Ultra creamy, made only with whole milk, heavy cream, vinegar and salt.
If you’ve never made Homemade Ricotta Cheese before, you need to stop reading this right now and go to your refrigerator or your local market and grab whole milk, heavy cream, quality white wine vinegar, and a pinch of kosher salt. Snag some cheesecloth too, you can find that in the baking aisle. That’s all you’ll need. Come back when you have everything, I’ll wait right here….
Once you’ve made your own ricotta cheese, you’ll saunter by the imposters in the dairy aisle with a well-deserved swag. You will never want a supermarket brand again. Homemade ricotta cheese is far superior in quality and taste.
Curds & Whey
Scour the internet for recipes and you’ll see that many use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the milk. It’s not necessary. Once the milk and cream just come to a boil, remove from the heat and add the white wine vinegar. After a minute or so the mixture will form the curds and whey, which is simply the solids and milky water.
That’s right, curds and whey… I know what you’re thinking… like Little Miss Muffet? Yes, like Miss Muffett. I’d like to think she was sitting on her tuffet making ricotta cheese and couldn’t stop herself from eating her curds and whey before separating them out like we’re about to do. I think there was potential for a nursery rhyme about patience and willpower. Though not quite as catchy, I guess.
Don’t be like Miss Muffet.
Separating Curds & Whey is Easier than it Sounds
COLANDER & BOWL METHOD:
Line a colander or a mesh sieve with a dampened cheesecloth and set it on top of a bowl to catch the whey (or the milky water) as it separates from the curds (or the solids). PRO TIP: The bowl underneath should be slightly smaller than the colander, so that the bottom of the colander isn’t sitting in a pool of whey, you’ll have created a bit of space. Even if there is adequate space between the two, check periodically to see if too much whey is accumulating in the bowl and discard, if necessary.
HANGING CHEESECLOTH:
Alternatively, you can do what my grandmother used to do and cut a long piece of cheesecloth, dampen it, and tie and hang from a knob on a kitchen cabinet with a large enough bowl set under the hanging bundle to catch the whey. Or, hang the bundle from the top of the kitchen faucet so the whey can drain into the sink.
You get the idea, we need to separate the solids from the liquid.
Ricotta Cheese in 25 Minutes
After 20-25 minutes, the whey will have drained from the curds and your cheesecloth will cradle the most delicately warm and aromatic bundle of ricotta cheese known to mankind. It’s really that simple.
How to Use/Serve
Once the mixture has cooled, but is still quite warm, toast yourself a slice of rustic bread and spread a warm layer of ricotta on top. Yum!
When we have dinner parties or get-togethers, we like to include little mason jars filled with warm ricotta cheese topped with caramelized onions as part of our appetizer display. Serving the ricotta warm takes this cheese to a whole other level and makes the texture creamier. It’s an amazing flavor combination when served on crostini or mixed with your favorite pasta.
And, of course, use this as you would store-bought ricotta in any recipe your heart desires.
Make Ahead
You can make this ahead of time too. It will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Just think how much better your recipes will be now that you’ve made your own Homemade Ricotta Cheese! You are a super-star and way more patient than that Muffet girl.
Disclosures: Below is an affiliate link, which means that I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, thereby allowing me to continue making a mess in the kitchen! Thank you for supporting this little blog of mine.
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Set a large colander (or mesh sieve) over a slightly smaller and deep bowl.
- Dampen a cheesecloth (about 2 layers of cheesecloth) with water and line the colander.
- Over medium heat, pour the milk and cream into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the salt. Stir occasionally and allow contents to just come to a boil. Immediately turn off and remove from the heat.
- Stir in the vinegar and set aside for a minute for the curds to form.
- Ladle the hot mixture into the cheesecloth-lined colander and let it stand for 15-20 minutes for the whey (milky water) to drain.*
- Spoon the ricotta cheese into a large jar or container, discard the cheesecloth and whey. Serve warm, use in recipes, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Notes
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