My super creamy ricotta cheese is made with only 3 ingredients; it is super easy and simple. All you need to do is heat the milk, add the lemon juice, drain the curds, and your cheese is ready!
In a large saucepan, warm the milk over medium high heat until it reachs 200°F. If you don't have a thermometer, take the milk out of the heat once it gets foamy and starts to steam.
2 litre whole milk
Now, add the lemon juice and salt, stir gently to combine, and set aside for 10 minutes. You will notice that the milk is separated into clumps (white curds) and watery, yellow-colored (whey).
⅓ cup lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt
Set a sieve over a bowl or pot and line the sieve with cheesecloth. Pour the curds and whey through the cheesecloth. Squeeze and let the curds drain for 10-20 minutes.
Notes
You can control the consistency of your cheese by controlling how much whey you drain.
If you plan on making desserts with your cheese, I recommend skipping the salt.
If you don’t have cheesecloth, you can use any regular muslin cloth to drain the cheese. Just ensure that it is clean.
Use a slotted spoon to scoop the delicate curds out of the whey.
This recipe yields about 1 ½ cups (300 g) of ricotta.