• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Instant Pot
  • Indian
  • Air Fryer
  • Shop

yellowthyme logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • Air Fryer
  • Instant Pot
  • Indian Recipes
  • Appetizers
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Air Fryer
  • Instant Pot
  • Indian Recipes
  • Appetizers
×
Home » Tips and Resources

Published: Apr 3, 2018 · Modified: Dec 19, 2018 by chhavi

How to Make Ricotta Cheese at Home

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Lets talk about How to Make Ricotta Cheese at Home with just a few handy ingredients.

There are times when I need some fresh cheese stat but I can't be bothered to step out in the crazy Bangalore Heat.(I can't even begin to sympathise with you Chennai and Delhi folks!)For those times this recipe is a life saver.Also anything made at home is a thousand times more nutritious and free of dubious ingredients than something store bought.

The ricotta cheese made using this recipe is creamy, soft and not overly salty like the packaged variety available in the market.It is as easy as making Paneer at home.Infact,you can press the ricotta for longer and make a very paneer like firm cheese.

Having said that,I have wondered time and again about the difference between Paneer and Ricotta.Is Ricotta a fancier name for Paneer?Is Ricotta and Indian Chenna the same thing?The difference it seems is only technical.For you and me who are not cheese scientists Chenna and Ricotta is almost the same thing.

How to make Fresh and Creamy Ricotta Cheese
How to make Fresh and Creamy Ricotta Cheese

The texture of ricotta and Chenna is actually quite similar.Chenna is the fresh soft creamy cheese made with buffalo milk curdled using lime juice, which is actually the precursor to the firmer Paneer or Cottage Cheese.If Chenna is hung for longer period of time you get paneer which can be cut into cubes and fried or put in curries.In india,Chenna is used to make sweets like Rasagulla and Sandesh.

 

How to Make Ricotta Cheese at home

It's pretty simple really.All you need is cream and lime.

Have you ever made paneer at home?If the resulting cheese is not hung or drained for too long, it ends up with a very creamy texture.Well that's Ricotta/Chenna.

Milk used to make Ricotta Cheese

if you have ever tried making paneer with toned milk(skim milk) you will know that its extremely disappointing. You will barely end up with half a cup of stingy looking cheese using skimmed milk.

To Geta  creamy consistency the milk needs to have a good amount of fat in it.Thats the reason I have used full fat milk and further augmented the creaminess by adding a carton of cream.This gives me melt in your mouth creamy cheese which you will not be able to get with skim milk.

How to You use Ricotta Cheese

The easiest way to use ricotta is to spread it over some nice bread, top it with honey and fruit and make a picnic out of it.You could also crumble it over a crunchy salad to add another texture to it.I have made the most amazing summer salad with watermelon and musk melon with it recently.

Ricotta can also be used in making Indian desserts like sandesh,maal Pua and rasagulla. Its great in cheesecakes and tarts too.

How to Store Fresh Ricotta Cheese

Homemade ricotta doesn't contain any preservatives(till you don't add some) and so it doesn't have a long shelf life.Outside the fridge it will not stay for more than a day(in hot places)Ricotta can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for about 4-5 days.


Stay in touch with me on Instagram and Facebook


 

How to make Fresh and Creamy Ricotta Cheese

How to make Ricotta Cheese at Home

Homemade Ricotta Cheese.
5 from 3 votes
Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Print Recipe
Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes minutes
Servings: 2 cups
Author: Chhavi

Ingredients 

  • 1000 ml of Full Fat Milk
  • 100 ml of Cream
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Lime Juice

Instructions

  • Boil the Milk and cream together at high heat.
  • Add Salt and Lime Juice.Mix with a ladle.
  • Reduce the flame to low and simmer for 2 minutes till you see the milk separating.
  • Cool.Drain in a cheese cloth and hang it over the basin so that the water from the curds starts to ooze out.Let the cheese hang for about 1 hour for a firmer ricotta.
  • For a juicier and creamier texture hang the curd for about ½ hour.

 

 

SaveSave

SaveSave

More Tips and Resources

  • Homemade Vegan Natural Protein Powder
  • Best mixer grinder for indian cooking in usa
  • Indian Tadka - Tempering of spices
  • cropped-Butter-chicken-murg-makhani-08388.jpg
    What to Serve with Butter Chicken

Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. jackie says

    July 19, 2024 at 1:41 pm

    is there something you can do with the water from draining the curds?

    Reply
    • chhavi says

      July 22, 2024 at 12:22 am

      Yeah! Make bread with it or add it to a smoothie

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Chhavi! Thank you for visiting Yellowthyme!Here you will find a collection of easy & delicious recipes made with fresh, simple ingredients.

More about me →

Indian Recipes

  • Instant Pot Toor Dal|Indian Split Pigeon Pea Recipe
  • Desi Charcuterie Board
  • Homemade Mango Lassi- mango smoothie
  • Authentic Goan Chicken Vindaloo Recipe
  • Shami Kebab
  • Air fryer Tandoori Chicken

Indian Side Recipes

  • Instant Ragi Dosa recipe - Finger millet Crepe without Dairy or Wheat.
    Instant Ragi Dosa Recipe
  • Ragi Dosa & Idli Batter
  • Appam /Hoppers -Kerala Rice Pancakes
  • Butter Garlic Naan - Indian Flat Bread
  • Homemade Bhatura with Yeast & Yogurt
  • Cheese Paratha

Dips & Appetizers

  • Chaat Dip - Indian Party Dip
  • My Famous 5 minute Yogurt Dip
  • Crazy feta- Spicy Jalapeno Feta Dip
  • Hot Honey Chicken Wings

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • All About me
  • Privacy Policy

Recipes

Instant Pot Recipes

Desserts & Cakes

Appetisers

Indian Food

Millets and More

Salads

Contact

  • Get in Touch
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.