How To Make Ricotta Cheese
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Sep 26, 2025 
Learn how to make ricotta cheese easily at home with just four wholesome ingredients! This easy homemade ricotta cheese is rich, creamy, and wonderful to have on hand for countless recipes, or to enjoy as a delicious spread for snacking.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Most people would never attempt to make their own cheese at home. But you… You are not most people. You are adventurous. Daring. An appreciator of fine things. An ambassador of flavor. Plus, you know a little secret about cheese making that others don’t. Or at least you’re about to!
We love to make homemade ice cream, pudding pops, and all sorts of dazzling dairy treats in the summertime. Yet, there’s something else I love to make just as much and serve with fresh summer berries… My homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe! It’s silky, spreadable, and also completely irresistible served on crackers, bread, or as a dip with veggies.
Why You’ll Love this Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe
- Surprisingly simple – Just 4 basic ingredients and a step-by-step guide, and no fancy equipment required!
- Next-level flavor – Creamy, silky, and fresher than anything you’ll find at the store.
- Super versatile – You can use this ricotta cheese as a dip, spread, swirled into desserts, tucked into pasta – the possibilities are truly endless! Get creative!
With only 4 simple ingredients and our step-by-step-guide, you can make the most amazingly decadent ricotta cheese recipe that will put the store-bought versions to shame.
Ingredients and Tips
- Heavy cream – For the creamiest, richest and most flavorful cheese.
- Milk – I prefer whole milk to really amp up that creamy factor!
- Lemon juice – Fresh squeezed is always best.
- Salt – Sea salt adds just the right amount of savory and balances the naturally tangy taste of the ricotta.
Recipe Variations
- Skip the cream – You can substitute 6 cups of whole milk and skip the heavy cream, or even use low-fat milk for a lighter spin!
- Vinegar – You can use equal parts white vinegar instead of lemon juice if needed.
How To Make Ricotta Cheese From Scratch
Tips for success – It takes time to reach the right consistency… About an hour for really loose ricotta cheese, and two or more hours for something a little more spreadable. Yet it’s SO worth the wait!
Find the full Homemade Ricotta Cheese recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Storage Notes
- Storing leftovers – Ricotta will last about a week in the fridge stored in an airtight container.
Serving Suggestions
Homemade ricotta cheese is something special. A cheese you can easily add to savory dishes like our lemon ricotta pasta, stuffed shells, vegetable lasagna, calzones, or even over a salad to offer a little creamy goodness with nutrients you need like calcium and protein.
OR, if you’re looking to sweeten things up, why not make a lemon ricotta crepe cake or some whipped ricotta for dipping your favorite fruits and cookies!
I also like to keep a container of our freshly made ricotta cheese recipe in the fridge at all times, to serve as a quick snack or a garnish that elevates any dish to the next level! Serve with crackers, chips, or fresh chopped veggies or fruit – plus fruit spreads, a drizzle of honey or olive oil, or fresh herbs for an extra pop of flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
The ricotta – the curds – stays on top in the colander. The liquid that drains through is whey.
Sorry, probably not. However, you can drain it in the sieve overnight in the fridge, and that will help it to thicken!
There are all kinds of uses for leftover whey! It makes a great replacement for regular milk in most baking recipes, as it gives baked good a similar texture as acidic buttermilk. You can also use it to replace water or broth in rich soup recipes, or even as a marinade for meat.
To find more amazing dairy recipes, visit MilkLife.com. You can also learn about all the health benefits of milk on Milk Life’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons sea salt
Instructions
- Pour the milk and cream into a large stock pot. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. The moment the milk comes to a boil, remove it from the burner.
- Stir in the lemon juice and salt. (I like my fresh ricotta cheese salty and use 2 teaspoons of sea salt, but use less if you like.) Allow the mixture to sit and curdle for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place a large sieve over a large bowl. Line the sieve with 3-4 layers of cheese cloth. Pour the curdled milk into the prepared sieve and wait.
- Allow the ricotta to drain, separating the curds and whey, for about two hours. Then scoop the thickened ricotta into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The National Milk Life Campaign. All opinions are my own.
thank you for this ricotta recipe, never thought to make this but it’s one of my favorites and to be able to make my own, wow! and to even be able to tweak it a bit over time, wonderful
Be careful substituting vinegar for the lemon juice, it can turn things just a little grainy; it’ll even do that in straight cream. Also, try using lime juice (part for part) as the acid: it lets you add more salt without getting a strong lemon flavor, which makes a larger batch more versatile.
This is basically the Indian Paneer cheese recipe with heavy cream added.
I have made the paneer several dimes with great success using vinegar for curdling. I save the whey and use it for cooking.
This isn’t ricotta.
Ricotta means twice cooked using the whey from another cheese you used cultures to make.
This is Indian paneer, farmers cheese, Mexican fresco etc.
But yes you can substitute it for certain ricotta recipes not all.
You can drain it in a mold and make a harder molded cheese with herbs etc.
Made this with 6 cups of 2% milk, and it came out GREAT!!!!! Straining it took all of 10-15 minutes for it to be reasonably thick, I assume because I used the lower fat milk, so there was less to drain out? I always buy low fat/no fat ricotta, and the consistency was significantly better than store bought. Thanks for the incredibly simple recipe!
Definitely was hesitant in making this but it turned out great!
It’s so delicious!
This is SO delicious! I feel so decadent when I make it, and it’s always impressive to friends!
This is really awesome! And so easy to make!
Not yet. But, I will be…