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Our easy homemade Ricotta Cheese recipe uses just four simple ingredients to make the BEST homemade ricotta in under 30 minutes. You'll never go back to store-bought once you've tasted the difference!
I never knew how easy it was to make my own Ricotta.
I never knew how easy it was to make my own Ricotta.And, like most things, store-bought just can't compete with homemade ricotta! All you need is milk, cream, salt and lemon juice, and the result is the creamiest, freshest ricotta you've ever had. And I really think homemade ricotta elevates anything you serve it with. My favorite is homemade ricotta dolloped on our focaccia, with a drizzle of honey and crushed pistachios. It also truly elevates lasagna or our lasagna soup. It always makes me feel like a pro in the kitchen!
Use this homemade ricotta in Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, One Pan Skillet Lasagna, White Pizza, Stuffed Shells, Manicotti, and Lasagna Soup!
How to make Ricotta Cheese:
Combine: In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream, and salt. Heat over medium, stirring often, until it reaches a bare simmer, 200°F measured on an instant read thermometer. Turn off the burner (don’t move the pot) and slowly stir in the lemon juice, in a figure 8 motion. Let the mixture rest undisturbed for 10-15 minutes.
Strain: Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Use a slotted spoon to gently scoop the curds that have formed, into the cheesecloth. Let the ricotta strain in the cheesecloth for 15 minutes before using or storing in a container in the fridge.
Homemade Ricotta
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream, and salt. Heat over medium, stirring often, until it reaches a bare simmer, 200°F measured on an instant read thermometer.3 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, Pinch of kosher salt
- Turn off the burner (don’t move the pot) and immediately and slowly stir in the lemon juice, using a figure-8 stirring motion. Let the mixture rest undisturbed for 10-15 minutes.2 Tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- Strain: Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Use a slotted spoon to gently scoop the curds that have formed, into the cheesecloth.
- Let the ricotta strain in the cheesecloth for 15 minutes using or storing in a container in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is amazing, so easy and delicious! It’s impossible to find ricotta cheese without stabilizers/gums/additives so I wanted to try making it myself. I didn’t realize it was so easy— just heavy cream, milk and lemon juice. I saved the strained whey and used it in place of the water in your Skillet Lasagna recipe that I made using the ricotta cheese.
I was so nervous to make this and I was scared after waiting the 15 minutes because I felt the consistency wasn’t curd-y enough, but I just poured it straight into the cheese cloth and strainer and what was left was beautiful. I’ve made so many of your cake recipes and they have all been 10/10. I’m using this ricotta to make the cannoli cake.