Substitute for Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta is a soft, moist, barely salted cheese with fine, slightly grainy curds and a milky sweetness. USDA lists whole-milk ricotta at about 74 percent water, 10 percent fat and only 110 mg sodium per 100 g. That low salt and mild sweetness let it work in both lasagna and cannoli, and in a filling it binds with egg into a soft custard that sets in the oven. A substitute should match the moisture first and then be seasoned to make up the flavor.

Lasagna and baked pasta

Cottage cheese is the standard swap and goes in at the same weight. At 315 mg sodium per 100 g it is far saltier, so swapping 8 ounces brings in the sodium of a scant ¼ teaspoon of table salt; leave that much out of the filling. Drain and pulse it to break the curds, then mix with egg and Parmesan as usual. Tofu ricotta fills the same role in vegan versions and holds up well between noodles.

Desserts

Cannoli, ricotta cheesecake and sweet crostata fillings depend on ricotta’s clean, sweet dairy taste. Mascarpone cut with Greek yogurt gives a smooth, rich filling that pipes neatly, though it lacks ricotta’s light graininess. For a baked ricotta cake, the blend sets softer; add an extra tablespoon of flour or cornstarch per 8 ounces to help it hold.

Savory spreads and tarts

On toast, in stuffed squash blossoms and in vegetable tarts, goat cheese gives more flavor than ricotta ever did. Thin it with milk and cut back on salt elsewhere. Mixing half goat cheese with half drained cottage cheese gives a milder, ricotta-like result.

When not to substitute

Ricotta gnocchi and ricotta pancakes rely on its exact moisture and fat to form a tender dough; wetter cottage cheese or richer mascarpone throws the flour ratio off, so the gnocchi either fall apart or turn gummy. Sicilian cassata and traditional cannoli fillings made from sheep’s milk ricotta are also defined by that cheese’s flavor.

Common mistakes

• Using cottage cheese without draining it. Whey pools under the lasagna and the top layers slide.
• Salting a cottage cheese filling as if it were ricotta. The dish ends up noticeably salty.
• Beating mascarpone with an electric mixer. It turns grainy and buttery instead of light.
• Leaving tofu ricotta unseasoned. Without salt, lemon and oil it tastes like plain bean curd.