Make It Yourself: Fresh Ricotta

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Once you try your hand at making this milky ricotta (just four ingredients!), you’ll find no shortage of ways to use it.

Homemade Fresh Ricotta prep
Photo: Greg DuPree
Hands On Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
45 mins
Servings:
2 cups

It's easy to master this make-it-yourself ricotta, and once you do, you can spoon it over bowls of pasta, spread it onto thick slices of warm toast, tuck it into omelets, fold it into dips, and dollop it on top of pizza. And, of course, layer it into lasagna.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups (2 qt.) whole milk (not UHT pasteurized)

  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Directions

  1. Combine milk, cream, and salt in a large saucepan. Heat over medium-high, stirring every few minutes to prevent scorching, until milk just begins to boil (milk will foam and begin to rise), 12 to 15 minutes.

  2. Remove from heat and let stand until foaming subsides, about 30 seconds. Slowly stir in vinegar. Let mixture stand until milk curdles and separates from whey, 10 to 15 minutes.

  3. Line a fine-mesh sieve with a double layer of damp cheesecloth; set over a large bowl. Pour curdled milk into sieve. Let drain, emptying bowl if bottom of sieve touches any drained liquid (the whey), until most of the whey has drained and a rich, creamy ricotta remains, 10 to 15 minutes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

89 Calories
9g Fat
1g Carbs
3g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 2
Calories 89
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 5g 26%
Cholesterol 25mg 8%
Sodium 89mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 3g 5%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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