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Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Author Becky's Mindful Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 6-7 cups whole milk from grass fed cows
  • 3 T white vinegar or lemon juice
  • Unrefined sea salt to taste

Optional

  • Fresh herbs
  • garlic
  • nutmeg
  • honey

Instructions

  • Heat milk to just before boiling, around 190 degrees. Often I make ricotta cheese after burning my milk for yogurt and catch it around 200 degrees and my ricotta turns out just fine.
  • Stir in the vinegar or lemon juice and some salt and slowly stir until you see the curds separate from the whey.
  • Remove the curds with a slotted spoon or pour into a dish towel lined strainer over a bowl. Let strain anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours depending on how dry you want the ricotta. The pictured ricotta is after 4 hours of straining.
  • Flavor the ricotta with fresh herbs, nutmeg, honey, salt...

Notes

Note: Ricotta means twice cooked, and traditionally is made from the leftover whey from let's say, the mozzarella cheese you just made. As I use my whey in baking and fermenting foods, I simply use this more modern and quick recipe to make ricotta cheese. You are still avoiding the gums and additives found in store bought versions plus saving money! I will post a traditional ricotta cheese recipe later this fall.