It's so easy to make homemade ricotta cheese with just 2 ingredients, milk and lemon juice. You can use the stove or the Instant Pot and get creamy, tender ricotta cheese with just a few simple steps.
Homemade ricotta cheese is the easiest cheese to make in your own kitchen. Ricotta cheese is a soft cheese that is made by curdling milk with something acidic. I like using lemon juice, but vinegar works just as well. Then, simply drain out the whey and you have soft, delicate and creamy ricotta cheese. It beats store-bought by a mile and is so much more economical too.
Not only is it a fantastic snack - my boys love it with fresh berries or jam, but there are so many ways other ways to enjoy it - cheese blintzes, as fillings in chocolate shortbread bars, yeast breads, pastries, vareniki (Russian ravioli, both sweet and savory), lasagna. I also use it interchangeably with farmer's cheese, which is really popular in the Slavic cuisine.
For years, I made ricotta on the stovetop, but since getting my Instant Pot, I have started making it there. The "Yogurt" setting makes it even easier, because you don't have to worry about the milk scorching or boiling over. I will include both methods in this recipe.
Video of How to Make Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients:
- 1 gallon of whole milk
- I highly recommend using whole milk for ricotta. Even though ricotta will still work with reduced fat milk, you will get a smaller yield and the ricotta will not be as creamy.
- I have not tried using dairy free milk to make yogurt, so I don't know if you can use almond milk, coconut milk, etc.
- ½ cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
- Instead of lemon juice, you can use distilled white vinegar.
Homemade Ricotta Cheese in the Instant Pot
- Bring the milk to a boil. Pour the milk into the Instant Pot and set it to the "Yogurt" setting, adjusting it to "boil".
- Meanwhile, squeeze the juice out of the lemons.
- The Instant Pot will beep and turn off when the milk has reaches 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the lemon juice to the boiled milk, stir gently to combine, then let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
- While the milk + lemon juice is standing, DON'T mix it anymore.
- Place a fine mesh sieve or a colander over a large bowl. Put a cheesecloth over the sieve.
- Gently start scooping out the curds, transferring the cheese to the cheesecloth lined sieve. Continue gently scooping out the cheese curds until they are all in the cheesecloth. Pour out the strained out whey, either discarding it or saving it for another use.
- Let sit, undisturbed, until whey has drained from edges of cheese but center is still somewhat moist, about 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer the cheese to a storage container, retaining some of the whey that was left in the center.
- Store the ricotta cheese in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 7-10 days.
- If you want the cheese to have a dryer texture, more like farmer's cheese, let it drain for a longer period of time, up to a few hours in the refrigerator.
Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
Use a good quality large pot with a thick bottom, otherwise the milk is scorch and burn. Pour the milk into a large pot and heat the milk over medium-low heat until it reaches 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit, about 10-15 minutes. The milk will look frothy. Stir it frequently and keep it under strict supervision; you don’t want the milk to scorch or boil over.
Turn off the heat and pour in the lemon juice. Proceed with the rest of the instructions.
Yes, you can use 2 % milk, however, you will have a lot more whey and a smaller yield of ricotta. The ricotta will also be less creamy.
I store the whey in glass mason jars in my refrigerator and then add it to smoothies, crepe batter, bread dough and more. It's really easy; just substitute the whey for the amount of liquid in your recipe.
1. Add more lemon juice. Let it stand for 5 more minutes.
2. If the milk still hasn't curdled, place it back on low heat for just 1-3 minutes and that should do the trick.
The whey and the ricotta curds should should separate and the whey should become translucent, not milky white.
I have this 6 quart Instant Pot model. *(affiliate link). The boil setting on the "Yogurt" function makes boiling milk so easy. I can turn it on, walk away and not worry about the milk running over or scorching. It turns off when it reaches 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit. You don't need to cover the Instant Pot with the sealing ring, since we're not bringing anything to pressure. I have this lid* that I bought separately that I use.
Recipes Using Ricotta Cheese
- Ricotta Pancakes
- Ricotta Crumb Bars
- Ricotta Cheesecake Bars With Peaches
- Chocolate Shortbread Bars With Ricotta Filling
- Cheese Blintzes
- Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake
Homemade Ricotta Cheese in the Instant Pot
Homemade Ricotta cheese is so creamy, rich and delicious and is made with just 2 ingredients. I love using the Instant Pot to make it because it makes it so convenient and easy.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Miscellaneous
Ingredients
- 1 gallon of whole milk
- ½ cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Instructions
- Pour the milk into the Instant Pot and set it to the "Yogurt" setting, adjusting it to "boil".
- While you are waiting for the milk to boil, squeeze the lemon juice. You can use a small sieve to strain out the seeds from the lemon juice.
- When the milk reaches 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit, the Instant Pot will beep and turn off. Slowly pour in the lemon juice, stirring gently in a circular motion. Be careful not to mix it too vigorously, or the cheese will be grainy in texture. Allow it to stand for about 5-10 minutes.
- Place a fine mesh sieve or a colander over a large bowl. Put a cheesecloth over the sieve.
- Gently start scooping out the curds, transferring the cheese to the cheesecloth lined sieve. Continue gently scooping out the cheese curds until they are all in the cheesecloth. Pour out the strained out whey, either discarding it or saving it for another use.
- Let sit, undisturbed, until whey has drained from edges of cheese but center is still somewhat moist, about 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer the cheese to large bowl, retaining some of the whey that was left in the center.
- Store the ricotta cheese in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 7-10 days.
- If you want the cheese to have a dryer texture, more like farmer's cheese, let it drain for a longer period of time, up to a few hours in the refrigerator.
Notes
Stovetop Instructions:
- Pour the milk into a large pot and heat the milk over medium-low heat until it reaches 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit, about 10-15 minutes. The milk will look frothy. Stir it frequently and keep it under strict supervision; you don’t want the milk to scorch or boil over.
- Turn off the heat and pour in the lemon juice. Proceed with the rest of the instructions.
Hi Olga, i've been craving tvorog for so long! And i am so glad you shared this easy, fast recipe. After 6.5 years i am having tvorog! This morning i took tvorog, a half of what i got from a gallon of milk, add an egg and sliced banana, mixed it in food processor, formed little patties and pan fried them like "tvorozhnie sirniki". It was delicious! Gluten-flour-free! No need for syrup, since banana adds that sweetness. And your tvorog - is so delicious and tender, soft and creamy. Love it! Thank you! I feel like a super-wife!
That's awesome, Dasha!
Great idea with the banana:). I'll have to try it.
Hi Olga, I tried to make your recipe with whole milk. It came up with a creamy sour cream texture and a taste of a fresh milk, not like a sour farmers cheez. What I did wrong?
I'm not sure what could have gone wrong, Yulia. Maybe you needed to add more lemon juice, or heat it up longer.
Hello Olga...I was wondering if i could make this using 1% milk and if u think its possible to freeze it after its made..thanks...
Olga, I wouldn't recommend using 1% milk. I've used 2% before but you will have a very small amount of cheese and the texture will be less superior. I've never tried freezing it, but I highly doubt that it would work.
How I use whey? I agree with all of you and would like to add more uses. We make homemade farmer's cheese very often using regular milk+ buttermilk or dry milk + buttermilk sometimes sour cream or my Mom make it add to milk homemade kefir( she has закваска for buttermilk.
1.Once I made Holodnik and didn't have any lemon at my home I add some whey it turned so good and now I always use it instead lemon juice. TRY IT!!! It good source of calcium. You can even drink it.
2. I always keep in my refrigerator to bottle fresher whey I use for cooking(pancakes, bread,Holodnik or Spinach Cold Borsch or drink)Older from 2-3 weeks to 2 months I use as a mask for my hair. My Mom was capture at South of Russia during Stalin's repression. She point that Usbekian women( they have beautiful big hair wash their hair with whey from horse or caw milk. If you have time just wash your hair with shampoo, then apply one or more cup of whey to your hair and leave for 15 or more minutes( more you wait better result). Your hair will look healthier, shiny and silky and easier to comb.
3. Don't toss bad whey, if you have fruit tree or some berry bushes toss it under them. They love everything sour.
Thanks for sharing so many great tips, Nina!
You're very creative and resourceful. I'll have to try them out.
this is awesome, I have got to try it, I made once but it was too many steps and complicated, but this one should and I hope I will use it a lot, thanks Olga
Hi OlgaK7, Thanks, for responding to my question so quickly. so the milk has to coagulate to make the farmer cheese. and to make real cream cheese &/or yogurt cheese you use clabbered milk.? new to this cheese making fermenting, clabbered milk thing.
I've never made cream cheese, but here are some recipes that I use to make Homemade Yogurt:
http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt-2/
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2011/06/four-secrets-to-thick-creamy-yogurt-every-time.html
Hope this helps:).
Whey that has not been cooked will last up to 6 months in the fridge. OR you could freeze raw whey in ice cube trays etc. just measure out how many tablespoonsful it takes to fill an ice cube space. so you know how many cubes to thaw out for recipes etc. but I have never had whey that has been cooked. so I could not say. Also is it possible to make this Farmers cheese without cooking it?? (Or is that called yogurt cheese?.) because heat will damage the health benefits of the milk and therefore cheese.
Hi Theresa,
To make farmer's cheese, it's necessary to cook the milk, otherwise it will not coagulate properly.
How long does the Whey stay fresh in the refrigerator?
I really don't know. I usually use it up within a week, Lena.
what do i use the whey for... and how?
Hi Alla,
I use the whey to make flour or crepes. Just substitute the whey for the water in your recipe.
Olga, I have expiring milk sitting in the fridge. Is it ok if I use the old milk to make tvorog or do I need to use fresh milk?
Thanks
Hi Vera. If you're using regular store-bought milk and it already tastes funny, I wouldn't use it. However, if it still tastes fine but the expiration date is just about to be overdue, you can use it.
I make a lot of Cheddar pressed cheeses. I use slightly souring milk all the time to make Farmers Cheese; it is the BEST! You don't have to add any lemon nor vinegar as the lactic acid is already starting to inhibit the acidity that you need to make Farmers Cheese or Cottage Cheese.
However, I will not use a milk that is totally soured or clabbered. The milk should be "somewhat" drinkable to the palate; that is the PERFECT TIME to make Farmers Cheese. 🙂
That's so awesome, Terri! I admire that about you. Thank you for share. Mozzarella and cheddar are on my to-do list for sure. I'd love to learn make them from scratch.
My Mom used to make farmer's cheese with slightly soured raw cow's milk all the time and it was the best! She never used lemon juice or vinegar either. Unfortunately, using store bought milk is a hit or miss and I found that I usually had to use the lemon juice for consistent results. I would love to find a farm where I can buy cow's milk. It would be awesome.
I've made tvorog before many times because I bought raw milk cheap by the gallon. I'd skim the cream and probably have about 1% give or take. Then I met some Russian friends who used all buttermilk, it was a lot creamier. I like mine dryers because I like adding sour cream to it with salt or sugar. So, my question is you like whole milk because of the richness? Are the results less with skim? I'd love to make those cookies with tvorog I saw on your blog. Your pics are very good. I've tried food photography before and wasn't good at it. What did you find helpful in taking such mouth watering pics? Thank you!
Natalie,
I've made farmer's cheese with 2% milk before (that's what we usually drink), and it's turned out fine too. Farmer's cheese can certainly be made with skim milk or buttermilk. When you use whole milk, you will get a bigger yield of cheese and the texture will be creamier. You will get a lot more farmer's cheese from a gallon of whole milk than you will from a gallon of skim milk. I prefer the texture of this cheese too. You can make it as dry as you like by draining it more.
Thank you for your kind words about the pictures. Photography never came naturally to me, but I knew when I started this blog that I would have to learn. For myself, I know that I am more likely to try a recipe if the pictures look mouthwatering, than if there aren't any pictures included or if the pictures don't look so great. I learned a lot about food photography from the internet. If you're interested there is SO much information available. We also bought a bunch of books about food photography. It's also a lot of trial and error:). We take a lot of different shots and throw out a bunch of them.
My husband makes delicious cheese adding a little of vinegar instead of lemon juice, but he heats it also after adding vinegar to get rid of the vinegar taste. 🙂 he also adds some salt and sugar. its really good. It's more of a cheese consistency, and we don't reuse whey, cz it has all the vinegar. 🙂
Your husband makes cheese? How cool is that?
Yep, this recipe can be made with lemon juice or vinegar. I love how easy farmer's cheese is to make!
I usually do mine from butter milk, it turns out really good.
How many cups are a gallon? Thanks
16 cups in a gallon
I have to try to make farmers cheese using your recipe. I do it differently, I heat a gallon on milk and then add half a gallon of buttermilk. I let it stand over night and then for 15-20 min I put it in the oven, when it cools down I transfer it to colander and etc.
Btw, bread is delicious if made from whey))
Thank you for the recipe)
Once heated I add 1 T vinegar and let it set for 10 min. The spoon off the curd/cheese