Can you freeze ricotta cheese? It's a common question from anyone who has leftover ricotta in their refrigerator. Use this helpful guide to learn the best way to freeze ricotta and find recipes that use up leftover ricotta.
You'll also learn how long ricotta cheese stays fresh and the best substitutes for ricotta cheese.
Ricotta is an Italian cheese. Although it's mostly thought of as a creamy, fresh cheese there are actually several different types of ricotta.
I'll talk more about the different types of ricotta below, but first we'll focus on fresh ricotta, which is the type that most home cooks want to freeze.
Fresh ricotta is soft, spoonable and sold in a tub. Some commercially made brands have a grainy texture, which isn't ideal. Look for brands that are fluffy, creamy and smooth.
The flavor of fresh ricotta is similar to the flavor of cream - mild and milky with just a slightly sweet taste. Ricotta is used in familiar recipes and dishes like lasagna, baked ziti, and stuffed shells. It's also used in desserts like cheesecake and cannoli.
My favorite ricotta recipe is pork and ricotta meatballs. You can also use ricotta to make turkey and ricotta meatballs.
How to Freeze Ricotta
Fresh ricotta can be frozen for 1 to 3 months, but the texture will change. This is why it's ideal to use fresh ricotta up so that you don't have to freeze it. After being frozen and defrosted, ricotta is less fluffy and smooth and can become watery and grainy.
However, we don't live an ideal world and many of us end up with leftover ricotta.
Ricotta cheese has a high water content and the water separates from the cream when frozen. Vigorously stirring frozen and defrosted ricotta is the best way to bring back the creamy consistency, however it might still be slightly grainy.
Even so, frozen and defrosted ricotta should work fine in both sweet and savory baked recipes, like lasagna and cakes.
Fresh ricotta can simply be frozen in the original packaging, which is usually a plastic tub. You can also freeze fresh ricotta in a freezer-safe glass glass jar or airtight container.
To defrost frozen ricotta, leave it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ricotta
Ricotta is a fresh, un-aged cheese that doesn't last as long as other types of cheese. Most tubs of fresh ricotta will have an expiration date. After opening a container of ricotta, try to use it within a week of opening it. It can stay fresh for slightly longer than that, but not always.
A few signs that ricotta is no longer fresh are the color (mold can give it a pinkish color), odor (rancid-milk smell) and flavor (it will taste sour or bitter).
When dairy products are frozen, fat separation occurs, causing the fat to separate from liquid. This fat separation is what gives ricotta a grainy texture when it's defrosted. Fat separation also means that the watery parts of ricotta form ice crystals. When that ice defrosts, the consistency of ricotta becomes more watery and less creamy.
Fat separation is why it's essential to whip or stir defrosted ricotta to bring back a creamy consistency, although it's sometimes impossible to avoid the grainy texture.
Yes, ricotta does quite well when frozen into recipes, especially when the dish will be baked, such as pasta or casseroles.
You can also freeze desserts with ricotta like cannoli. Check out this article from pantryandlarder.com for detailed instructions about freezing cannoli.
Yes, you can freeze cottage cheese. Just like ricotta, defrost it in the refrigerator then stir vigorously to bring back the creamy texture.
Traditional ricotta is made from whey. Whey is the liquid that is pressed out of cheese curds when cheese is made. Instead of discarding the whey, Italian cheesemakers discovered they could re-heat it and the whey would thicken into curds. This is how ricotta (which means recooked in Italian) got its name.
These days, many brands of ricotta are made by combining whey with whole milk or cream. You can even make a relatively simple version of homemade ricotta cheese using whole milk and vinegar or lemon juice.
Ricotta that is frozen longer than 3 months won't necessarily go bad, but it's more likely to develop frost and freeze burn that affects the taste.
Ricotta Substitutes
Cottage cheese: Cottage cheese can be substituted for ricotta, but it often has a tangier flavor and the texture might be thicker and lumpier if the curds are large. If possible, buy small curd cottage cheese to replace ricotta. You can also make cottage cheese smoother by blending it briefly in a blender.
Cottage cheese is most often used as a substitute for ricotta in lasagna and other savory recipes. The high moisture content and creamy (but not overly rich) texture make its a good substitute for ricotta in baked pasta recipes like Mom's Cottage Cheese Lasagna from Neighborfoodblog.com.
Quark: Quark is a fresh dairy product that's a cross between yogurt and cottage cheese.
Creme Fraiche: Creme fraiche is French cultured cream. The cream is thickened either by natural bacteria (unpasteurized cream) or a starter culture (pasteurized cream). It has a higher fat content than ricotta and smoother, richer texture. I use creme fraiche instead of ricotta in my favorite cheesy lasagna recipe.
Mascarpone: Mascarpone is an Italian dairy product made from cream that has been thickened by citric acid. It has a smooth texture and slightly sweet flavor. Mascarpone has a high butterfat content, which makes it richer and thicker than ricotta. It is used in desserts like tiramisu or mixed with fresh herbs for a savory topping for bread or pasta.
Fromage blanc: A spreadable whole milk cheese with a dense, whipped texture similar to cream cheese.
Ricotta Recipes
Fresh ricotta can be used in all sorts of different dishes and recipes. All of these recipes provide delicious ways to use up ricotta.
- Turkey ricotta meatballs
- Pork and ricotta meatballs
- Vesuvio pizza
- Lemon ricotta pancakes, by Baker by Nature
- Easy baked spaghetti, by Pip & Ebby
- Whole wheat raspberry ricotta scones, by Smitten Kitchen
- Lemon ricotta pasta, by Lemon & Zest
More Types of Ricotta
Usually, ricotta is made from either cow's milk or sheep milk. Occasionally it's made from goat's milk and in a few parts of Italy that make buffalo mozzarella, it's made from buffalo milk.
In Italy, you might find locally made ricotta that varies in flavor and texture depending on where it is made. Some types of Italian ricotta are soft and spreadable and others are firm and can be sliced.
In an American grocery store, you're most likely to only find commercially made ricotta that is sold in small tubs and meant for recipes like lasagna. Look a little harder in cheese shops and speciality stores and you might find other types of ricotta, too.
Basket Ricotta: Soft, pillowy curds are scooped into baskets to drain, which shapes the ricotta into a small dome. One example is Bellwether Farm's sheep milk basket ricotta.
Salted: Ricotta Salata is made from sheep's milk curd that has been salted and pressed and then aged for about 3 months. It has a tender but firm and sliceable texture. It's used for snacking or grating over salad or pasta.
Smoked Ricotta: Less common is smoked ricotta, or ricotta affumicata. This type of semi-firm smoked ricotta is basically ricotta salata that has been cold smoked. A unique version of smoked ricotta with a soft, creamy texture is sold by Artisanal cheesemakers like Crooked Face Creamery.
To freeze these other types of ricotta, wrap the cheese very tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Some people like to first use a piece of parchment, so that plastic is not directly touching the cheese.
Easy Recipes for Cheese Lovers
📖 Recipe
Can You Freeze Ricotta Cheese?
Can you freeze ricotta cheese? The answer is yes! This helpful recipe outlines the best ways to freeze and re-use leftover ricotta cheese for sweet and savory recipes.
- Prep Time: 5
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Cooking Tips
- Method: Freezing
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- Leftover fresh ricotta, any amount
Instructions
- Fresh ricotta can be left in the original packaging or scooped into any freezer-safe container (like a glass jar or Tupperware).
- An unopened container of ricotta from the store can just be frozen in the container.
- To defrost any type of frozen ricotta, put it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Stir the ricotta vigorously to make it less water and bring back the creamy texture.
- Once ricotta is defrosted, it should be used within 2 days. Once defrosted, you'll need to use the whole portion of ricotta. It shouldn’t be put back in the freezer. If necessary, you can split ricotta up into small portions before freezing.
- Ricotta can be frozen for up to 3 months. After that, the flavor and texture will deteriorate.
Notes
To freeze other types of ricotta with a firmer texture, (like ricotta salata) wrap the cheese very tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and placed in a freezer-safe bag to avoid freezer burn. Some people like to first use a piece of parchment, so that plastic is not directly touching the cheese.
Cathy says
If you plan on using defrosted ricotta in baked dishes what is the difference between doing that and freezing the prepared dish which includes ricotta
Jenny Meier says
It's fine to freeze ricotta either way, but if the ricotta is mixed with other ingredients then the water is less likely to separate out from the ricotta.
Jenny says
Helpful information so I never have to waste ricotta again