I’ve touched on the topic of homemade ricotta here before, but it was back in the infancy of this blog, aka loooong before anyone other than my husband and grandma actually read it. Homemade ricotta is so rich, so creamy, and believe it or not, sooo easy to make, which is why I think it’s totally worth revisiting… only this time with a video.
Making cheese at home sounds impossibly difficult and time consuming, and I can tell you that after attempting to make homemade mozzarella last summer, it absolutely can be. But ricotta is a different story. In all seriousness – I kid you not – making ricotta from scratch is maybe 1 notch more difficult than boiling water.
Ricotta is produced when an acid is used to coagulate milk proteins, and the curds get separated from the whey. This can be done with vinegar, lemon juice or buttermilk, and I’ve tried it all three ways. I’ve found that buttermilk makes the creamiest, best tasting ricotta with the most neutral flavor. Since it’s not as strong of an acid and already has a dairy base, it curdles the milk gently and produces a ricotta that’s really smooth, incredibly creamy and light.
Watch the video to see just how easy it is, and I guarantee you’ll be spooning it into your mouth by the end of the weekend.
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- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 cups buttermilk
- Pour the milk, cream and buttermilk into a large pot and gently bring up to a light simmer. As soon as the milk just barely begins to bubble, turn off the heat. You don't want it to actually boil. You will begin to see the milk solids separate and rise to the top. Set aside for a few minutes to cool.
- Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth or heavy duty paper towels. Use a handheld strainer to remove the curds from the liquid and place into the colander. Allow the ricotta to drain to your desired thickness - the longer it goes, the thicker it will get.
- Transfer to a container and refrigerate for up to one week.
- The leftover whey contains lots of protein and nutrients, so store it in a container and add it to smoothies and other recipes in place of water.
Nicole Gaffney, aka Coley, is a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, tv host and food writer.
Hi! I’m the girl you met you at the Pittsburgh airport a few weeks ago.
I loved your homemade Ricotta video (all your videos I have seen so far are so well done and fun to watch)! I recently made Ricotta for the first time. I used vinegar, and now I want to try again using buttermilk like you recommended.
Thank you!
Hey Joanna! Thank you so much for commenting. I’m so glad to hear you like my videos! You should totally retry making ricotta with the buttermilk – I think it makes a big difference and really gives a much better texture and all around flavor. Report back! Hope you had a great trip. Hope to hear from you again. 🙂
Hi Nicole — love your blog and your videos!
What if you wanted to make a low fat version? Would low fat milk or cutting out the heavy cream work the same way?
Also, how long will it last in the fridge after it’s made?
Thanks!!
Thanks, Rebecca!! You can totally make this lower fat buy swapping out the heavy cream for lower fat milk. I wouldn’t go totally skim though, as I’m not sure how well it would work. It won’t be quite as rich and creamy, but will still be very good!! If you make it with low fat milk, let me know how it turns out!
So, I made it with lowfat milk (1%), instead of the heavy cream. It didn’t come out as creamy as yours did — this could also be because I let it drain for about 10 minutes; I think I’ll scoop it out sooner next time. However, it was still delicious!! I’m totally hooked! So simple too, like you said. Thanks again for the post!
This is awesome! I’ve heard about making it at home but have always been intimidated- I know I just need to try and it’ll be great. Yours looks so good!
Thanks, Allie!! You MUST give homemade ricotta a whirl. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is!
I’ve got some extra raw milk and buttermilk right now (and I ALWAYS have heavy cream on hand!) so I think I will try this.
Question…. Do you wash and reuse your cheesecloth or do you just chuck it? It seems like a lot needs to be used for this.
You only need two layers or so of cheesecloth for this so it’s really not that much. But to answer your question, yes! I always wash and reuse for as long as I can (which is usually a while). It holds up better than you’d think. I still have the cheesecloth I used in this video a year ago!