I know what you are thinking, what? I can make my own homemade ricotta cheese? Well, yes! Now, I will not get on my soapbox and tell you this is authentic made ricotta cheese, but I will tell you that I have made it so many times, and it always tastes just like the ricotta cheese I get from the store!
Living in a small community far away from larger grocery stores can sometimes prove to be difficult when you are looking for ingredients that small stores often do not have. We are lucky to have a great little grocery store in our town, but some items are lacking. Ricotta cheese seems to be one of them.
I wish I could remember every time I was in the big city to get all the important things I need, but sometimes its hard to know or anticipate needing certain ingredients. With the rising cost of groceries it is painful to purchase such items(especially expensive ones), only to end up not using it and have it go bad.
This is where having a hack like making your own homemade ricotta cheese will come in handy!
Making homemade ricotta cheese is actually super easy! You just need to make it a couple of hours before you need it! I am often making mine right before I need it because, as I said, sometimes my planning isn’t that great haha.
Thus, we’re going to do it the easy way and use whole milk. This will give us a nice, rich ricotta with a better yield (just 1 gallon of milk yields close to 2 pounds of cheese). We’ll start with half a gallon of milk to end up with about a pound of cheese.
Things to know about making homemade ricotta cheese:
- You cannot make ricotta cheese with ultra-pasteurized milk. Use one gallon of milk for this recipe. It will make about 2-3 cups of ricotta cheese.
- Use whole cow’s milk and add cream if you want the ricotta cheese to be creamier. You can also use goats milk as well as fresh milk. Fresh unpasteurized milk is ideal.
- Vinegar is what we use to make the milk curdle and turn into ricotta cheese. You can also lemon juice. You need a source of acidity to create the curds.
- DO NOT SCALD THE MILK. You want the milk to reach 185 degrees. If you do not have a thermometer, heat it over medium heat until it reaches the stage where there is a lot of steam, a slight film is forming over the top and tiny bubbles are forming close to the edge of the pot.
- Use layers of cheesecloth to drain your ricotta cheese curds.
- Use this homemade ricotta cheese to make your favorite pasta, lasagne, or even sweet desserts or lemon ricotta pancakes!
- I like to use a slotted spoon to remove the cheese curds from the pan.
- You can use a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth-lined colander to drain your cheese. Make sure to use cheesecloth for both options.
- Use a large bowl under the strainer or colander to hold the whey that drains from the curds.
How to make yogurt and ricotta with a gallon of milk
FAQ
Is it cheaper to buy or make ricotta?
Is ricotta just curdled milk?
Is ricotta cheese made from cow’s milk?
What temperature should milk be for ricotta cheese?
How much ricotta does a half gallon of milk make?
I find that a half gallon of milk dependably makes about two cups of ricotta depending on how long I let it drain, and the recipe can be scaled up or down to fit my recipe. Of course, if and when I do have leftover ricotta, I know there are plenty of ways to use up those last few dabs!
How much ricotta do you get from a litre of milk?
How much whole milk ricotta you get from a litre of milk will depend on the type of milk used (as discussed above), and how much of the whey is drained from the curd. The more whey left in with the curds will give you a cheese that is moist and weighs more. The longer you drain the curds the drier the cheese will be.
How is ricotta made?
When the fermented whey is heated, the combination of acidified whey plus heat naturally curdles the liquid. The whey then separates into liquid and solid curds, and the curds are strained to yield ricotta. In Italy, ricotta is made from lots of different animal milks, from sheep’s and cow’s milk to goat’s milk to water buffalo’s milk.
How do you make ricotta cheese?
This recipe makes about 350 grams of fresh ricotta cheese. Place the milk and salt into a large saucepan, heat the milk over a medium to high flame until it just comes to the boil. Stir the milk from time to time to prevent it from scorching to the bottom of the pot.