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How To Make Ricotta Cheese With Heavy Cream

Homemade ricotta cheese takes just 4 ingredients (heavy cream, milk, salt and vinegar), and about 15 minutes.

Homemade ricotta cheese is so much more delicious than most ricotta cheeses from the grocery store.

It's also extremely easy and uses very basic ingredients from your pantry and fridge.

If you want to know how to make ricotta cheese, scroll on, and check out my easy 30 minute Homemade Mozzarella Cheese recipe!

The reason that ricotta cheese is so convenient, is that it only uses a few simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand or can easily pick up at even the smallest of grocery stores.

Using a combination of milk, heavy cream, and a bit of vinegar or lemon juice (an acid) is all you need to create delicious ricotta cheese at home, plus a dash of salt if desired.

Ingredients

Milk, heavy cream, vinegar, salt and mesh cheesecloth.

Heavy cream is also known as whipping cream. The fuller fat heavy creams (as opposed to half and half or light creams) are best for making ricotta cheese.

Whole milk is preferred over 2% or less fattening milks. While, you can used these lesser fat milks, the resulting ricotta won't be as rich and you'll end up with less ricotta cheese.

White vinegar, or good white wine vinegar are both perfect. Lemon juice can also be used interchangeably in this recipe, as it's the acid that causes the curds and whey to separate.

Fine salt (regular table salt) is better than kosher salt or coarse salt in this recipe because it doesn't interfere with the texture of the ricotta.

Cheese cloth should be folded to be two layers thick. If you don't have access to cheese cloth, use a fine mesh strainer or even a coffee filter.

Instructions

Heat the milk and cream in a pot almost to a simmer. It will develop bubbles, but don't bring it to a full boil.

Remove the pot from the burner and stir in the vinegar/lemon juice and salt.

You'll notice right away some curds begin to form.

Let it sit for a good five minutes to let the curds completely form.

Milk and cream simmering in a pot on the left, and forming curds on the right.

After about 5 minutes the curds have separated from the whey.

The whey is the thin, pale liquid that the solid curds are suspended in.

Pour the whole pot over cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer to separate the curds and whey.

Allow it to strain for 5-20 minutes.

Two images showing pouring curds and whey into cheese cloth and letting it strain out.

If you like a looser, wetter ricotta let it strain for a shorter period of time.

For a firmer ricotta, let it go for up to 30 minutes, or gather the cloth together to form a bag and give it a gentle squeeze to strain out remaining liquid.

Important Recipe Tips

  • Avoid milks that are UHT (ultra high temperature) pasteurized, as the proteins have been destroyed and they won't form curds.
  • For a thicker ricotta, strain the curds longer, for a looser, more moist ricotta, strain the curds for less time.
  • Don't have cheese cloth? I've had success using the following in place of cheesecloth to strain the curds: a coffee filter, muslin cloth, new and clean nylon, and a fine mesh strainer.
  • You can also strain the curds directly over the sink if you use a colander underneath the straining material to hold it up.
How long does ricotta cheese last?

Homemade ricotta cheese will stay fresh in the fridge, covered for up to 5 days.

What can I use ricotta cheese for?

Ricotta cheese can be used in baked goods, dolloped on pizza, it can be flavored and made into dips, as ravioli filling, as a spread or condiment, and in an infinite amount of other ways.

Can you freeze ricotta?

Technically, yes, and it isn't harmful to eat. However, it does change the texture and it may no longer be desirable in a number of ways and recipes.

Can I use organic milk to make ricotta cheese?

Many organic milks are UHT (ultra high temperature) pasteurized, which affects it's ability to coagulate and form curds, therefore check the carton and avoid organic milks that are UHT pasteurized.

Stoneware ramekin full of fresh ricotta cheese.

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📖 Recipe

Beige stoneware ramekin full of ricotta cheese next to cheesecloth.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Quick and easy homemade ricotta cheese recipe, using just a few basic ingredients.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: condiment, ingredient
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: homemade ricotta, how to make ricotta cheese, ricotta cheese
Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Straining Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 112kcal
Author: Erin
Cost: $0.95

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoon white vinegar white or lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt

Instructions

  • Add milk and cream to a sauce pan. Bring just up to a simmer (not boil) over medium high heat.
  • Remove from heat, stir in vinegar and salt. Let sit for 5 minutes for curds to form, you should see them lumping up on the back of the spoon and in the mixture.
  • Pour mixture through two layers of cheese cloth (or 3 layer for a thicker ricotta) and allow the thin, pale liquid to strain out into a bowl or container. You can also do this directly over the sink if you use a colander underneath the straining material to hold it up.
  • What is left in the straining material is the ricotta cheese! Store in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

  • Whole milk and heavy cream is preferred for this recipe.
  • Choose a basic white vinegar, a good white wine vinegar or lemon juice as the acid for this recipe.
  • If you don't have access to cheese cloth, use a coffee filter or fine mesh strainer. 
  • Strain the curds longer for thicker ricotta, and for less time for looser, more moist ricotta. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 80mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 427IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 69mg
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Recipe Rating




Lola

Saturday 26th of August 2023

Can I just make it with only heavy cream and no milk?

T

Saturday 23rd of December 2023

@Lola,Instead of 2 cups milk to 1 cup heavy cream, I tried 2 cups cream to 1 cut milk -no curds, so I added another cup of milk-still no curds. Guessing I need to add another cup of milk and more lemon juice.