Ricotta is not technically a cheese. It is a whey product made by reheating the liquid left over after cheesemaking. The name means "recooked" in Italian, and that single word explains the entire production method.
Most people know ricotta as the soft white filling in lasagna. The Italian regional cheese guide covers how ricotta production varies from Campania's buffalo whey version to Sardinia's baked ricotta al forno. But in southern Italy, where it originates, ricotta takes forms that range from spreadable fresh curds to hard, grate-able aged wheels. This profile covers all of them.
In This Article
What Ricotta Is and Where It Comes From
Ricotta is a whey cheese made by reheating the liquid byproduct of traditional cheesemaking. When you make mozzarella, Pecorino, or any other cheese, the process produces whey as a waste stream. Ricotta turns that waste into food.
The method is ancient. Southern Italian cheesemakers have produced ricotta for at least 2,000 years. Every batch of cheese produced a batch of whey, and wasting protein-rich liquid was never an option in subsistence farming.
- Origin — southern Italy, documented since Roman times
- Raw material — whey left over from making other cheeses, sometimes enriched with whole milk
- Method — whey is reheated to 185 degrees F (85 degrees C), proteins coagulate and float to the surface
- DOP version — Ricotta Romana DOP, made from sheep's milk whey in Lazio
- Modern production — most commercial ricotta adds whole milk to increase yield and creaminess
The only DOP-protected ricotta is Ricotta Romana, made exclusively from sheep's milk whey in the Lazio region. This version is richer and more flavorful than the cow's milk ricotta sold in most American supermarkets.
In the U.S., commercial ricotta is almost always made from whole or skim cow's milk rather than pure whey. Adding whole milk increases yield and produces a creamier, milder product. The trade-off is a less distinctive flavor compared to traditional whey-only ricotta.
That distinction matters when you cook. American supermarket ricotta is wetter and blander than what an Italian recipe assumes. Draining it through cheesecloth for 30 minutes before using it in fillings makes a meaningful difference.
The FDA does not have a standard of identity for ricotta, which means producers can vary the ratio of whey to whole milk freely. Italian ricotta labeled 'ricotta di siero' is made from whey only. American ricotta labeled simply 'ricotta' is almost always a milk-enriched product.
Fresh Ricotta Flavor and Texture
Fresh ricotta has a mild, milky sweetness with almost no tang. It is lighter than soft American spread and less dense than the Lombardy cream cheese. The texture is soft, moist, and gently grainy with visible curds. It is lighter than soft American spread and less dense than mascarpone.
The flavor is deliberately neutral. Fresh ricotta absorbs seasonings, herbs, honey, and citrus without competing. That passive quality is what makes it so useful in both sweet and savory cooking.
The radar reflects cow's milk ricotta from a standard grocery store. Sheep's milk ricotta (like Ricotta Romana DOP) scores higher on creamy (80+) and sweet (35+) because of the richer milk fat composition.
- Mild sweetness — residual lactose gives a gentle sweet note
- Very low salt — fresh ricotta is one of the lowest-sodium cheese products
- Gentle grain — small, tender curds break apart easily with a spoon
- No complexity — zero aging means zero developed flavor, which is the point
Texture varies between brands. Cheaper ricotta tends to be wetter, with visible liquid pooling in the container. Higher-quality ricotta is drier, with curds that hold together when scooped. For cooking, drier ricotta always performs better.
If your supermarket ricotta is too wet for a recipe, drain it. Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth, add the ricotta, and let it sit over a bowl in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. This removes excess whey and produces a firmer, more flavorful filling.
How Ricotta Gets Made
The production method is the simplest in all of cheesemaking. There is no culture inoculation, no rennet, and no pressing. Heat and acid do all the work.
Fresh whey from a previous cheesemaking batch is heated to 185 degrees F (85 degrees C). At this temperature, the albumin and globulin proteins (not casein, which was already captured by the first cheese) coagulate and rise to the surface as light, fluffy curds.
- Start with whey — the liquid left after casein coagulation in standard cheesemaking
- Heat to 185 degrees F — whey proteins (albumin, globulin) coagulate at high heat
- Add acid if needed — vinegar or citric acid helps force more protein out of solution
- Skim the curds — floating protein masses are scooped into perforated molds
- Drain briefly — excess whey drips through for 15-30 minutes
The curds are scooped into perforated baskets or molds. Gravity pulls the remaining whey through, leaving behind the soft, wet cheese. No pressing force is applied.
Most modern commercial producers add whole or skim milk to the whey before heating. The extra casein boosts yield significantly. A pure whey ricotta produces about 5-6% of the whey volume in cheese. Adding 10-15% whole milk can double that yield.
Making ricotta at home takes 30 minutes. Heat 1 gallon of whole milk to 185 degrees F, add ¼ cup white vinegar or lemon juice, stir once, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Scoop the curds into a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Drain for 15 minutes for soft ricotta, 1 hour for firm. Season with salt.
The home method above technically produces a milk cheese, not a true whey ricotta. But the technique is identical, and the result is closer to Italian ricotta than most commercial products because it contains no gums or stabilizers.
Types of Ricotta Beyond Fresh
Fresh ricotta is what most Americans know. But in Italy, ricotta takes several forms that range from spreadable to grate-able. Each type has distinct uses.
The aged varieties are regional specialties rarely found outside Italian delis and specialty shops in the U.S. They are worth seeking out if you want to experience ricotta's full range.
- Ricotta fresca — soft, wet, mild, the standard supermarket product
- Ricotta salata — pressed, salted, aged 2-3 months, firm enough to crumble or grate
- Ricotta infornata — baked until the surface browns, smoky and slightly caramelized
- Ricotta affumicata — cold-smoked over wood, dense and savory
- Ricotta forte — fermented for months, sharp, spreadable, used as a condiment in Puglia
Ricotta salata is the most useful aged variety for everyday cooking. The sharp sheep's milk Roman grating cheese occupies the same finishing-cheese role in Roman pasta dishes where ricotta salata is used in Sicilian ones. It crumbles like feta, grates like a dry aged cheese, and adds a mild salty note to salads, pasta, and roasted vegetables. It is an excellent finishing cheese for dishes where the go-to melter would melt too much.
Ricotta forte from Puglia is an acquired taste. The long fermentation creates a sharp, pungent spread that locals use on bread, stirred into pasta sauces, or mixed with raw tomatoes. It is closer to a fermented condiment than a cheese.
Best Uses for Ricotta
Fresh ricotta's mild flavor and soft texture make it the default filling cheese in Italian-American cooking. It appears in more baked dishes than any other fresh cheese.
- Pasta fillings — lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti, ravioli
- Toast and crostini — spread and top with sweet or savory accompaniments
- Baking — cannoli filling, ricotta cheesecake, cookies, pancake batter
- Finishing — dollop onto pizza, soup, or grain bowls before serving
The most common ricotta mistake is using it straight from the container in fillings without draining. Excess moisture turns lasagna watery and makes stuffed shell filling runny. Thirty minutes in a cheesecloth-lined strainer fixes this completely.
For desserts, ricotta produces a lighter, grainier result than cream cheese. Italian-style cheesecake made with ricotta has an entirely different character than New York-style cheesecake. Both are good, but they are not interchangeable.
Ricotta does not melt in the traditional sense. Heat softens it and causes light browning on exposed surfaces, but it never flows or stretches. The low melt score reflects this behavior. If you need a filling cheese that melts smoothly, nutty alpine cheese or Fontina are better choices.
The low flavor score is not a criticism. Ricotta's neutrality is its strength. It carries other flavors without imposing its own, which is exactly what a filling or base ingredient should do.
How to Store Ricotta
Fresh ricotta is highly perishable. Its high moisture content and near-neutral pH make it one of the shortest-lived cheeses in your refrigerator.
- Press plastic onto the surface — contact wrap prevents a dry skin from forming
- Keep the lid sealed — ricotta absorbs fridge odors quickly
- Use within a week — flavor and texture decline noticeably after day 5
- Watch for pink spots — pink or orange discoloration means bacterial growth, discard the entire container
Ricotta should smell clean, milky, and faintly sweet when you open the container. Any sour or metallic smell means it has turned. Do not taste ricotta that smells off.
Freezing ricotta works only for cooked applications. The ice crystals formed during freezing break the delicate curd structure, and thawed ricotta weeps liquid and turns grainy. For cheese that freezes well, hard aged varieties hold up far better.
If you regularly cook with ricotta, buying it the day you plan to use it produces the best results. Fresh ricotta from a cheese counter or Italian deli is significantly better than the tub that has been on the shelf for two weeks.
Buying Fresh and Aged Ricotta
Supermarket ricotta quality varies more than most people expect. The differences between brands come down to whole milk ratio, stabilizers, and freshness.
For the best lasagna filling, whole-milk ricotta from a cheese counter or Italian deli, drained and mixed with egg and Parmesan, produces results that no pre-packaged tub can match. The price difference is modest, and the quality gap is significant.
Ricotta Nutrition Per Ounce
Ricotta is one of the lowest-calorie cheeses per ounce, especially the part-skim version. The high moisture content and moderate fat keep the numbers well below aged cheeses.
- Low calorie — 49 cal per ounce for whole milk, 39 for part-skim
- Moderate protein — 3.2g per ounce, lower than aged cheeses but decent for a fresh product
- Very low sodium — 24mg per ounce makes ricotta one of the lowest-sodium cheeses available
- Contains lactose — fresh ricotta retains moderate lactose, which may cause issues for sensitive individuals
Part-skim ricotta drops to 39 calories and 2.2g fat per ounce. For calorie-conscious cooking, part-skim works well in baked dishes where the fat reduction is masked by other ingredients.
The very low sodium makes ricotta a good option for low-sodium diets. The pregnancy cheese safety guide recommends pasteurized ricotta as one of the safest fresh cheeses for pregnant women. Aged cheeses like aged clothbound variety run 170-200mg sodium per ounce, nearly 10 times more.
The key safety concern with ricotta during pregnancy is not the cheese itself but how it is stored. Fresh ricotta's high moisture creates conditions where Listeria can grow if the cheese is temperature-abused. Buy fresh, keep cold, and use quickly.
Ricotta FAQ
These are the most common questions we get about ricotta, from draining tips to substitutes.
Yes. Most commercial ricotta contains excess moisture that will make your lasagna watery. Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth, add the ricotta, and drain in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours. The filling will hold together better and the pasta layers will stay distinct.
Traditionally, no. Ricotta is a whey product made from the liquid left after standard cheesemaking. The whey proteins (albumin and globulin) coagulate when reheated, creating the soft curds. Most modern commercial ricotta adds whole milk to the whey, making it a hybrid of whey product and fresh cheese.
Ricotta salata is a pressed, salted, and aged version of ricotta. It ages for 2-3 months and develops a firm, crumbly texture similar to feta. You can grate or shave it over pasta, salads, and roasted vegetables. It is found in the specialty cheese section, not the dairy case.
In some recipes, yes. Ricotta blended smooth can replace cream cheese in dips and some baked dishes. The result will be lighter, less dense, and less tangy. For cheesecake, the substitution produces a completely different style of dessert (Italian-style vs New York-style). They are not interchangeable 1:1 in all applications.
Opened ricotta lasts 5-7 days in the refrigerator when stored properly. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to limit air exposure and keep the lid sealed. Discard if you see pink or orange discoloration or detect a sour smell.