^{If you make your own cheese on occasion you can consider it to be “a little something special”. Homemade ricotta is the treat your Sunday suppers absolutely need…and everyone SHOULD know your secret!}

***Warning*** If you’re a vegan, severely lactose intolerant or cringe at the sight of unique cooking methods…turn away now. This probably won’t be the recipe for you. Or stay, what does it matter…

As for the rest of us…Are you tired of quickly stopping by the grocery store and snatching up a $2-$3 perfectly packaged, ready to eat, pint of ricotta cheese? Are you looking for pure excitement on a weekend afternoon at home all alone? Are you longing to throw yourself into a lengthy process just to get one simple ingredient for you homemade pasta bakes or stuffed shells? Does watching milk curdle while making a mess in your kitchen inspire you to give up your weekend plans? Well, if you answered yes to any of these questions then boy, do I have the recipe for you!

All jokes aside I really do admit that this is a special recipe. It’s not something you’ll make weekly (unless you want) and it does cost a little more than a regular tub of cheese. It is, however, worth making it for a special occasion or to impress your guest. For me, it was the idea of knowing that I have the ability to craft cheese in my own kitchen…on a Thursday afternoon…while drinking a tallboy…(what a time to be alive).

Trust me when I say that after trying homemade ricotta, you’ll quickly know the difference between store bought and fresh cheese. It’s so good you’ll want to eat it on a piece a bread and call it a day. I say this because I’m not the biggest fan of ricotta but I was hooked after trying this recipe for the first time. I have such a large place in my heart for anyone who makes authentic food fresh and homemade. I wanted to be amongst those special people who could do so.

I visited Di Palo’s Italian market in NYC back in December 2019. Talk about an experience. Just walking in there alone is like Disneyland for an Italian. You’re quickly overwhelmed with the smell, the aged meats dangling over you head and the line of people just trying to get their favorites. I heard from the locals that they were known for making the best lasagna and apparently their own ricotta (or maybe mozzarella) I don’t remember. I was just blown away by how crazy and exciting this place was!

When I got back home to Florida I did some research on making your own cheese. I started with ricotta and boom! A star was born! I was amazed with how simple it was (a little time consuming) but rich and creamy in flavor like no other ricotta I have ever tasted.

You will also need

cheese cloth
strainers or sieves
sieve like spoon or a slotted spoon
candy/kitchen grade thermometer

I encourage you to try it once or twice. It’s not a healthy recipe by any means but, it does pair really well in a lot of Italian favorites that we can lighten up!

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Fresh Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Print Recipe

If you make your own cheese on occasion you can consider it to be “a little something special”. Homemade ricotta is the treat your Sunday suppers absolutely need…and everyone SHOULD know your secret!

Cook Time:20

resting time:1 30

Total Time:1 50

Ingredients

1 gallon whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup white vinegar
1 large lemon juiced
sea salt optional
lemon zest optional
Italian herbs optional

Instructions

In a large stock pot, add all the milk as well as the cream and bring pot up to medium high heat.
Carefully stir milk and cream mixture every 2-4 minutes to avoid scorching any liquid to the bottom of the pan until milk reaches 190-200°. Check by using a candy or kitchen grade thermometer.
Once the milk and cream get to the correct temperature, remove from heat and add vinegar and lemon juice. (Regardless of the combination of lemon juice and/or vinegar, you want add at least 1/3 cup of acid to the warm milk and cream mixture). Gently stir and cover with a kitchen towel.
Let the milk set aside to curdle for one hour.
Top a large mixing bowl with a sieve. Place a cheese cloth inside the sieve. After the milk and cream mixture has set for an hour, remove the towel.
Using a slotted spoon (or a sieve like spoon – recommended), gently scoop curdles from the milk mixture and place into the cheese cloth covered sieve. Do this until you’ve removed most of the curdles from the pot.
Depending on how loose you prefer your cheese, allow the curds to drain through the cheese cloth for at least 30-40 minutes. If you prefer, you can lightly tie and lightly squeeze more moisture out but a soft and creamy cheese is the best.
Pour into an airtight container or bowl and allow to cool for 10-15 before storing it in the fridge.

Notes

Ingredients

The fresher the milk and cream the better. You can spring for the generic brands (which I obviously do more often than not) and it works perfectly. If you want to take it to the next level, splurge on fresh organic milks and creams.

I use full fat (whole) milk and cream. I have not tried it with lighter milks or cream because I just have a feeling it might not work as well. I will buy the lighter versions and then when I am going all out, I’ll make my own.

Know that this can be a fun little canvas for a lot of flavors. Drizzle it with honey or more olive oil and herbs. It’s super neutral in flavor so it can go sweet or savory.

How long does it last and where?

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Can you freeze it?

Sure, why not? I freeze ricotta when I buy it at the store and I’m not going to use it right away like I originally intended. You will have to safely allow it to defrost in the fridge for a few days before using so it does defrost safely.

Substitutions?

I used whole, full fat milk and cream because that’s the best and if you want to get the most flavor out of it. Feel free to try it with lighter milk or even JUST whole milk and no cream.

I used both vinegar and lemon juice, however, you can use one or the other. Use FRESH lemon juice, not that bottled stuff.

Tips and tricks

Use a large pot! Don’t do what I did and commit to pouring all the milk in and then realizing it was going to be a tight squeeze. I played on the edge of danger and got every last drop of liquid into the pot. It just was a little challenging to stir.

Stir the pot every 2-4 minutes. You do not want any of the milk to scorch on the bottom. That’s not something you want to eat. Stirring keeps it moving and prevents burnt milk.

Use a candy thermometer or some sort of kitchen thermometer. I almost challenged myself to yet again be adventurous but you really do need to know the appropriate temperature for best results.

I have also seen people take the cheese cloth and tie it and hang it over a bowl… but I wasn’t feeling that adventurous or confident to say the least.

Towards the end of your process, I do like to add a little lemon zest and sea salt to my ricotta. You don’t want to overdo it on either but it enhances the flavor so much.

What do I do with this cloudy water that collected below the cheese cloth and the strainer?

That’s the whey which is the leftover liquid that remains after the milk and milk fats have been strained. It looks like a thick water with a cloudy yellowy hue. And if that’s not appetizing enough for you, it’s important that you save it. This is a great replacement in recipes for buttermilk or adding to baked goods as it adds flavor. I am so interested in what other people use this for and why it makes foods better…please share!

I also feel like all that leftover milk that didn’t curdle could be used for something. I believe that you can cook it and try again but I have not tried that method.

What to serve with it?

I think at some point I am going to add it to homemade ravioli. You probably wouldn’t need too much and it’ll be the perfectly rich filling needed in that pasta.

It really can go into any pasta as a replacement to store bought. I personally enjoy it on top of a crusty piece of bread with roasted tomatoes or as the center to a cheese board.

I am also pretty tempted to use this cheese in pancakes or waffles at some point.