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Ricotta

Ricotta is a soft, mild Italian whey cheese used in fillings, desserts, pasta dishes, and spreads.

Ricotta — illustrative ingredient image

About Ricotta

Ricotta is a soft Italian dairy cheese traditionally made by reheating whey, sometimes with milk, so that fine curds form. It is used in lasagne, ravioli and other pasta fillings, baked dishes, cheesecakes, pastries, spreads, and savoury fillings. Fresh ricotta is perishable and is usually kept chilled.

Its flavour is mild, milky, and lightly sweet, with a moist texture that may be smooth, softly curded, or slightly grainy. Fresh ricotta is spoonable rather than firm. Draining removes whey and produces a denser cheese, while salt and baking make the flavour more pronounced and the texture firmer.

Ricotta is generally white to ivory and may be sold fresh, drained, salted, smoked, or baked. It can be stirred into mixtures, spread, layered, or stuffed into pasta and pastries. Milk source and processing influence its richness, moisture, curd size, and final consistency.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where ricotta appears

13 linked foods

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Showing 1–12 of 13

Main dishes

Desserts

Noodle dishes

Street food

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

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Ricotta

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

Ricotta nutrition & diet

Ricotta 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

Match the reference to fresh, soft ricotta and identify whether it is made from whey, milk, or a stated combination. Whole, reduced-fat, whipped, salted, and flavored forms are not interchangeable. Consider the amount spread, stuffed, baked, or folded into a dish, plus accompanying pasta, pastry, sugar, or sauces.

Compare the right form: Reference fresh ricotta in the exact dairy base and fat style, noting salted, whipped, flavored, strained, or heat-treated form and edible portion.

Diet considerations

Ricotta is an animal-derived dairy cheese. Compatibility changes with milk source, added cream, flavorings, and recipes containing egg, meat, gelatin, or other animal ingredients. Pasta fillings, baked dishes, spreads, and desserts also differ in cereal, sugar, and portion-dependent carbohydrate patterns, so the complete preparation matters.

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: .