Fresh Ricotta Recipe (2024)

According to J.Kenji Lopez-Alt, this recipe would perform better with a distilled white vinegar, as it's pH is consistent; the pH of the lemons differ from lemon to lemon, yielding potentially uneven results. Also, he uses much more acid: 1/4 cup vinegar to one cup milk.

This is called Paneer in Hindi. I just don't add the heavy cream when making Paneer. Also the leftover liquid, whey, is delicious and can be added to rice as a broth.

Yes, you can use a large coffee filter instead. I used cheesecloth the first time I made this, but have used coffee filters the every time after that --- worked great!

quality of milk is very important. I have made this at least ten times and I find an organic product works better. I also add a little more acid for a larger curd product.

I have been making my own ricotta for years and the recipe has never needed yogurt. 3 cups whole milk, 1 cup cream, 3TBS either lemon juice or white vinegar (depending on what you're using it for and how you want the end product to taste) and a tiny pinch of salt. Also, I use a jelly bag to strain it--finer textured results, cleaner whey.

I think maybe the recipe has a mistake. Maybe it meant 1 1/2 Tablespoons of lemon juice not teaspoons. After waiting quite a while I searched for other recipes and 1 1/2 Tablespoons seemed like the right amount. I added the extra and curds in an instant.
Now let's see how it tastes.

Try 1/2 gal. of whole milk,2 C buttermilk and 1C of heavy cream. Outstanding!!

Don't forget to save the whey and use it to make a hearty stock. Just freeze it until you are ready to use it.

I have made this using only goat's milk, no cream, no yogurt, heated just to a simmer and then acidified with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice. Ricotta comes out right away just short of boiling ten (at more or less sea level). Insanely easy and delicious.

I use white vinegar for consistency. I heat the milk in the microwave so I don't have to stir or worry about scorching. So simple!! Two cups milk, two tablespoons vinegar. Two minutes in the micro. Add vinegar to hot milk. Voila. Ricotta!

Use Dutch oven, - one part lemon juice, two parts vinegar. Watch for over boil. Wait until the whey separates.

I use the leftover whey when making pizza dough. It imparts a slight tanginess, rises beautifully.

I make a version all the time. If you're lucky enough to live in an area that sells raw milk, as I do, it's an absolute must to use it. I also have Rennet available. I use 1 Gallon of Raw Milk, 1 quart of the heaviest cream I can find (also lucky with nearby dairy farms). The pure decadence of this Ricotta is an absolute sin. Slurping warm ricotta is as close to heaven as one can reach. I like this with local farm honey, couple of slices of any pulpy fruit, a baguette, etc.

I had better luck with the vinegar also. With lemon juice I kept stirring, but did not know exactly what I was looking for. Put in some vinegar and bingo.Also, is it 1 quart or two of milk? The video says two, the instructions say one. I went with one and liked it.

This is not a foolproof recipe, I have made it a lot and I hope my experience helps some people. First, as some others note, you might require more acid than 1.5 t of lemon juice. I watch the mixture as it simmers/curdles - you should see clear separation between the curds and the whey, if not, it hasn't completely curdled and add more lemon juice (or can use vinegar) until it does. Second, with the cheesecloth I have, a quadruple layer is way too much - it won't drain properly. I use double.

For the ricotta: For the pint add white vinegar, 2 tablespoons instead of lemon juice. I used Lactose free milk; Organic Valley.

For those confused about what to do with the whey:Drink it. Whey is sold as a beverage in many parts of Canada, and I miss it dearly. Here in the US this healthful by product is put in animal feed. It is a nutritional and delicious food that not only feeds the all important micro-biome, but is also a precursor for the essential nutrient: glutathione. It is also delicious!

Omg this is so good I had to stop myself from just grabbing a spoon and digging in!

I made this for the first time and it was SO easy and SO delicious. I used white wine vinegar and it worked a charm. Absolutely keep the whey, the liquid that exudes, it's delicious and a wonderful ingredient in and of itself. Also, the ricotta was drier than I wanted and I just stirred some of the whey back in to desired consistency. Spread on really good lightly toasted bread, good olive oil and tomato, s & p and a few drops of excellent balsamic vinegar was beyond delicious.

I agree with other cooks who have made this- more acid is needed than what is listed. I used 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice (NOT teaspoons). The process is not any harder than making homemade yogurt.

So happy with this recipe and very appreciative of the comments as it helps so much as a first timer to know what to expect.

I've made this several times. The freshness and quality of the milk is crucial. My first batch was made with standard organic milk; it didn't work out. Second time I sought out local, NOT ultra-pasteurized milk - it's made all the difference. A drier ricotta won't go bad as quickly. SO much better than store bought!

Wow, this just did not work for me. What a waste of ingredients and money. Cooked and cooked it, added more lemon juice--nothing. Went back to the Ina Garten recipe (4 C milk, 2 C heavy cream, 1 t salt; bring to a boil, take off heat, add 3T of white wine vinegar, let it sit for a minute or two, then strain (I don't even use cheesecloth, just a fine mesh sieve). Success!

This took much, MUCH longer than the specified time. I had to add more acid several times, too. (I'm guessing it's at least partly because I live at 6500 feet? I'm still getting used to alterations in baking and such.)

Kudos and thanks to all of you who submit your notes! Your ideas and suggestions on this recipe and many others are extremely helpful, e.g. more acid, slow boil and jelly bag. Many notes are humorous and totally tickle me. Love love love the NYT Cooking community!!!