John Myers
Ricotta is a type of cream cheese made from whey. It is very low in fat, has a rather dry, crumbly consistency, and varies in taste from light and fresh, which is the most common type of ricotta in this country, to hearty smoked. We have put together a lot of information about the Italian cream cheese for you in our ricotta food guide. Of course, this unique product cannot simply be replaced one-to-one with other ingredients. Depending on the recipe, you will find some good alternatives if you don’t have the whey cheese at hand:
- Cottage Cheese: The texture, flavor, and cooking behavior are quite similar to Italian whey cream cheese. Cottage cheese is also much cheaper than real ricotta.
- Quark: If you drain the quark in a cloth, you can use it to prepare many ricotta recipes. This ricotta alternative is particularly suitable for baking since quark behaves very similarly to whey cheese during baking.
- Silken tofu is considered a vegan alternative to ricotta. Consistency and taste are similar, so vegans can also prepare their version of our ricotta cream, for example. Another advantage: This ricotta substitute is not only vegan but also lactose-free.
- Mascarpone: You can also replace ricotta with mascarpone in many dishes. However, keep in mind that mascarpone is much fatter, which of course has an impact on the calorie balance of your dish. As a substitute for baking, the higher fat content of mascarpone is also not ideal. The dough will be significantly moister and may not rise as well as with the original ingredient.
- Indian Panir Cheese: The Indian cream cheese Panir comes pretty close to Italian cheese in taste and texture. However, it is difficult to get in this country, but if you have an Indian grocery store in your area, you can ask there.
- Crème fraîche or sour cream can also be a good alternative to ricotta if you want it to be a little runnier and creamier. Attention, the same applies here: The fat content is significantly higher!
Make cream cheese yourself: It’s that easy
To make cream cheese or ricotta substitute yourself, you only need a few ingredients: milk (0.5 l), whey (1 l), cream (200 g), and lemon juice. Heat the milk, whey, and cream to around 80°C, and then add the lemon juice. After about an hour, the curds will have separated from the whey and can be strained through a cloth. You can then season the homemade ricotta as you like. The cheese will keep in the fridge for about two days.
