Homemade Ricotta Cheese is something special compared to what you will find at the grocery store. Making fresh ricotta cheese turns out light and fluffy, not watery like the grocery store stuff, yet creamy with a fantastic texture.
The first time you taste ricotta cheese homemade, you'll know what just happened. You made incredible homemade cheese.
Allow me to show you how to use ultra-pasteurized milk/ultra-high temperature processed milk (UHT) to make ricotta cheese.
⬇️ Table of Contents
Do you feel like you've made your best homemade lasagna ever? Cheesecake possibility?
Wait until you make your own ricotta cheese, then your masterpiece will be completed. So Good!
📋 Ingredients
Whole Milk -Using skim or low-fat milk defeats the most important property of making cheese, the fat. The cheese is mostly protein & fat. Selecting high-quality whole milk is the KEY to success.
Types of Milk:
- Ultra-Pasteurized Milk - Easiest to find at the grocery store (what I used for the recipe)
- Pasteurized Whole Milk - harder to find, try grocery stores like Whole Foods, or Central Market
- Goat's Milk
- Sheep's Milk
- Farm Fresh un-Pasteurized Raw Milk - a popular option for making the highest quality cheese in Europe. Safety Note, the FDA does not support the use of raw milk.
Heavy Cream - the key ingredient to making thick and creamy ricotta cheese. The word heavy in heavy cream is relating to the actual weight. Heavy cream has more fat than whole milk. Cheese is made from the fats of milk.
Lemon Juice - the acidity from the lemon juice, once added, will start the process of removing the curds from the whey. This process is called, curdling. Without the addition of an acid to the whole milk, cheese making is not possible.
Kosher Salt - the salt brings out the flavor. You can substitute with sea salt. I suggest not using table salt as it is very salty in taste.
🧀 Ricotta Cheese Instructions
To start, measure out 8 cups of whole milk. I used Ultra- milk.
Brand: - Horizon Organic Whole Milk -Pasteure raised
Measure out 2 cups of Half & Half, or best, use Heavy Cream.
I used the half & half this time to see what would happen. It worked very nicely.
Quick Tip
- Labels: Ultra-high temperature processing/processed milk (UHT) is another label for ultra-pasteurized milk.
I tested making ricotta cheese using Ultra-Pasteurized milk so you could see the results. Works great!
Place a large pot on the stovetop and turn the heat on to medium.
Add the 8 cups of whole milk along with the 2 cups of half & half, or heavy cream.
Heat the milk to the temperature of 190 degrees. The key is to do this slowly.
If the milk is heated too quickly, it will become scalded milk. This is not what we want and will require starting over.
Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt or sea salt. Please do not use table salt as it is too salty. ✅
Once the salt has melted, it is time to begin the ricotta cheese-making process. The process of coagulation.
Add the juice of two lemons or 6 Tablespoons.
The addition of an acid like vinegar or citrus causes the effect of separating the curds (cheese) from the whey (liquid). Making this a great kitchen science project for kids to experience.
Take note in the photo above that the milk is beginning to thicken.
- Turn off the heat once the lemon juice is added
- Cover with a lid
- Wait 15 minutes for the coagulation process to complete. You can go longer.
Use a large bowl with a strainer covered with cheesecloth to drain off all of the whey.
Once the majority of the whey has been removed, simply move the strainer over to a fresh bowl. Allow it to drip a while longer, removing the remaining whey.
Look at the color of the removed whey. This "is" normal for ultra-pasteurized milk whey.
Look at the color of the removed whey. This "is" normal for ultra-pasteurized milk whey.
To create a nice presentation 🖼️, lay out plastic wrap and add the ricotta cheese from the cheesecloth on top. You can see the ricotta cheese is beautiful, creamy with a great texture.
It will be even better tomorrow after setting up in the refrigerator overnight.
Ricotta cheese is shaped into a log. Tip: This does not need to be perfect. ⬇️
🥛 Ultra-High-Temperature Milk Processing
UHT milk was first developed in the 1960s and has become increasingly popular in recent years. It is now the most common type of milk sold in Europe and other parts of the world where refrigeration is not always available or reliable. UHT milk makes up about 30 percent of the milk sold in the United States.
UHT milk is generally made from whole milk, but it can also be made from skim milk or other types of milk. The fat content of UHT milk can vary depending on the type of milk that is used.
-UHT processing is a food processing technology that can be used to sterilize liquid food, chiefly milk.
- manufacturing the temperature required to kill spores in milk is 135 °C (275 °F), and this process typically lasts 2 to 5 seconds.
- UHT milk has a shelf life of 6-9 months and does not require refrigeration until after it has been opened.
- UHT processing can also be used to extend the shelf life of other liquid foods, such as fruit juices, cream, soup, and tomato sauce.
💭 Ricotta Cheese Faqs
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- White Wine Vinegar
- White Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Citrus from fruits. Note: it will take on the flavor profile to some degree.
Short durations work fine. Anytime you freeze an object, the quality is reduced every day it remains frozen. Ricotta cheese would make a great example of a short freezer shelf-life.
- Cheesecake
- Pasta dishes; lasagna, manicotti, ravioli.
- Pancakes
- Baked bread
- Quiche
- French Toast
- Gnocchi
In short, yes. The main focus of the keto diet is to keep carbohydrates below 25 grams a day. With keto, the body shifts from carbs to fat as a primary source of energy.
Ricotta Cheese is made from the curds of whole milk, which makes it keto.
Serving Size
📋 carbohydrates - ¼ cup (4.42grams)
Glycemic Index - "27" - the low end of the scale. Having a very low effect on blood sugar levels.
📖 Recipe Card
How To Make Ricotta Cheese - UHT Milk
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups Whole Milk Low-Fat milk will not work
- 2 cups Heavy Cream Half & Half - substitute option
- 6 Tablespoon Lemon Juice Juice of 2 lemons
- 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Instructions
Making Ricotta Cheese
- Using a large pot, add the 8 cups of whole milk and 2 cups of heavy cream. Plus the two teaspoons of salt.
Heating The Milk
- Using a candy thermometer, SLOWLY bring the temperature up to 190 degrees. (about 10 minutes).Make sure the milk never gets to a boil. Be mindful of the bottom of the pot and do not allow the milk to become scorched. Use a spatula to stir and scrape the bottom during the heating.
- The idea is to be gentle with the protein and fats in the milk. The slow heating process allows the fats and proteins to loosen up. Once an acid is applied the lemon juice, the coagulation starts.
- Once 190 degrees is reached, stir in the 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice. Stir to combine. You'll start to see the milk begin to thicken quickly. This is the coagulation process happening. You're making cheese!!!
Coagulation Timing
- Cover the pot with the heat off and allow it to coagulate for 15+ minutes.
- As the acid does the work. The curds and whey will begin to separate. Thick pockets of curds will begin to form.After 15+ minutes:Pour through cheesecloth. Drain off all of the whey (liquid) from the curds(cheese). Do not allow the curds (cheese) to sit in the whey (liquid) for any amount of time. Once the whey level starts to touch the bottom of the cheesecloth, drain off the whey. Continue until all whey is gone and only the curd is left.
How To Shape The Ricotta Cheese
- Take a large piece of plastic wrap. Layout the curds on top in a long log shape.Roll into shape and twist the ends.
Storage
- Refrigerate, wrap in plastic wrap to set up.Before storage is your one chance to shape the ricotta.Fresh ricotta cheese will last 1 week, plus in the refrigerator. Over the days, the cheese will shrink a very small amount due to the frigid air in the refrigerator causing dehydration.
Video
Notes
- Start with whole milk close to room temperature, this will reduce the time to get finished ricotta cheese.
- The amount of lemon juice, if after 5 minutes the curds and whey aren't separating enough, you can add extra lemon juice.
- Serving the cheese - the texture is best when served cold.
- Fresh ricotta cheese lasts around 1 plus weeks in the refrigerator.
Insook
So glad I found this recipe. I only get UHT milk where I live so this is just perfect. Can this recipe use heavy cream with vegetable fat? I made it using 35% milk based cream...but would like to use the vegetable based one.
My kids eat it on top of toasted morning rolls with a dallop of fruit preserves. I put it in my salad for a filling but quick meal!
Thank you for an aswesome recipe!
Steven Pennington
Haven't tested other fats besides milk fats. Interesting idea. In theory, it should work. UHT heavy cream for the win!
Sean
Hello, how many grams of cheese did it yield? With a UHT milk of course.
Steven Pennington
Around 3 cups plus if I remember correctly. In the post, you can see the full amount of cheese it created. I now wish I had weighted it. It does make a nice amount.
Beth
Thanks for the recipe! I was looking for one that showed how to make ricotta with UHT milk (all I can get where I live) since all the other sites said it wasn't possible. I'm so glad I took a risk with this recipe because the ricotta is the best I've eaten. Delicious!
Steven Pennington
Beth, thank you for telling us about your experience. Making ricotta cheese can be amazing. The options for getting creative once the proof of concept is done opens doors. Next time maybe try shaving some quality parmesan cheese into the base to add flavor while the ricotta setups up in the refrigerator overnight.
jane
I'm confused. The recipe says 8 oz = 1 cup, but in the video, you used 16 oz = 2 cups. Which is it?
Steven Pennington
You are correct Jane, the half & half or heavy cream is 16oz carton.