What Is Ricotta? Taste, Uses, Substitutes and Carbs
What is ricotta? Ricotta is a soft, fresh Italian cheese made from whey, the liquid left over after making other cheeses such as mozzarella. The whey is heated again until fine curds form, which is where the name comes from: ricotta means "cooked again". It's white, mild and slightly sweet, with a grainy texture, and it's used in lasagne, ravioli, cannoli and cheesecakes. CoFID lists ricotta at 2.0g of carbohydrate per 100g.
At a glance
- Made fromwhey, often with some milk or cream
- Tastesmild, milky and slightly sweet
- Say itri-KOT-uh (UK)
- 2.0gcarbs per 100g of ricotta (CoFID)
On this page
It comes in a small pot, and it turns up in spinach-stuffed pasta, Sicilian cannoli and baked cheesecakes. If you've never cooked with it, you might wonder what is ricotta cheese, and how it differs from cottage cheese or cream cheese. This guide explains what ricotta is, how it's made, what it tastes like, the main types, how to use it, what to swap in, how to store it and how many carbs it has.
What is ricotta?
BBC Good Food describes ricotta as an Italian cheese made from whey, and traditionally a by-product of making other cheeses such as mozzarella and provolone. To make it, the whey is cooked again, which gives ricotta its name: it's the Italian for "cooked again". Wikipedia calls it an Italian whey cheese made from the whey of sheep, cow, goat or Italian water buffalo milk, and notes that modern ricotta is often made from milk instead of whey.
Ricotta is a fresh cheese, so it isn't aged. Wikipedia explains that, like other whey cheeses, it's made by setting the proteins left in the whey after the casein has been used to make cheese, chiefly albumin and globulin. Galbani, an Italian cheese brand, says ricotta originates from central and southern Italy.
The Cambridge Dictionary gives the British pronunciation as /rɪˈkɒt.ə/, which you can say as "ri-KOT-uh".
It's an old food. Wikipedia says ricotta-making on the Italian peninsula dates back to the Bronze Age, when ceramic "milk boilers" designed to heat milk without it boiling over were in use. As hard, rennet-set cheeses took over, cheesemakers had plenty of leftover whey, and they began heating a mix of whey and milk to make ricotta as we know it today.
How ricotta is made
Wikipedia sets out the traditional method in three steps:
- Sour the whey. Whey left over from cheesemaking is left at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours so it becomes more acidic.
- Heat it. The acidified whey is heated to near boiling, much hotter than when the original cheese was made. The heat and acid make the whey proteins clump into a fine curd.
- Strain it. Once cooled, the liquid is passed through a fine cloth, leaving the soft curds behind.
Shop-bought ricotta often includes cream as well as whey. The ingredients on Galbani Ricotta, for example, are pasteurised whey (milk), whey cream (milk), milk cream, salt and two acidity regulators, lactic acid and citric acid. Morrisons describes its own-label ricotta as "full fat soft whey cheese" on its website.
At home, most recipes start with milk rather than whey. In a Waitrose recipe, Elly Curshen warms 1 litre of whole milk with 150ml of double cream to 90°C without letting it boil, stirs in lemon juice and salt, and rests the mixture for 10 minutes while it curdles. She then drains the curds in a muslin-lined sieve for an hour, noting that the longer it drains, the thicker the ricotta.
What ricotta tastes like
Fresh ricotta tastes mild, milky and slightly sweet. Wikipedia describes the curds as creamy white and slightly sweet, and lighter in texture than many other fresh cheeses. BBC Good Food says ricotta has a rich but delicate flavour and a grainy texture, and Galbani describes its own as light and fresh.
The graininess is part of its character. Recipe developer Helen Upshall told BBC Food that raw ricotta has a slightly grainy texture, but when it's whipped in a blender or stirred through a warm sauce, that texture tends to melt away. She describes its flavour as mellow yet creamy, which makes it good at carrying other flavours.
Types of ricotta
The Galbani and Morrisons tubs in UK shops are fresh, soft ricotta. BBC Good Food says many regional variations exist, and Wikipedia explains that some are salted, baked, smoked or fermented so they keep for much longer.
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Fresh ricotta | Soft, moist and mild; the kind sold in tubs |
| Ricotta romana | From sheep's milk whey, a by-product of pecorino romano; PDO-protected |
| Ricotta di bufala campana | From the whey left after making buffalo mozzarella; PDO-protected |
| Ricotta salata | Pressed, salted, dried and aged; firm enough to grate |
| Ricotta infornata | Baked until it has a brown crust |
| Ricotta affumicata | Smoked, usually over oak or chestnut wood |
| Ricotta forte | Aged for about a year into a soft, pungent paste |
Based on Wikipedia and BBC Good Food. PDO is the EU's protected designation of origin. Checked 12 November 2026.
BBC Good Food says ricotta salata is used like parmesan, sprinkled over pasta dishes. Wikipedia adds that it's sold in wheels with a basket-weave pattern, and that ricotta forte comes from Apulia and is sold in glass jars. Similar whey cheeses are made outside Italy too: Wikipedia lists brocciu in Corsica, requesón in Spain and urdă in Romania among them.
Ricotta vs cottage cheese and other soft cheeses
Ricotta is often confused with other fresh, white cheeses, but each is made differently.
- Ricotta vs cottage cheese. BBC Food says cottage cheese is made from pasteurised skimmed milk and is made up of small curds in a light cream. Ricotta is made from whey, and BBC Good Food describes its texture as grainy.
- Ricotta vs mascarpone. Wikipedia explains that ricotta is made from whey, while mascarpone is made from cream, so mascarpone is far richer.
- Ricotta vs quark. Quark is made by souring milk with bacteria, while ricotta is made from heated whey, according to Wikipedia.
Here's how ricotta compares with similar cheeses per 100g, using CoFID, the UK's main food composition dataset.
| Per 100g | Carbs | Fat | Protein | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricotta | 2.0g | 11.0g | 9.4g | 144 |
| Cottage cheese | 3.1g | 6.0g | 9.4g | 103 |
| Quark | 4.0g | Trace | 14.6g | 74 |
| Cream cheese | 3.0g | 24.4g | 5.3g | 252 |
| Mascarpone | 4.3g | 44.5g | 4.6g | 435 |
| Paneer | 0.9g | 24.5g | 26.0g | 328 |
CoFID 2021 codes 12-176 (Cheese, Ricotta), 12-539 (Cheese, cottage, plain), 12-174 (Cheese, Quark), 12-551 (Cheese, spreadable, full fat, soft, white), 12-490 (Cheese, Mascarpone) and 12-495 (Cheese, Paneer). UK carbohydrate figures don't include fibre. Checked 12 November 2026.
Ricotta sits in the middle for fat: CoFID lists 11.0g per 100g, against 6.0g in cottage cheese and 44.5g in mascarpone. For more on the richer cheese, see our guide to what mascarpone is, and for the fresh curd cheese popular in Germany, read what quark is and how to use it.
How to use ricotta
Ricotta works in both sweet and savoury cooking, and Galbani notes that in Italy it's eaten hot and cold, often in place of cream. These are its best-known uses.
- Pasta. BBC Good Food says ricotta forms the base of a range of pasta sauces, and suggests combining it with cooked spinach to stuff pancakes and cannelloni. Wikipedia lists lasagne, ravioli and manicotti among the dishes it's used in.
- Pizza and calzone. Wikipedia includes pizza, calzone and stromboli among ricotta's savoury uses. Our guide to what a calzone is explains how the folded pizza is filled.
- Desserts. BBC Good Food says ricotta is often served in Italy with chocolate shavings or cinnamon as a simple dessert. Wikipedia says beaten ricotta with sugar, cinnamon or orange flower water fills Sicilian cannoli and is layered with cake in Palermo's cassata.
- Cheesecakes and baking. BBC Good Food says ricotta can be used in cheesecakes and in baking, and Wikipedia names it as the main ingredient in Neapolitan pastiera, an Easter pie.
- Dips. Helen Upshall told BBC Food she whips ricotta in a blender with fresh herbs, a little garlic and onion powder and seasoning, and serves it as a dip.
Ricotta substitutes
If you can't find ricotta, another fresh cheese can usually stand in, though the result won't be identical. BBC Food says cottage cheese is a good replacement for ricotta in many recipes. Chef Dean Harper told BBC Food that cottage cheese is "a marvellous substitute for ricotta" in lasagne, as it holds up well during baking, but advised caution in dishes that need a smooth, velvety finish, as its curds might not break down completely. Waitrose suggests blitzing cottage cheese in a blender if you want it smooth.
| Swap | Best for | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Cottage cheese | Lasagne, pasta bakes | Lumpier; blend it for a smoother texture |
| Quark | Cheesecakes, dips | Smoother and tangier, with only a trace of fat |
| Cream cheese | Cheesecakes, spreads | About twice the fat |
| Mascarpone | Rich desserts | Much richer, with about four times the fat |
Cottage cheese notes from BBC Food and Waitrose; quark texture from Wikipedia and BBC Good Food; fat comparisons use the CoFID figures in the table above. Checked 12 November 2026.
Buying and storing ricotta
BBC Good Food says ricotta is available all year round but varies a lot in quality. It suggests watching out for gritty, lumpy or wet cheeses, and says the texture should be firm but not solid, and grainy.
Fresh ricotta goes off quickly. Wikipedia describes it as highly perishable, and BBC Good Food says to keep it refrigerated and eat it by the use-by date. Once it's open, follow the pack: Morrisons Ricotta says to use it within 2 days of opening. For homemade ricotta, the Waitrose recipe suggests keeping it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
The UK government's food labelling guidance says you can freeze food on or before its use-by date, should follow the freezing and defrosting instructions on the label, and need to use it within 24 hours once defrosted. The Waitrose recipe notes that defrosted ricotta may be slightly grainy, so it's best used in cooked dishes such as lasagne.
The UK government's food labelling guidance says use-by dates tell you when food is no longer safe to eat, and that eating food after its use-by date could make you ill. If a label says to refrigerate food after opening, it says you should keep it in a fridge at 5°C or below.
Carbs in ricotta
Most of the carbohydrate in ricotta is sugar from milk, which is lactose; CoFID lists all 2.0g per 100g as lactose. Shop-bought figures vary by brand, as these labels show.
| Ricotta | Carbs | Sugars | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoFID, per 100g | 2.0g | 2.0g | 11.0g |
| Morrisons, per 100g | 3g | 3g | 8.3g |
| Galbani, per 100g | 6.0g | 4.5g | 12g |
| Galbani, 250g tub | 15g | 11.3g | 30g |
CoFID 2021 code 12-176. Morrisons Ricotta 250g from the Morrisons page. Galbani Ricotta 250g: same figures on the Galbani, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Ocado pages. Tub figures are our own calculation (per 100g × 2.5). Checked 12 November 2026.
Morrisons lists 115kcal and 7g of protein per 100g, and Galbani lists 164kcal and 8g of protein. Morrisons gives 0.9g of carbohydrate in a 30g portion.
Is ricotta keto?
Plain ricotta can fit into a keto diet if you count the portion. On the labels above, 100g adds between 3g and 6g of carbohydrate depending on the brand, and CoFID's average is 2.0g. Check the label on the tub you buy, as figures differ. For carbs across hard and soft cheeses, see our guide is cheese keto?
Ricotta with our products
Sweetened ricotta, chocolate and pizza all appear among ricotta's classic Italian uses above. If you'd rather not use sugar, here's how our products can fit in, based on what each product page says.
- To sweeten whipped ricotta. Powdered Erythritol & Stevia Blend is a fine powder of erythritol and stevia in a 1kg pouch. The product page says it replaces icing sugar 1:1, dissolves quickly so it suits cold recipes, and lists cheesecakes among its uses.
- For a chocolate topping. Keto Dark Chocolate Buttons are 64% cocoa minimum, sweetened with erythritol and stevia, and come in a 210g pouch. Chop or grate a few over sweetened ricotta for the Italian chocolate-shavings dessert BBC Good Food describes.
- For a ricotta pizza. Our Low Carb Pizza Base is handmade in Italy by a family bakery with extra virgin olive oil, has 2.9g of carbohydrate per 100g and comes as a 190g base. The page says to add your toppings and bake it on the oven rack at 250°C for 5 to 6 minutes, so dollops of ricotta go on with the rest.
Product details are as shown on each product page. Free delivery on orders over £30.
Ricotta is made from milk, so it contains milk. The Low Carb Pizza Base product page says it contains gluten and may contain mustard and soy, so it isn't suitable for coeliacs or anyone with a gluten intolerance. Our Powdered Erythritol & Stevia Blend contains erythritol, a polyol, and excessive consumption of polyols may produce laxative effects. The Keto Dark Chocolate Buttons product page says they contain sweeteners and that excessive consumption may cause a laxative effect. Always check the pack for full allergen information.
Key takeaways
- Ricotta is a whey cheese. Whey is heated again until fine curds form, which is why the name means "cooked again".
- It's mild and grainy. Slightly sweet and milky, and smoother when whipped.
- It's an Italian kitchen staple. Lasagne, ravioli, cannoli, cassata and cheesecakes all use it.
- Cottage cheese is the usual swap. Blend it if you want a smoother result.
- Carbs vary by brand. From 2.0g per 100g (CoFID) to 6.0g on one UK label.
Frequently asked questions
What does ricotta taste like?
Ricotta tastes mild, milky and slightly sweet. Wikipedia describes fresh ricotta curds as creamy white and slightly sweet, and BBC Good Food calls the flavour rich but delicate, with a grainy texture. Recipe developer Helen Upshall told BBC Food that the graininess tends to melt away when ricotta is whipped or stirred through a warm sauce.
What's the difference between ricotta and cottage cheese?
They're made differently. Ricotta is made by heating whey, the liquid left over from making other cheeses, until fine curds form. BBC Food says cottage cheese is made from pasteurised skimmed milk and has small curds in a light cream. CoFID lists 11.0g of fat per 100g for ricotta and 6.0g for plain cottage cheese.
Can you freeze ricotta?
Yes, if you follow the label. UK government guidance says you can freeze food on or before its use-by date, should follow the label's freezing and defrosting instructions, and need to use it within 24 hours of defrosting. A Waitrose recipe notes that defrosted ricotta may be slightly grainy, so it's best used in cooked dishes such as lasagne.
How long does ricotta last once opened?
Not long, so check the pot. Morrisons Ricotta says to keep it refrigerated and use it within 2 days of opening, and never beyond the date shown. BBC Good Food says to keep ricotta in the fridge and eat it by the use-by date. The Waitrose homemade ricotta recipe suggests keeping it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can you eat ricotta when pregnant?
The NHS lists pasteurised soft cheeses, including ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese and mascarpone, among the cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy. It adds that most dairy products you buy in supermarkets are pasteurised, and that you can check the packaging to make sure. Galbani's ingredients list starts with pasteurised whey.
Sources
- BBC Good Food. Ricotta (definition, name, mozzarella and provolone whey, ricotta romana and salata, flavour and texture, buying, storage, uses). Checked 12 November 2026.
- BBC Food. Why is everyone talking about cottage cheese? (Dean Harper on cottage cheese for ricotta in lasagne; Helen Upshall on ricotta's flavour, texture and dips). Checked 12 November 2026.
- BBC Food. Cottage cheese (how it's made, texture, replacement for ricotta). Checked 12 November 2026.
- Wikipedia. Ricotta (definition, whey proteins, history, manufacturing process, fresh and aged variants, PDO varieties, culinary uses, similar cheeses). Checked 12 November 2026.
- Wikipedia. Mascarpone (made from cream, not whey) and Quark (dairy product) (soured milk; distinct from ricotta; texture). Checked 12 November 2026.
- Cambridge Dictionary. Ricotta (UK pronunciation). Checked 12 November 2026.
- Galbani. Galbani Ricotta 250g and Ricotta (ingredients, nutrition per 100g, taste, origins, uses). Checked 12 November 2026.
- Tesco. Galbani Ricotta 250g; Sainsbury's. Galbani Italian Ricotta Cheese 250g; Waitrose. Galbani Italian Ricotta Cheese 250g; Ocado. Galbani Italian Ricotta Cheese (ingredients and nutrition per 100g). Checked 12 November 2026.
- Morrisons. Morrisons Ricotta 250g (product name, nutrition, storage once opened). Checked 12 November 2026.
- Waitrose. Homemade ricotta (Elly Curshen's method and storage) and Cottage cheese (blending for a smooth texture). Checked 12 November 2026.
- GOV.UK. Understanding food labelling: Best before and use-by dates. Checked 12 November 2026.
- NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy (pasteurised soft cheeses, including ricotta). Checked 12 November 2026.
- Public Health England / Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Composition of foods integrated dataset (CoFID) 2021 (codes 12-176, 12-539, 12-174, 12-551, 12-490 and 12-495). Checked 12 November 2026.
- Groovy Keto product pages: Powdered Erythritol & Stevia Blend, Keto Dark Chocolate Buttons and Low Carb Pizza Base (sizes, ingredients, figures, baking instructions and label lines as shown). Checked 12 November 2026.
