Learn How to Make Ricotta Cheese in 5 Minutes (2025)

Learn how to make ricotta cheese at home in just 5 minutes and with just three simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. You’ll never buy store-bought again!

How to Make Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta Cheese is one of those things you should never need to buy from the store. Why? Because it’s just so easy and so cheap to make at home!

Yes, I realize this recipe isn’t for “traditional” Ricotta Cheese (made from whey), but it’s a perfect homemade ricotta cheese recipe when you need a frugal and quick substitute in a recipe.

Once you learn how to make Ricotta Cheese, you will see that it takes just 5 minutes of prep time and uses ingredients you probably already have on hand, so there’s no need to make a trip to the store and no need to spend more money. Quick, easy, frugal…What’s not to love?

Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe

In this quick recipe for homemade ricotta cheese, you start by heating some whole milk and a pinch of salt over the stove and then add a little vinegar to make the milk curdle, which, in turn, creates the curds that form the basis of your cheese. Then all you need to do is strain it through some cheesecloth and you’re done!

I love the simple things in life:)

What You Need:

• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Vinegar (lemon juice will work)
• pinch of salt
• cheesecloth

–Try next: Homemade Yogurt Cheese

How to Make Ricotta Cheese

Start by prepping your draining bowl. All you need to do is stretch some cheesecloth over the edge of a bowl and secure it with a rubber band. You can buy unbleached cheesecloth in bulk on Amazon. You can occasionallyfind cheesecloth at the dollar store as well.

Place your milk and the pinch of salt in a saucepan on the stove top. Turn the heat to medium-low and place a candy thermometer in the pan. (I have this one!) Stir occasionally until the temp reaches 165 degrees.

Once the milk reaches 165 degrees, turn off the heat and add the vinegar. Give it a little stir, just enough to move around the vinegar and let the whole mixture sit for a minute or two. You’ll see the milk begin to curdle, much the same way it does when you add vinegar to milk to make homemade buttermilk.

Strain the mixture through the cheesecloth into your bowl slowly and gently.

Let the cheese set on the counter for about 20 to 30 minutes to drain.

Once the cheese has drained you can place it in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use or you can use it right away!

This recipe makes about 1/2 cup of homemade ricotta cheese per 2 cups of milk used and will store for a few days in the fridge, but make sure to use it up within a week.Extra ricotta cheese can be frozen for later use.

–Make more cheese! 30 Minute Homemade Mozzarella

Of course, don’t just toss out the leftover whey! Feed it to your animals, use it in place of milk in bread recipes, or make some of my yummy Whey Cornbread.

Use your ricotta cheese in all sorts of yummy recipes. Here are some ideas to start with:

• Replace the cottage cheese in this Banana Pudding Recipe with Ricotta Cheese for a smoother taste.
• You can use Ricotta Cheese in this Stretching a Buck Lasagna for an even more inexpensive meal.
• Replace the cottage cheese in my favorite Lasagna Roll Ups for a tasty treat.

Now that you know how to make ricotta cheese at home, do you think you’ll ever go back to buying it from the store? I don’t think I could.

Need to print out the recipe with step-by-step instructions on how to make ricotta cheese? Grab it below!

Do you know how to make Ricotta Cheese or have you ever tried making it before?

This blog post on How to Make Ricotta Cheese was originally published on Little House Living in December 2017. It has been updated as of February 2019.