Ricotta cheese, a delicious key ingredient in everything from lasagna to cannoli, is easy to make yourself in your kitchen. Homemade ricotta cheese requires only a few ingredients and is lighter and fresher than store-bought ricotta cheese. See Step 1 and beyond to learn how to make ricotta cheese today.
Ingredients
Milk-Based Ricotta Cheese
- 8 glasses of milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Utensils: non-reactive bowl or container, cotton cloth, fine sieve, saucepan, thermometer, large wooden spoon.
Whey-Based Ricotta Cheese
- Whey left over from making cheese
- Utensils: non-reactive bowl or container, cotton cloth, fine sieve, saucepan, thermometer, large wooden spoon.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Milk-Based Ricotta Cheese
Step 1. Prepare the filter
Line a fine sieve with a wide sheet of cheesecloth, and arrange over a bowl. Place this equipment on the surface of your workbench so that it is ready and easy to access
If you don't use cheesecloth, it will be difficult to separate the cheese curds from the whey. You can replace it with a strong double layer of paper towels (not easy to tear) or cheesecloth in a pinch
Step 2. Heat the milk, cream and salt
Place the milk, cream and salt in a saucepan and heat the mixture over medium-high heat. Heat to 200 degrees F. When the mixture has reached that temperature, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the heat so the milk can begin to cool. Approximately 5 minutes of heating is required until it reaches the desired temperature.
- Stir the mixture as it heats to prevent it from sticking or burning on the bottom.
- Use a bar thermometer or instant thermometer to see if the mixture has reached the desired temperature. If you don't cook the mixture long enough, the curds won't separate from the whey. Meanwhile, if you cook it too long, the texture will be damaged.
Step 3. Add the vinegar little by little
Use one hand to stir constantly while the other hand slowly pours the vinegar into the milk and cream mixture. The vinegar will cause the curd to thicken and separate from the whey. You will see lumps of solid form and float on the surface of the liquid. Keep stirring until all the vinegar has been added.
- The thickening agent used here is vinegar but some people prefer to use other substances. Try replacing it with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice for a different taste.
- For a more traditional touch, try using animal-derived rennet enzymes as a coagulant. Mix 1 teaspoon of rennet with 1/4 cup of cold water, then stir into the milk mixture.
Step 4. Allow the mixture to thicken
Wait about 10 - 20 minutes for the coagulant to work and cause the curd to separate from the whey. The mixture is ready when the curds have floated to the top to form a thick layer and leave the liquid whey underneath.
Step 5. Scoop the curd into a colander
Spoon a layer of thick curd over the surface and place it on a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Continue scooping out the curd or solids until all that's left in the pan is the whey, which is a liquid. At this point, you can discard the whey.
Step 6. Drain the ricotta cheese
Wait at least an hour for the last of the whey liquid to drip from the pulp (which will become the ricotta cheese) through the cheesecloth into the bowl underneath. It will take about half an hour for the ricotta to be completely drained. Do not try to stir or press the pulp through the cheesecloth, as this will only push the curd into the fabric.
If you want the ricotta cheese to have a creamy texture (thick, not dense), stop draining the ricotta after 5-10 minutes. For drier, denser cheeses, wait up to an hour to drain
Step 7. Spoon the ricotta cheese into a bowl
Now the resulting ricotta cheese is ready to be used in your favorite recipe. This cheese is especially delicious as part of a savory dish or dessert. Ricotta will last well in the refrigerator for up to about a week.
Method 2 of 2: Whey-Based Ricotta Cheese
Step 1. Store the whey from leftover cheese making in a non-reactive container or pan
When you make your own cheese, you will have curd at the bottom of the pan, and you will need to pour in the whey to separate it out. Strain out as many curd particles as possible from the whey as these will form hard "beads" in the final ricotta cheese you make later. Cover the whey and let sit for at least 12 hours at room temperature to allow sufficient acidity to form.
The acidified whey will act as a coagulant so you don't have to add vinegar or lemon juice to separate the curds from the liquid
Step 2. Heat the acidified whey
Pour into a saucepan and heat while stirring, don't let it stick or burn. Heat until the temperature reaches about 175 degrees Fahrenheit and a white coating appears on the surface. Continue heating and stirring until the temperature reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Note that the foam will build up somewhat. Careful. If it boils, it can get more and more and overflow
Step 3. Remove the whey from the heat and wait for it to thicken
Cover and allow to cool untouched until warm enough to touch. The curd will immediately appear like a cloud depending on the whey, while the whey will become clear with a yellowish green color.
Step 4. Strain the curd which will later become the ricotta cheese. Don't stir the curd. Instead, prepare a viewing pan with a large strainer and a fine strainer cloth on top. Spoon the curds onto the cloth and so that the whey is left in the saucepan. Discard whey water.
Make sure to gently scoop out the curd. Because it is so smooth and creamy, the curd can easily clog the filter cloth. This will cause the draining to be very slow if the curd is crushed
Step 5. Drain the whey through the cloth
It can take up to 2-3 hours for the whey to completely drain from the curd. If you wish, you can also place the curd and strainer in the refrigerator and let it drain overnight.
Step 6. Remove the ricotta from the filter cloth
Pack the resulting Ricotta cheese in a container, cover and store in the refrigerator. Use as soon as possible after manufacture.
Ricotta will keep good for up to a week in the refrigerator. Or, freeze the ricotta. Ricotta cheese freezes very well
Tips
- This process of making ricotta cheese relies on the acidic bacteria present in whey to further ferment the liquid while the whey is left at room temperature for an additional 12-24 hours. During that time, the remaining sugar gets converted into lactic acid which lowers the pH of the whey (becomes more acidic). The solubility of protein in acidified whey will be reduced. Heating acidified whey will denature the protein in it, causing the protein to settle as a soft curd.
- 1 cup = 250 mL
