Ricotta Cheese Recipe | Easy Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe
Ricotta Cheese is usually used for savoury or sweet dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and especially dessert. Ricotta is a dairy product rather than a true cheese, which is made from the whey that is leftover from the production of mozzarella cheese.
Ricotta cheese – make ricotta cheese at home
How to make ricotta cheese?
Ricotta cheese is made with just 4 ingredients and is really simple to make. When made at home it works out to be fairly economical, rich and creamy.
Milk, lemon juice, cream some salt and about a half-hour of your time — that’s all you need to make a batch of fresh, creamy homemade ricotta.
This ricotta recipe is incredibly easy and foolproof. And, if you are in India you already know how to since you are already an expert in making paneer or cottage cheese.
Difference between Ricotta and Cottage Cheese
Ricotta is made from the whey leftover after cottage cheese (paneer) is made. In fact, the product was invented specifically in order to find some utility for the large amounts of whey, just like cottage cheese was invented as a way to give a utility to the milk leftover from butter production.
| Ricotta Cheese | Cottage Cheese (Paneer) |
| Ricotta is a dairy by-product | Cottage cheese is a dairy product |
| It is made from the whey leftover from cheese production | It is made from milk |
| Whey that has sat outside to ferment for up to a day is heated to a boiling point, then the curds are collected in a piece of clean cloth | Curds are collected in a clean piece of cloth and some of the whey is left in, although most of it is drained |
| Not pressed, aged or coloured | Not aged, pressed or coloured |
| Has a grainy texture | Is creamy and lumpy |
| Tart flavour | Sweet and milky |
| 100g has 134 Calories | 100g has 93 Calories |
Ricotta Cheese - Frequently Asked Questions
So, what is ricotta cheese really?
Ricotta is an Italian cheese made from leftover whey which is very similar to Indian cottage cheese or paneer. It is much creamier and softer than paneer in texture.
Italians make ricotta using sheep, goat, cow, or water buffalo’s milk whey and the process involves coagulating the milk proteins.
How do I make traditional ricotta cheese?
This recipe of ricotta is a simplified method intended for making a quick batch of ricotta at home. Traditionally, ricotta is made by heating the whey leftover from other cheese-making projects (those made by using starter cultures and rennet) — if you have whey of this type, then by all means, you should try making traditional ricotta!
How to use Ricotta Cheese?
- Tuck it into a lasagna or cheesecake.
- Smear it on a toast.
- Make a sandwich
- drizzle it with your best olive oil, add salt, pepper, and scoop up with crackers
- spoon it onto your scrambled eggs.
- Combine it with some fruit, crunchy croutons and honey for a snack or dessert.
- Toss it with watermelons and crunchy seeds or nut for a refreshing salad.
How can I use the leftover whey?
Leftover whey is a mass of rich proteins. You can use it in myriad ways including:
- To knead your roti or bread dough.
- Rather than using plain water in your gravies, whey can be used.
- The same rule applies in substituting water with whey for making rice.
- Use the protein power of whey in your soups or broths.
- You can also use this whey for any baking recipe
- Or, you can simply whiz it into your smoothies.
Recipe Recommendations & Suggestions
| Cooking Tools Recommended | Recommended Ingredients |
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How to make ricotta cheese at home? Ricotta Cheese from Scratch
Add 2 tbsp water in a heavy bottom pan and when the water starts boiling, add milk, cream and salt to the pan. The same way you do while making kheer. This prevents scorching of milk.
Boil the milk for ricotta cheese
When the milk starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat. Add lemon juice in the milk and stir gently to combine. This leads to the start of milk’s curdling.
Add cream, lemon & salt
Let it rest for 5 minutes.
Separate whey from ricotta cheese
Pour the curdled milk in the sieve and let it drain for about 10 minutes. You can drain it for longer depending on how wet or dry you prefer your ricotta.
Strain the ricotta
You can use your fresh ricotta right away or refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a week.
Ricotta cheese – make ricotta cheese at home
Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 litre Full cream fat milk
- 0.5 cup Heavy cream
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice
- 0.25 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Line a large sieve with a cheese or muslin cloth.
- Add 2 tbsp water in a heavy bottom pan and when the water starts boiling, add milk, cream and salt to the pan. The same way you do while making kheer. This prevents scorching of milk.
- When the milk starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat.
- Add lemon juice in the milk and stir gently to combine. This leads to the start of milk's curdling.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Pour the curdled milk in the sieve and let it drain for about 10 minutes. You can drain it for longer depending on how wet or dry you prefer your ricotta.
- You can use your fresh ricotta right away or refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes - Ricotta Cheese Recipe | Easy Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe
- Always use full-fat or full cream milk for making ricotta from scratch as it gives the best results.
- If you like very creamy ricotta, drain the curds for about 10 minutes. For a firmer ricotta cheese drain the curds for about 20 minutes.
FINALLY, TO SUM IT UP
Ricotta cheese – make ricotta cheese at home
Traditional ricotta cheese is made from whey. This easy homemade ricotta recipe is super easy, creamy, and way better than the store ricotta cheese.
Ricotta Cheese is usually used for savoury or sweet dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and especially dessert.
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