How to Strain Ricotta Cheese

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY FOR DETAILS.

Learn how to strain ricotta cheese for recipes. Straining ricotta is necessary for creamy Italian desserts because it keeps the recipe from becoming watery.

Ricotta is my favorite Italian cheese, it’s creamy, delicious, and versatile. It’s one of my favorite ingredients in Baked Ziti, Sausage Lasagna, pizza, Three Cheese Calzones, and desserts like Cannoli!  

Today I’m showing you how to strain ricotta cheese the right way!

Ricotta is an Italian cheese that’s used in a variety of recipes. A lot of ricotta cheese recipes ask for strained ricotta cheese, but they don’t tell you how to do it. Let me show you!

Kitchen Equipment Needed:

Small Bowl – The small bowl from this set is perfect for straining ricotta cheese, the lip of the bowl is just the right size to rest the strainer on. Plus the other bowls are great for other recipes, I use these bowls daily!

Fine Mesh Strainer – The medium strainer from this set fits perfectly over a small bowl for this recipe. I love this set because the large size is great for sifting large amounts of flour or powdered sugar, the medium size is great for straining, and the small one is awesome for sifting small amounts of powdered sugar to garnish desserts.

Cheesecloth – Cheesecloth is necessary for this recipe. It keeps any cheese particles from slipping through the strainer.

Rubber Scraper – This set is my absolute favorite. It comes in various sizes and shapes. 

You can use cheesecloth in other ways:

1. You can use cheesecloth to make a small herb or spice satchel for soups, that way you get all the flavor from the herbs and spices but no debris ends up in your soup.
2. I also like using cheesecloth when I make homemade stock, it’s great for removing the accumulated fat that forms on the surface. Place some cheesecloth just below the surface of the stock, and then I chill it in the refrigerator for an hour. Then I simply lift the cheesecloth to remove the fat from the surface of the stock.

How to Strain Ricotta Cheese

Step 1:

Place the strainer over a small prep bowl, and line it with cheesecloth.

Step 2:

Add the ricotta, and using a rubber spatula, gently push and spread the ricotta into an even layer. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator. Let the ricotta cheese strain overnight, or at least for 8 hours. Discard the accumulated liquid in the bowl, and use the ricotta as directed in your recipe.

That’s it, folks. That’s how to strain ricotta cheese. Later this week I’ll show you how to take this strained ricotta cheese and make Cannoli Cream with it, yum!

How to Strain Ricotta Cheese

Learn how to strain ricotta cheese for recipes. Straining ricotta is necessary for creamy Italian desserts because it keeps the recipe from becoming watery.

Print Pin Rate

Course: how-to, Ingredient

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ricotta cheese

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Straining Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 7 people

US Customary - Metric

Calories: 106kcal

Author: Jillian - a Food, Folks and Fun original!

Ingredients

• 15 ounces ricotta cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Place the strainer over a small prep bowl, and line it with cheesecloth.
  
• Add the ricotta, and using a rubber spatula, gently push and spread the ricotta into an even layer. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator. Let the ricotta cheese strain overnight, or at least for 8 hours. Discard the accumulated liquid in the bowl, and use the ricotta as directed in your recipe.
  

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 64mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Follow me @FoodFolksandFun