How can I make Ricotta Cheese without the Instant Pot?

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.

Can I use reduced fat milk?

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.

Use the whey from the ricotta in other recipes.

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.

If the milk hasn't curdled:

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.

Use the Instant Pot that has a "Yogurt" setting.

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.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese in the Instant Pot

Name: Homemade Ricotta Cheese in the Instant Pot
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 gallon of whole milk; 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

Homemade Ricotta Cheese in the Instant Pot

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5 from 1 review

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.

Author: Olga's Flavor Factory
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Yield: 4 cups 1x
Category: Miscellaneous

Ingredients

Scale

1 gallon of whole milk
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

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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.

Find it online: https://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/recipes/healthy/homemade-ricotta-cheese/