm.
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Line a colander with cheesecloth, pour the ricotta through the cheesecloth and allow the whey to drain. This may take several hours since often the ricotta is very fine.
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Use a spatula to scrape the ricotta from the cheesecloth.
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Cover the ricotta and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
Notes
Yields 1-3 cups.
This is just one of the recipes included in my Simple Cheesemaking ebook. Follow the link to find more wonderful cheese recipes with easy to follow instructions and much more!
Nutrition
Ricotta Cheese Recipe Using Milk
📋 Recipe
Milk Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk or skim milk
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
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Heat the milk until a foam forms on the surface and it is almost to the boiling point.
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If you don't heat the milk enough, the curds will wad up when you add the vinegar and be stretchy - more like mozzarella - still usable, but not the consistency of ricotta.
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Turn off the heat and pour in the vinegar and stir until the curds separate from the whey. The whey will turn a yellow-green color.
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Drain the curds into a cheesecloth lined colander.
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Remove the curds from the cheesecloth and place in an airtight container or form into a ball. .
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You can also place the curds in a blender or food processor and whip until smooth. If necessary add a bit of whey to help moisten the ricotta.
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Refrigerate or freeze the ricotta in an airtight container.
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Enjoy!
Notes
This is just one of the recipes included in my Simple Cheesemaking ebook. Follow the link to find more wonderful cheese recipes with easy to follow instructions and much more!
KimH says
Very cool.. Never thought to make my own Ricotta.. I have made mozzarella before.. it was fun.. I'll have to remember this & make ricotta sometime! Thanks!
Marilyn K says
I just made a half batch of your mozzarella cheese and it turned out well! I tried the whey ricotta but it was such a tiny amount. A lot of it got stuck between layers of cheesecloth, so i might use a cotton cloth next time. I have a question though: can the leftover whey be used as I would use whey from yogurt cheese or is it altered now that it has been boiled? I hate to throw it away.
Thanks for the great recipe and pictures!
Dina-Marie says
Marilyn, I have use the whey for cooking and even tried a homemade electrolyte drink using it but family did not appreciate it ;( Although it was fine for cooking most vegetables in, I now give it to our cows. I would try it as you do the whey from yogurt cheese and see how it works. So glad you enjoyed the cheese - thanks for letting me know!
Emily says
This looks so easy, can't wait to try it for myself!
Dina-Marie says
So glad you are inspired, Emily - let me know how it works for you!