I heart cheese. It’s a huge part of my life. But I honestly can’t say I’ve ever hand-made my own before. I’ve stood in that dairy section of my grocery store and perused the different delicious varieties. I’ve tried just about every kind out there, the good and the bad. In fact, I used to work in a tapas restaurant where I served yummy plates of meat and cheeses. They even taught us all about the different kinds of cheeses, what they were made with and how. But it never even occurred to me I could make my own.
The other day, my friend from the gym casually told me she made ricotta over the weekend. I think I did a double-take. Like, make make? I was floored. Guess what, people? You can MAKE your own ricotta! And it’s SO EASY!
By the way, at my local grocery store, this much ricotta would cost about $7. Making it at home not only tastes so much better but it costs a fraction of that price! And it hardly takes any of your time! Never used ricotta before? No worries! I’ll be sharing a couple amazing recipes, both savory and sweet, that you can try using your hand-made ricotta! Or you can just spread it on a yummy baguette slice, yum!
Also, I can’t even read the word ricotta without trying to say it the italian way: re-coat-a.
Yeah, I’m cheesy like that. Ha!
Yeah, I’m cheesy like that. Ha!
Ingredients
- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp. white vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Pour milk, heavy cream, vinegar and salt into a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring milk mixture to a simmer.
- Simmer for 2-5 minutes, stirring every so often. You should see curds begin to form.
- Line a strainer with two layers of damp cheesecloth. Gently pour the curds and whey into the strainer and let drain for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, gather the cheesecloth together and gently squeeze the excess water from the cheese. Transfer ricotta to a bowl. It's ready to use in recipes or served on bread with a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy! (Keeps for several days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.)
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @JenNikolaus or tag #YummyHealthyEasy!
If you enjoyed this “How To” Recipe, you’ll love these:
Your version looks yummy! I made ricotta a while ago, but just used all whole milk, no heavy cream. I was so surprised too when I found out how easy it is to make! Looking forward to your ricotta-using recipes!
Say what?! You can make Ricotta? News to me!!!
Hi Jen! I’m obsessed with cheese as well (except for blue cheese…I’m slowly opening up to feta). Ricotta is one of the main reasons why I love lasagna ;). This looks super simple to make surprisingly! Can’t wait to get try.
My Grandmother used to make this and I just love it, this looks soooo good! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great summer weekend and come back to see me real soon!
Miz Helen
I have so been wanting to start making my own cheese. It may have to be a project this week. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday!
This looks so easy (what I’m actually saying is that I think I could actually do it, lol!) and I can’t wait to try this! Had to pin while I was here tonight 🙂
Shauna
http://thebestblogrecipes.com/
Love this! I’ve wanted to make my own for a while… Thanks for sharing at Two Cup Tuesday!
Homemade cheese is so much easier than people think and great fun, so I’m thrilled you’ve discovered it. There’s a free 20pg eBook at http://www.HomemadeCheese.org to get you started.