The EASIEST Homemade Ricotta

Everyone’s baking their own bread these days, but have you ever thought about making your own cheese? Just think about it: You need something to go with your bread. And all the cool kids are doing it.

Are you sold yet?

What if we told you it’s far easier than baking bread. Not only will you be done in an hour, it’s pretty fool proof (also a bread pun lol ).

For us, it has been pretty transformational to learn how to make homemade ricotta. In short, it’s easy to make and we love the end result. We’re never going back to grocery store ricotta.

why you’ll love it

Because homemade ricotta way better than grocery store ricotta. It’s that simple.

It’s a lot more creamy. It has better texture. It’s simultaneous sweeter and more savory. In a blindfolded taste taste, we are certain you’ll know which bite is the more satisfying.

Honestly, It’s so different that it’s almost unfair that the homemade version has to share a name with the store-bought stuff. It’s the real deal.

Also worth considering, ricotta pairs well with so many traditional summer foods (tomatoes, tarts, you name it). Learning to make it now is basically an investment in your future happiness.

Onto the recipe.

The EASIEST Homemade Ricotta

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings | About 16 oz

Ingredients:

Ricotta:
1/2 gallon of pasteurized whole milk ^
3/4 cup of heavy cream
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar ^^

^ Pasteurized milk is strongly preferred, but not totally mandatory. Ultra pasteurized milk CAN be used, but does not separate as easily as pasteurized milk.
^^ Distilled vinegar (or any other coagulate such as lemon juice) can be used, but we've found white wine to yield the best consistency and taste

Instructions:

In a large dutch oven, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring occassionally to prevent burning, until the mixture reaches 200 F.

Once at temperature, remove from heat, and pour in the white wine vinegar. Stir continuously 45 - 60 seconds to fully incorporate into the milk mixture.

After stirring, cover the pot and allow to cool for 15 - 20 minutes. During this time, the vinegar will coagulate the milk mixture and curds will start to form. These curds are your delicious ricotta!

Before removing the curds from the pot, place a layer of cheese cloth over a fine mesh sieve, and place the fine mesh sieve over a bowl. This setup is what will be used to strain the ricotta and collect the leftover whey.

After 15 - 20 minutes, uncover the pot and remove curds using a slotted spoon. Place curds in the cheesecloth/fine mesh sieve. Allow the curds to rest for another 15 - 20 minutes. If you prefer your ricotta to be on the drier side, let the curds rest for up to an hour, checking occassionally.

After draining the excess whey out of the ricotta, pack into a mason jar or airtight container and store in the refrigerator. The finished ricotta should stay good for up to 2 weeks.

Chef Notes: Stirring the milk mixture is important to prevent burning at the bottom of the pan. It also ensures the mixture is evenly heated which makes it easier for curds to evenly form.

The length of time the curds rest in the fine mesh strainer is entirely dependent on your taste in ricotta. We prefer ours to be more moist, so we opt for a shorter resting time.