Ricotta

A soft, fresh Italian cheese with small, moist curds, traditionally made from whey, used in cannoli, cheesecakes and fillings.

Ricotta: A bowl of fresh, fluffy white ricotta cheese with small curds and a spoon
  • Baking ingredients and additives

Ricotta means recooked in Italian, because it was traditionally made by heating the whey left over from cheesemaking. Most supermarket ricotta is made from whole milk.

For cannoli and smooth fillings, ricotta is often drained overnight in a sieve and then whipped or pressed through a sieve to make it smoother. Italian ricotta cheesecake is lighter and less dense than New York cheesecake.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Ricotta (Q216781), Wikidata