Name: Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 8 h 35 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 gallon whole milk; 1 quart heavy cream; 1-2 cups buttermilk; 1 tsp salt

Creamy Homemade Ricotta Cheese is so much better than store bought! With only 4 ingredients, this recipe will convert you to making your own ricotta for your favorite recipes.

horizontal shot of homemade ricotta cheese on cheesecloth on dark wooden board

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Years ago, I was introduced to a local cheese maker in Phoenix that specialized in making Italian cheeses from scratch. When I had tasted her homemade ricotta, it was nothing like what I had ever tried before. It was creamy, the curd was soft, it was perfect. At that moment, I was convinced that homemade was the best to go.

But it took me a while to figure out how this cheese maker made such a creamy ricotta cheese. Finally, after watching another chef make ricotta, I figured it out and I am sharing it with you.

What’s the Best Ricotta Cheese

In my humble opinion, I feel like this homemade ricotta cheese recipe is the best out there. And there are a few reasons for that.

This recipe consists of only 4 ingredients:
- Whole milk
- Cream
- Buttermilk
- Salt
It only takes about 30 minutes of cook time for this recipe to come together.

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Ricotta is one of the easiest cheeses to make at home and doesn’t require any special ingredients or equipment. All you need is a large stock pot, cheesecloth, and colander. Super easy.

What Is The Difference Between Ricotta and Fresh Ricotta

So obviously the ricotta sold in the store is going to taste slightly different than fresh ricotta. The reason is to help the ricotta have an extended shelf life through additional salt, baking, and smoking. Fresh ricotta is creamier in texture, has a lower sodium content, and a much shorter shelf-life.

hand holding dark bowl of homemade ricotta cheese with a spoon.

How to Make Ricotta Cheese With Buttermilk

When I said that this recipe contained buttermilk, some of you might be wondering “where is the lemon juice?” When I attended culinary school, I learned that all you needed to make ricotta was milk, lemon juice, and salt. The result was ricotta cheese that was super crumbling and had a course curd texture.

milk, heavy cream, and buttermilk used to make homemade ricotta cheese

Making ricotta with buttermilk is the way to go! And adding cream helps the homemade ricotta cheese to have such a smooth (yet curdy) texture.

Buttermilk is already a naturally acidic dairy product that will create curd from milk and cream when heated. Using buttermilk also helps keep the taste of ricotta cheese really neutral, making it ideal for blending with other flavors.

It’s super simple to make ricotta at home. All you do is combine the dairy and salt in a large stock pot an place over medium heat. Scrape the bottom of the pot occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.

After about 30 minutes, you’ll see curd forming at the top of the liquid; that’s when you know that it’s time to strain.

overhead shot of homemade ricotta cheese in cheesecloth sitting in large colander with a wooden spoon.

When I first made a big batch of homemade ricotta, my husband had a genius idea of using elephant clips to keep the cheesecloth secured to the colander. It looks a little ghetto but it’s functional. This keeps the cheesecloth in place while you’re pouring super hot dairy into the cheesecloth without losing any of the curds.

Now it’s important to place the colander in a large bowl to catch the whey (which you can dump out in your sink) because the cheese is going to have to drain for about 8 hours to fully become cheese.

Once the cheese is cooled and drained, it’s ready to be put in an airtight container in your fridge!

How Much Homemade Ricotta Does This Recipe Make

With a whole gallon of milk, a quart of cream, and about 1 cup of buttermilk, this recipe yields about 2 quarts of super creamy ricotta cheese.

Which is a whole ton of cheese, people!

How Long is Fresh Ricotta Good For

When stored correctly, i.e. in an airtight container, fresh ricotta can last for about 7 days in the fridge. Always be sure to check the color and smell of the cheese before using.

Can Homemade Ricotta Cheese Be Frozen

I have only frozen ricotta cheese when making ravioli; when the ravioli have been assembled and I freeze them for storage. Freezing any dairy outside of any final preparation is going to mess with the protein structure of the dairy product so I wouldn’t recommend freezing ricotta cheese by itself.

What Can I Use Instead of Ricotta Cheese

Trust me, this recipe is unlike any ricotta you have tried before and you will love it.

However, if you are against ricotta cheese (which would be weird if you’re reading this post…) you can always substitute cottage cheese for ricotta cheese. Both are neutral in taste and have a creamy texture.

homemade ricotta cheese on piece of cheesecloth and a dark bowl with homemade ricotta in the back.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe and find making ricotta cheese to be easy to do at home! If you especially loved this recipe, tell me all about it down in the comments (along with a rating!)

Happy eating.

Here are some delicious recipes that use ricotta:

Looking for more recipes that are better when homemade? Be sure to check these out:

Check out more Tips and Tricks to help you cook like a chef at home.

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Yield: 2 quarts

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Creamy Homemade Ricotta Cheese is so much better than store bought! With only 4 ingredients, this recipe will convert you to making your own ricotta for your favorite recipes.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 gallon whole milk
1 quart heavy cream
1-2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Bring dairy and salt up to a gentle boil in a large stock
pot, over medium heat. This will take about 30 minutes.
After the curd has formed on top, saucepot from the heat.
Place a large colander in a large bowl and line colander
with cheesecloth. Feel free to fasten cheesecloth to the colander with clips to keep from cloth falling.
Pour curdled dairy into the colander to allow the whey to drain.
Discard whey, place colander in a large bowl and allow to drain overnight.
Remove ricotta from cheesecloth and place in an airtight
container. Use in your favorite ricotta recipes.

Creamy Homemade Ricotta Cheese

What’s the Best Ricotta Cheese

What Is The Difference Between Ricotta and Fresh Ricotta

How to Make Ricotta Cheese With Buttermilk