Ok, you are probably thinking, why should I make my own ricotta cheese if I can just go to the store and buy it? Well, the answer is, because it will be fresher and you control the quality of ingredients. Anyone can go to the store and buy a container of ricotta cheese, but if you make it at home it will be fresh, and you can impress your family and friends and show off your cheese monger skills. All you need are three ingredients…..that’s it, just three ingredients, unless you don’t count salt, so it’s really only two ingredients. Doesn’t that sound good? Ricotta cheese can be used in sweet as well as in savory dishes. If you are thinking that ricotta can only be used to make cheesecake with, think again. You can put ricotta on a crostini and drizzle it with olive oil…yum! Or you can use ricotta cheese to make a lasagna! Either way, you will love the freshness of a homemade ricotta, so here’s how you make it.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Whole Milk
- 3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Directions
Gently remove the curds from the pot to the colander. Make sure the colander sits in a bowl to catch any drippings. Gather the cheesecloth and twist at the top, gently pressing to release some of the liquid. Tie with a kitchen twine and let drain for 30 minutes.
Fantastic post. I love ricotta cheese but I’ve never thought of making my own. I didn’t actually realise it was that simple! I’m giving this a go! Thanks x
Thanks. I’ve never made ricotta cheese at home either. Although, I do make farmer’s cheese. Something that homecooks often make from my heritage.
What’s farmer’s cheese? Is that like a hard Cheddar-type cheese? I’d love to be able to make my own cheese. I’m going to do a bit more research and make this ricotta though. Great idea!
Great question! Farmer’s cheese is more like a hard cottage cheese. It’s something between cottage cheese and ricotta.