Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese- Did you know that with just 3 simple ingredients you can make your own fresh and creamy ricotta cheese in under an hour? I’m going to show you how! This is so easy, you may never use store bought ricotta again. If you have been looking to expand your home cooking horizons, then this recipe is for you! If you like making things yourself instead of buying them premade, I want you to think about making your own ricotta cheese. Not only is this fresh whole milk ricotta free of additives, but it is a wholly satisfying endeavor to make this yourself in your own kitchen. You are going to feel so accomplished!
Why You Should Make Ricotta Cheese From Scratch
My husband’s family is from Italy as well as Sicily. Before they immigrated to the United States they were cheesemakers, so there is a lot of family wisdom around cheese that has been handed down. I have made this cheese numerous times, and I have also taken classes in cheesemaking. This means I’ve got plenty of tips for success to share with you, as well as some troubleshooting advice to help you along the way.
Ricotta is wonderful in both savory and dessert applications such as cheesecake, fresh herb dip or pasta, and if you can make your own sauces, condensed milk, or creme fraiche, why not cheese?
Personally, I find the whole science behind making cheese to be really fascinating! I love making my own ricotta, and I am so excited to share this with you!
There are some differences between homemade ricotta and store bought I want to point out to you because they are important to know.
First, you may notice your homemade ricotta is slightly more yellow that store bought. This is normal and nothing to worry about! The homemade version is also drier, but I have helpful tips in the recipe notes to make yours on the creamier side. Another difference? The taste! It cannot compare to store bought. Homemade whole milk ricotta is light, milky, and fresh in a way store bought can’t replicate.
What You’ll Need To Make Ricotta Cheese At Home
I want to talk a little bit about the equipment you’ll need, and they are all things that you most likely already own!
Large Stock Pot- This does not have to be anything fancy, but I recommend something that you would cook soup or stew in. This will need to be large enough to hold the milk.
Fine Mesh Strainer or Colander- You’ll need this to catch the curds when you drain the pot!
Cheesecloth- This helps the colander catch the curds and makes it easier to squeeze out the whey.
Large Bowl- This should be large enough to hold whatever strainer you are using so that you can catch the whey (more on using the whey further down).
Candy Thermometer- This is really important to have so that you know what the temperature of the milk is.
Be sure to head to the recipe card for more thorough tips and instructions, including storage tips.
I hope you enjoy making whole milk ricotta cheese! Please leave a review or comment if you made this recipe. If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, don’t forget to subscribe to get all the latest updates. Happy Cooking!
Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
Have you ever wanted to try making cheese? You can make your own delicious whole milk ricotta cheese in your own kitchen with 3 ingredients! This creamy ricotta is great in desserts and savory recipes as well.
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Ingredients
1 gallon of Raw Whole Milk (Unpasteurized milk)
2/3 cup of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (or 2/3 cup of white vinegar)
1 1/2 tsp of Salt
Instructions
- Start by juicing the lemons. Depending on how much juice is in each lemon, you’ll need 3 to 4 large lemons to get 2/3 of a cup. Set the juice aside while you heat the milk.
- To heat your milk, pour the gallon of raw milk into a large stock pot. Turn the heat on to medium high. Be sure not to rush the heating process. This should take 20 to 30 minutes.
- While it heats, stir it frequently with a wooden spoon. This helps prevent the milk from scorching.
- Once your thermometer registers between 185 and 195 degrees fahrenheit, your milk is ready for the lemon juice.
- Add the 2/3 cup of lemon juice and remove the pot from the heat. Stir with the wooden spoon. You’ll see curds begin to form!
- Let the milk sit for about ten minutes. Stir again, and you should see even more curds.
- While the milk sits, get your large bowl and place your colander or strainer inside it and place two layers of cheesecloth inside the colander, making sure the two layers of cheesecloth line the inside.
- Place your bowl and strainer setup in the sink (I find that the bowl being inside the sink so its lower makes it easier to drain).
- Pour the milk into the cheesecloth lined strainer until the pot is empty. Because the strainer is sitting inside the bowl, the whey won’t drain from the curds until you lift the colander up a bit to let the liquid drain out. You can also drain the whey by lifting up the edges of the cheesecloth to form a bag and hold it up over the colander to let the whey drain, and squeeze the cheesecloth to force the whey out if you like.
- You won’t need to drain the ricotta for very long, just long enough for most of the whey to drain out which shouldn’t be more than a few minutes. If you find the texture is more dry and crumbly than you want, you can stir some whey back in a spoonful at a time until you have the consistency you want (heavy cream may also be used to add creaminess. See “additional tips” in notes section for this method).
- Once your ricotta is drained to your liking, add the 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir well. Adding the salt after draining ensures that you are not draining it off when you strain the curds.
- Your ricotta is ready to use! If you are not using it immediately, store in the refrigerator (see notes for storage tips).
Notes
Don’t forget to use raw whole milk. Pasteurized milk won’t work here. I know it does not work because I tested it so you don’t have to!
Does using raw milk mean your ricotta won’t be pasteurized? No, because during the cheesemaking process, you are heating the milk hot enough to kill bacteria.
Plain white vinegar can be used for the acid in place of lemon juice. They both work equally well. I have tried both and prefer lemon juice. Don’t try to use anything like apple cider vinegar or other fancy infused vinegars, it will make for a very strange ricotta.
If you’re using lemon juice be careful to get all the seeds out of your lemon juice before using, or you’ll be picking them out of your cheese!
This recipe will yield 3 to 4 cups of ricotta. If you don’t want to make that much, you can easily cut this recipe in half.
Troubleshooting And Tips For Homemade Ricotta
curds did not form- This could be for a few reasons. Not using raw milk, not using enough acid for the amount of milk, or the milk may not have been hot enough.
ricotta is rubbery or has an unpleasant grainy texture- your ricotta having a very grainy texture or being really rubbery happens when the milk is heated too quickly. Don’t rush the heating process! Ricotta made by heating the milk too fast is still edible, but the grainy and rubbery texture is unpleasant for sure.
When making ricotta, these are the issues I have most commonly run across. If you try this recipe and have a problem not listed here, be sure to email me and I will be happy to help!
Additional Tips For Making Whole Milk Ricotta
draining the ricotta- the longer you let it drain, the drier it becomes.
making your ricotta creamier- stirring some whey back into the ricotta after draining will help add creaminess. Or, for an even creamier texture, stir in about one Tablespoon of heavy whipping cream for every one cup of ricotta after your ricotta is drained. Using the heavy cream is a lifesaver if you forgot to save some extra whey!
what to do with the leftover whey- you can use this for more than just adding liquid back into the ricotta! Use it to make smoothies or brine chicken.
how do I know my ricotta was successful? Once you see curds forming, and your ricotta is not rubbery or overly grainy in texture, give yourself a high five!
be sure to use a thermometer- you can use either the type used for making candy or for deep frying. I have found more success using a thermometer than not using one.
Storage And Serving Tips
This cheese will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator in a container with a tight fitting lid.
I advise storing some of the whey with your cheese in case you want a creamier texture (or simply stir in some heavy cream as previously mentioned). If you need your ricotta on the dry side you can always drain whey off later.
Homemade whole milk ricotta can be used in any recipe or application that you would use store bought ricotta. Try it in desserts or on top of gnocchi! There are more ideas in the blog post worth checking out as well.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cooking From Scratch
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 13
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 445.1 mg
- Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.4 g
- Protein: 0.9 g
- Cholesterol: 23.3 mg
