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–+ servings
Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

It takes just three ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes to make your own cheese. It's so creamy, so easy and so gooood. I'm advocating to make everyone a cheese maker out there :)
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

  • Cheese cloth
  • kitchen thermometer

Ingredients

  • 1/2 gallon whole milk , pasteurized is fine, but make sure it is not "ultra pasteurized"
  • 1 tsp citric acid, you can find this on amazon or in some specialty grocers
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • olive oil or hot honey for serving, optional

Instructions 

  1. Pour the milk into a large pot and place the pot on the stove and turn it to medium heat.
  2. Warm the milk on the stove until it is almost at a boil. Stir the milk occasionally with a spatula to prevent it from scorching on the bottom. Use a food thermometer to measure the temperature and take the pot off the heat when the milk is between 185F-195F degrees.
  3. Once the milk is at temperature, add 1 tsp of citric acid and use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir it in. You'll immediately see the milk begin to separate into curds and whey.
  4. Let the milk sit and separate for about 15 minutes.
  5. Place the cheese cloth on top of a strainer on top of a large bowl. Pour the milk mixture into the cheese cloth. They whey (the liquid) will drain out of the strainer, but let the curds (the cheese part) sit in the strainer for 5 minutes to continue draining. You want it to mostly drain, but still retain some moisture. Stir in the 1 tsp of salt.
  6. After the time is up, gently squeeze any excess liquid out of the cheese cloth.
  7. The ricotta is now ready to plate! Spread it in a bowl or on a plate and top with olive oil or hot honey. Highly recommend serving with some crusty bread :)