Best 4 Easy Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipes

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**Homemade Ricotta Cheese: A Creamy, Versatile Culinary Gem**

Homemade ricotta cheese is a creamy, versatile culinary gem that elevates both sweet and savory dishes with its delicate flavor and smooth texture. As a foundation for spreads, dips, and desserts, ricotta adds richness and a touch of tanginess. In pasta dishes and casseroles, it lends a luscious creaminess that binds flavors together seamlessly. With its impressive nutritional profile, boasting a wealth of protein, calcium, and essential vitamins, ricotta stands as a wholesome addition to any meal.

This collection of recipes offers a comprehensive guide to crafting homemade ricotta cheese, ensuring every step is executed with precision. Discover the classic method using whole milk, vinegar, and salt, a technique perfected over generations. For those seeking a vegan alternative, the almond milk ricotta recipe provides a delectable dairy-free option, capturing the essence of ricotta without compromising on texture or flavor.

Elevate your culinary repertoire with a variety of ricotta-based dishes. Spread the smooth, luscious homemade ricotta on toasted bread or crackers, topped with fresh herbs, honey, or your favorite jam. Indulge in a creamy ricotta dip, swirled with roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, or tangy pesto. Transform ordinary pancakes or waffles into a delightful treat by incorporating ricotta into the batter, resulting in a fluffy, tender texture.

For a delightful savory experience, incorporate ricotta into pasta dishes, lasagna, or manicotti, where its velvety texture harmonizes perfectly with rich sauces and hearty fillings. Explore the versatility of ricotta in casseroles, where its creamy presence lends a comforting warmth to dishes like baked ziti or spinach and ricotta soufflé.

Homemade ricotta cheese not only elevates your culinary creations but also offers a healthier alternative to store-bought varieties. By controlling the ingredients and avoiding preservatives, you can savor the pure, natural goodness of ricotta. Embark on this culinary journey and discover the joy of crafting your own ricotta cheese, a versatile ingredient that adds a touch of elegance to every meal.

Here are our top 4 tried and tested recipes!

EASY AND DELICIOUS HOMEMADE RICOTTA CHEESE



Easy and Delicious Homemade Ricotta Cheese image

A lovely creamy cheese which is very easy to make! Even my sister who refused to eat the cheese at first ended up loving it! This is a fail-safe recipe in our household, I have made it time and time again. To cheese or not to cheese...that is never the question!

Provided by Alicia_in_London

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     European     Italian

Time 40m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 3

8 ½ cups whole milk
⅓ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt

Steps:

  • Pour milk into a saucepan set over medium heat. Heat milk until it registers 194 degrees F (90 degrees C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Stir lemon juice and salt slowly into warmed milk. Let stand until milk curdles, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour milk mixture carefully into the lined strainer. Let stand until most of the liquid has drained off the ricotta, about 15 minutes. Discard drained liquid.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 158.1 calories, Carbohydrate 12.6 g, Cholesterol 25.9 mg, Fat 8.4 g, Protein 8.4 g, SaturatedFat 4.8 g, Sodium 394.5 mg, Sugar 12 g

HOMEMADE RICOTTA CHEESE



Homemade Ricotta Cheese image

Once you try this easy and delicious recipe, you'll never buy grocery-store ricotta again.

Provided by Rhoda Boone

Categories     Milk/Cream     Ricotta     Lemon Juice

Yield Makes 2 1/2 cups

Number Of Ingredients 4

8 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Steps:

  • Line a large colander with 2 layers of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl.
  • In a 5 to 6 quart pot over medium heat, heat milk, cream, and salt, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching, until mixture foams and comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add lemon juice. Simmer, stirring, until mixture curdles, 2 minutes for small curds. If you'd like a larger, dryer curd, continue to simmer an additional 2 minutes.
  • Pour mixture into cheesecloth lined colander and drain 10 to 15 minutes or until desired texture is achieved. Empty liquid from bowl if necessary to ensure proper draining. Reserved whey can be used in smoothies or soup. Chill ricotta until ready to use.
  • Serve spread onto crostini with a drizzle of olive oil, dollop over pasta or pizza, or stir into scrambled eggs. Ricotta will keep in the fridge for 1 week.

EASY HOMEMADE RICOTTA



Easy Homemade Ricotta image

Provided by Food Network

Time 50m

Yield about 4 cups

Number Of Ingredients 2

1 gallon whole milk
1 quart buttermilk

Steps:

  • Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and put it into the sink.
  • Pour milk and buttermilk into large pot. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Curds will begin to rise up and clump on the surface. Once the mixture is steaming, stop stirring. Curds and whey will separate. Whey will look like cloudy water underneath a mass of white curds (this will happen at about 140 degrees F). When separated, turn off the heat and ladle the curds into the cheesecloth. When all curds are in the cloth and the dripping has slowed, gently bring up the edges of cloth and twist it to bring the curds together. Give a squeeze to let the water continue to drain. Tie it with string and hang it over the sink or a pan to drain for about 15 minutes or so. Let it drain 15 minutes more.
  • Discard the whey. Untie the cheesecloth and pack the ricotta into airtight containers. Refrigerate and use within 1 week, or eat immediately. Serve with crusty garlic bread, olive oil and chunky salt, herbs or something else good.

CHEF JOHN'S HOMEMADE RICOTTA CHEESE



Chef John's Homemade Ricotta Cheese image

If I came over to your place and you served me homemade ricotta cheese, I'd think you were pretty cool. And while that's a good reason to do this, there are even better reasons--like, it's super fun to do, ridiculously easy, and you'll end up with something far superior to what you buy in the store. Serve on toast with honey, cayenne, and sea salt or with tomatoes, basil, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil, and sea salt--or however you like.

Provided by Chef John

Time 1h40m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 4

4 cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar

Steps:

  • Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set over a deep bowl or pot.
  • Combine milk, cream, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally in a "figure eight" motion, until it reaches a temperature of 195 degrees F (90 degrees C). If you don't have a thermometer, this will be right before it starts to simmer. You'll see steam rising from the surface, and tiny bubbles forming around the edges of the pan.
  • Turn off the heat, pour in the vinegar, and stir slowly in a "figure eight" motion for 3 or 4 seconds.
  • Let the mixture sit, untouched, for 6 minutes.
  • Carefully ladle into the cheesecloth-lined mesh strainer so that the dripping whey drains into the pot or bowl. Let the ricotta drain into the pot for between 20 and 45 minutes, depending on how soft or firm you want your cheese. The longer it drains, the firmer the texture will be once chilled.
  • Grab the ends of the cheesecloth and lift the drained ricotta out of the strainer and place in a bowl. Let cool on the counter to room temperature, then wrap and chill thoroughly.
  • Remove cheesecloth and serve. Ricotta usually needs an additional pinch of salt when serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 166.1 calories, Carbohydrate 7.9 g, Cholesterol 43.4 mg, Fat 12.6 g, Protein 5.6 g, SaturatedFat 7.6 g, Sodium 472.6 mg, Sugar 7.4 g

Tips:

  • Use fresh whole milk for the best flavor and texture. If possible, buy milk from a local farm or market.
  • Make sure the milk is heated slowly. If you heat it too quickly, the proteins in the milk will curdle and the ricotta will be grainy.
  • Do not boil the milk. Once it reaches 185°F (85°C), remove it from the heat and stir in the vinegar or lemon juice.
  • Let the ricotta curds rest for at least 30 minutes before straining them. This will allow the curds to firm up and make them easier to handle.
  • Use a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth to strain the ricotta curds. This will help to remove any whey that is still clinging to the curds.
  • Ricotta cheese can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

Conclusion:

Homemade ricotta cheese is a delicious and versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of dishes. It is a great way to use up leftover milk, and it is also a much healthier alternative to store-bought ricotta cheese. With just a few simple ingredients and steps, you can make your own ricotta cheese at home in just a few hours. So next time you are looking for a delicious and healthy ingredient to add to your next dish, try making your own ricotta cheese.

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