Homemade ricotta is one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make. This Instant Pot ricotta recipe costs much less than store-bought ricotta, and it tastes delicious!
Homemade ricotta cheese couldn’t be easier to make. It’s as simple as heating up some milk, adding an acid, and waiting a minute for the magic to begin.
An Instant Pot makes it even easier than my stove top homemade ricotta. The yogurt setting on the Instant Pot heats the milk up to the required 180 degrees, so all you have to do is add the vinegar and strain the mixture.
This ricotta is a great spread for crackers or a base for pancakes and muffins. I can never bring myself to buy ricotta anymore now that I know how easy and affordable it is to make my own.
Watch this short video to see just how simple it is to make ricotta:
Instant Pot Ricotta
$.07 per ounce
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 tbs white vinegar
Instructions
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Pour the milk into the Instant Pot, close the lid, and set the vent to Sealing.
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Press the Yogurt button and press Adjust until you see Boil.
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Let the pot run the boil cycle. When it beeps, it means the milk has reached 180 degrees. Remove the top.
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Remove the inner pot to a trivet and pour the vinegar into the milk. Stir briefly. You’ll see the ricotta separating from the liquid. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
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Transfer the ricotta mixture to a fine mesh strainer lined with butter muslin. Let the liquid drain for a couple minutes, and add a sprinkle of salt if desired. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Instant Pot Ricotta Price Breakdown
This recipe costs a total of $.82 to make, and it yields about 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces). This comes out to $.07 per ounce ($.55 per cup). This is less than half the cost of store-bought ricotta, and the homemade version is so fresh and delicious! Try this recipe the next time you’re making something that calls for ricotta. You’ll never go back to the packaged version.
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This is genius!! Need to try this asap! 🙂
Never realized how very easy it was to make ricotta … and we love ricotta in our house! Don’t have an instantpot, but checked out your stovetop version and will be trying that.
I keep seeing posts using instapots and every time think to myself I should get one but then forget. But this ricotta looks so delicious. . .I may just have to cave and finally buy one!
This recipe looks great! What do you do with the leftover whey from the ricotta? (We’re “swimming” in whey at our house from making lots of Greek yogurt).
Thanks!
The leftover whey is great for soaking grains before baking. You can also add it to baked goods as a substitute for other liquids, or put it in smoothies.
Wonderful! I am always looking for more ways to use up whey and not waste it. Thank you for your reply.
Whey is also good for dogs (if you have a dog). You can drizzle it over their food.
It’s also a great starter for fermentation.
Soups, gravy, liquid when making bread, put in smoothies, water the plants…..
Can you double recipe and how long can it stay in the refrigerator? Thanks in advance.
This keeps for about a week in the fridge. I haven’t doubled it, but it should work just fine. It will take a little longer for the milk to reach 180 degrees.
I’m wondering if this can be made from 2% or non-fat milk? Thanks! 🙂
Yes, it can, Deana. The yield might be a bit smaller and the product will be less rich, but it’s definitely doable.
This sounds wonderful. Could I use the same strainer I purchased for Greek yogurt to strain the ricotta?
Yes, Rose, that should work fine. Enjoy!
It says to release pressure after it beeps, but mine never came to pressure – did I do something wrong? Also, do you think I can use lemon juice instead of vinegar? Thank you!!
You can definitely use lemon juice instead of vinegar to make ricotta. I’m not sure why your pot didn’t come to pressure. Maybe you forgot to turn the knob to “sealing.” As long as the milk temperature reaches 180 degrees, you can proceed with the recipe.
I ran it a 2nd time (same milk) and this time it came to pressure, but was only 150 degrees. I decided to go ahead anyway and it seemed to curdle up just fine. it is in the fridge chilling right now. Tasted pretty good, so I think it was ok! Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t have a yogurt button so how should I processed?
You can use the Saute button to heat the milk to 180 degrees, or heat it on the stovetop. Either way, you’ll need a thermometer to confirm the temperature.
ok thank you so much for the quick reply back!! def going to try this today
can I use the porridge button
Very cool, I’m excited to try this, thank you so much for this recipe. I was wondering if you could use reconstituted evaporated milk? I don’t usually buy or use regular milk or have it on hand.
Teresa, I’ve never used evaporated milk for this, so I’m not sure. Please let me know if you try it!
would I be able to use lactaid milk that is lactose free?
I haven’t made this with lactose-free milk. Please let me know if you try it!
Fermenting milk changes the lactose—-you should be able to tolerate it just fine.
Can I use goat milk instead of cow milk to make this recipe?
I haven’t made this with goat’s milk, but I think you probably could. Please let me know if you try it!
I use goat milk all the time – works great! 😊
I will try this. I am Italian and the ricotta we had in our recipes was made from goat milk and it was light and mildly sweet. We could eat it by spoon as children. I would be so excited if this came close. I might even try using goat milk some time.
Any idea whether or not it would work with fat free or 1% milk?
Yes, that milk should work, too.
I do not have a yogurt setting. (I have the Lux6.0) What other setting could I use and for how long?
I’m not sure. Before I had my Instant Pot, I made it on the stovetop. You just need to heat the milk to 180 degrees.
Will be trying this soon. I’m curious to know, where do you find 4 cups of milk for 82 cents?
I hope you enjoy it! I can get milk for less than $3 a gallon at Costco and Wegman’s in my area (eastern Massachusetts). This comes out to less than $.75 for 4 cups. What does milk cost in your area?
Will this work if I make half a recipe to see if I like it? I have a Duo 8
Yes, you can definitely half the recipe as long as you use enough liquid for your pot. I have the 6 quart, and I think the minimum amount of liquid for mine is 1 cup. You should be fine using 2 cups of milk, but double check your pot’s minimum liquid amount to be sure.
Thank you!
Can I use plain cheese cloth instead of butter muslin?
Yes, you can use cheese cloth. I recommend folding it over a couple times so the ricotta doesn’t slip through the bigger holes. Enjoy!
I’m confused……..I have a 6qt Duo with the yogurt feature. You say to push the yogurt button until it reaches boil then release the pressure when it’s done. The yogurt function is not done under pressure so there shouldn’t be any pressure to release should there????
Thanks for the heads up. I updated the instructions.
Hi, Annemarie. I used your recipe for my first go-round with my new IP.
I doubled the recipe ie. 1/2 gallon milk and 4 Tbsp of white vinegar.
I ended up with less than 1 cup of ricotta. It tasted good, though.
Where is my error?
Please advise.
Amy F.
Amy, I’m not sure what happened. The yield does vary a bit from batch to batch, but I’m not sure why your yield was so low. I haven’t doubled this recipe before, so I’m not sure if that was part of the problem. Part of the issue may be that you strained it for a longer time than I do, so it ended up more dense.