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Ricotta cheese

Ricotta cheese is a fresh, soft cheese commonly used in pasta fillings, baked dishes, and desserts.

Ricotta cheese — illustrative ingredient image

About Ricotta cheese

Ricotta cheese is a fresh Italian dairy cheese made by heating and coagulating whey, sometimes with additional milk. It is commonly spread or spooned onto bread, mixed into pasta fillings, layered in baked dishes, and used in cheesecakes, pastries, and other desserts. It is generally sold fresh.

Its flavour is mild, milky, and gently sweet, with freshness varying by production and storage. The texture is soft, moist, and usually fine, lightly grainy, or spoonable rather than firm and sliceable. Draining produces a drier, firmer filling for uses requiring more body.

Ricotta cheese is usually white and sold fresh in tubs, baskets, or molded portions. Drained versions are firmer, while smoked, salted, or aged forms are distinct preparations and should not be assumed here. The exact regional style, milk source, and moisture level are unspecified.

Ingredient type
derived ingredient

Forms & related ingredients

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Where ricotta cheese appears

15 linked foods

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Desserts

Noodle dishes

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for ricotta cheese

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Ricotta cheese

English

ricotta cheese (made from whole milk)

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

ricotta cheese (part-skim)

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Ricotta cheese nutrition & diet

Ricotta cheese nutritional value

Cheese, Ricotta

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the stated food form.

Calories
144kcal
Protein
9.4g
Carbs
2.0g
Fat
11.0g

Reference values apply to the named food form, not every preparation, variety or brand. CoFID 2021 food code 12-176. Carbohydrate follows the dataset’s available-carbohydrate convention. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/.

Portions & preparation

Use a reference for fresh ricotta cheese rather than aged ricotta salata, cottage cheese, mascarpone, or a ricotta-flavored filling. Specify the product’s moisture, salt, fat style, and any additions. Portion and preparation matter when it is eaten plain, baked, mixed into pasta, or used in dessert.

Compare the right form: Reference fresh ricotta cheese as sold, identifying dairy source, moisture, salt, fat style, straining, heat treatment, and added ingredients.

Diet considerations

Ricotta cheese is animal-derived dairy. Added cream, milk solids, egg, gelatin, meat, or flavorings can alter dietary compatibility, while pasta, pastry, and dessert uses add cereal ingredients and carbohydrates. A cheese filling or spread should be assessed as the complete product rather than by the ricotta name alone.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically incompatible
  • Vegetarian
    Depends on the version
  • Pescatarian
    Depends on the version
  • Keto
    Depends on the version
  • Paleo
    Typically incompatible
  • Low-carb
    Depends on the version
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically incompatible
The ingredient profile identifies an animal-derived food or derivative.
Vegetarian · Depends on the version
Check the coagulant or rennet source: animal rennet and vegetarian alternatives are both relevant to this category.
Pescatarian · Depends on the version
Check the coagulant or rennet source: animal rennet and vegetarian alternatives are both relevant to this category.
Keto · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Paleo · Typically incompatible
This profile falls outside the conventional paleo pattern used here (grains and pseudograins, legumes, dairy or refined sugar).
Low-carb · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: UK Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID), 2021 — Cheese, Ricotta ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .