Homemade Ricotta Recipe

Make your own fresh Homemade Ricotta in 3 simple steps and enjoy in your favorite recipes!

Cuisine Italian

Keyword homemade ricotta

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Servings cups

Calories 1202kcal

Prepare a colander by lining it with cheese cloth. Set aside.
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, slowly heat whole milk and 1 tsp salt on medium high heat. Heat until you have a gentle boil, that is until steam appears on the surface of the milk and it begins to bubble. Use a thermometer to verify when the milk reaches 190F. This will take about 10 minutes. Do not let the milk come to a full boil or it may scorch.
Remove from heat and stir in freshly squeezed lemon juice. You don't need to stir it very much and you'll notice the milk will immediately begin to curdle.
Let sit for 10 minutes. The milk will continue curdling and thicken as it separates from the whey.
Pour the mixture into your prepared colander lined with cheese cloth and placed over a large, deep bowl to catch the whey.
The amount of time you let it drain will depend on the texture of ricotta you are looking for. For looser, wetter ricotta that's perfect for Pasta with Ricotta, drain for about 10 minutes.
For a drier, thicker ricotta which is perfect for making cannoli: tie the ends of the cheese cloth around a wooden spoon.Hang over a deep bowl (to ensure the bottom of the bundle does not reach the bottom of the bowl) and drain for about an hour.
Keep refrigerator in a well sealed container for up to 3 days.

Use whole milk for making ricotta as you need the fat in the milk in order to separate into curds and whey.
Equal amount of white vinegar may be substituted for the lemon juice in order to curdle the milk.
Do not throw out the whey. It contains lots of protein and can be used in so many ways.
Store ricotta in your refrigerator for up to 3 days.