10 Fantastic Ricotta Cheese Substitutes for Baking Novices

Ricotta cheese is a popular baking ingredient that adds a creamy and rich texture to any dessert. This Italian cheese is widely available and may be prepared from a number of milk sources, including goat, sheep, cow, and even water buffalo! Because ricotta is created from leftover whey, the name itself translates to “recooked.”

Today, we’ll discuss several ricotta alternatives for baking that can come in handy with your ingredient substitutions! The idea is to provide you with several alternatives for modifying a favorite dish based on your individual requirements:

1. Cottage Cheese
2. Sour Cream
3. Goat Cheese
4. Cream Cheese
5. Mascarpone
6. Queso Fresco
7. Fromage Blanc
8. Yogurt
9. Tofu

Don’t worry if you can’t find something acceptable from the list above. Continue reading to get a thorough list of Ricotta Cheese Substitute for Baking.

10 Best Substitute For Ricotta Cheese 

Ricotta is wet, fluffy, and light due to the lack of age. It’s most typically used in lasagna, but its fluffy texture also lends itself well to baking.

Unfortunately, ricotta has a limited shelf life, so keeping one in the fridge may not be a smart idea if you just bake on occasion.

If you need to discover ricotta cheese alternatives quickly for any reason, here are some of the finest options.

Cottage Cheese

Cottage Cheese was found by chance as a dairy product! They utilized animal stomach linings to transport milk, and the bacteria caused the milk to curdle.

Most bakers choose cottage cheese because it has a lower fat level, making it the healthier alternative of the two.

The taste is close to ricotta and should not make a significant difference in how your baked items come out. The key difference between the two is that cottage cheese is runnier and less creamy, which should be obvious after baked.

However, this should not alter the quality of your cake and will still provide a distinct flavor to the dessert.

Cottage cheese has less calories per cup than ricotta. Ricotta contains around 174 calories per 100 grams, but cottage cheese has just 98 calories.

If you’re attempting to lose weight or looking for a low-calorie option, cottage cheese is a great choice. The replacement ratio is 1:1, which implies that one cup of ricotta cheese may be substituted for one cup of cottage cheese.

Sour Cream

The textures of sour cream and ricotta are immediately noticeable at first look. They work well in baking recipes when cheese is not the main element. Essentially, you want the sour cream to lend fluffiness to the finished dish.

Sour cream’s acidity actually aids in the creation of more delicate delicacy in certain recipes, so anticipate some bounce in your cake if this is used. Because sour cream is fairly thick, it adds moisture to the cake without thinned out the batter during mixing. It also adds a little of sharpness to the cuisine, giving it a bite to the overall flavor.

Sour cream and ricotta cheese have a 1:1 ratio, so there’s no need to adjust your measures when making the switch. Sour cream has 193 calories per 100 grams, which is slightly higher than ricotta.

Goat Cheese

Goat cheese, particularly older varieties, has a strong acidic taste. This cheese has the same creamy consistency as the previous one, but it is more acidic, therefore it does not have the same amount of sweetness.

Something to keep in mind with goat cheese is that it comes in a variety of flavors, and fresh is usually preferable. Unlike ricotta, aged goat cheese tends to harden and is not suitable for baking.

However, if bought fresh, it will have a comparable moisture level as ricotta and will provide identical results.

The biggest disadvantage of goat cheese is that it is high in calories. It has almost twice the calories of ricotta, at 364 calories per 100 grams.

Only use goat cheese in recipes that call for a modest quantity of cheese. When substituting goat cheese, you may use a 1:1 ratio. However, since goat cheese contains more salt, you should minimize the quantity of salt in your dish.

Cream Cheese

While ricotta is created entirely of milk, cream cheese is prepared using both milk and cream. This implies that, as compared to ricotta, cream cheese is creamier and hence thicker. When it comes to baking, this implies that your baked items will be more stable.

Because ricotta and cream cheese both have a little sweet flavor, you may simply change one for the other without changing the overall flavor of the cake. It should be noted that if ricotta is used for its fluffy texture, cream cheese is not the greatest option since it is heavier than ricotta.

Cream cheese has around 342 calories per 100 grams, making it difficult to produce a low-calorie meal. If you’re attempting to reduce weight, simply use a little quantity of cream cheese as a replacement. There is no need to modify the measurement since the component has a 1:1 replacement ratio.

Mascarpone Cheese

Mascarpone Cheese is an acid-set cream with a creamy texture similar to ricotta. It has a milky-white color that spreads smoothly while preserving its integrity.

This cheese is often used as the major component in tiramisu and, in certain situations, cheesecake recipes. The flavor is comparable to that of ricotta, but somewhat sweeter.

As a result, if you use this alternative, you may wish to cut the sugar quantity of your recipe somewhat. Mascarpone cheese has a strong flavor, so only use it if you’re preparing something with a similarly strong flavor. Otherwise, the taste of the baked items may be ruined.

It should be noted that it is somewhat more costly than other cheese alternatives, so verify before purchasing. Mascarpone cheese has 435 calories per 100 grams, making it more caloric than ricotta.

As a result, you should only make the substitution if the recipe asks for a minimal quantity of cheese. Because the replacement ratio is 1:1, there is no need to make significant changes to your measurements.

Queso Fresco

Queso fresco is a kind of Mexican cheese that literally means “fresh cheese.” It has a soft texture and a somewhat acidic flavor, and it is often used as a topping for Mexican dishes.

It does not melt easily, thus using it as a component in a baking recipe is not always a smart idea.

Does this imply you can’t use it to bake with? Of course not, but queso fresco works better as a filling for pastries rather than as part of the dough. Because the cheese might be crumbly, it’s ideal to crush it into tiny pieces before using it as a filling in the dough. You can obtain these delectable melted cheese centers for anything you’re making this way.

Queso fresco has around 310 calories per 100 grams, which is still more than ricotta. If you’re going to use it in a recipe, use it sparingly in your baked products. To exchange, just use equal amounts of queso fresco and ricotta in a 1:1 ratio.

Fromage Blanc

In contrast to Fromage Frais, this is a sort of French cheese that contains no living cultures. The soft cheese has a similar consistency to ricotta, making it an excellent replacement.

Because it is thicker, it will provide more integrity to your baked items.

You should think about how the cheese will be utilized in your dish. For example, if you want a thick texture in your batter, use drained fromage blanc.

In this situation, you’ll be making something that looks a lot like yogurt. However, if the cheese is not drained, it has a little runnier consistency, which might be beneficial for softer compositions.

Fromage blanc has a modest calorie count of 100 calories per 100 grams of soft cheese. When compared to ricotta, fromage blanc is unquestionably lower in calories.

You may use ricotta for the fromage blanc in a 1:1 ratio. The cheese is mostly a French product, but if you can get it, you should absolutely taste it!

Yogurt

Plain yogurt has a tangy flavor that may enhance the flavor of any dish. It allows for greater experimentation and is thick enough to give your baked items some structure.

Yogurt is a better alternative to ricotta since it has just 59 calories per 100 grams. It’s also rather common and reasonably priced, allowing you to utilize it in huge amounts for large dishes. To obtain the greatest results, however, use just plain Greek yogurt while baking.

Because the consistency of ricotta and yogurt differs somewhat, the measurements must be adjusted. You should use less yogurt in particular.

For example, if one cup of ricotta is called for, use plain Greek yogurt. To keep the moisture uniformity of the baked products, always select to lower the measurement by.

Tofu

Yes, tofu may be used in place of ricotta. However, in order to get the creamy smoothness of ricotta for baking, you must use soft tofu.

Tofu is often used as a healthy vegan option for individuals who do not consume meat or animal byproducts. It’s very low in calories, with just 76 calories per 100 grams.

The disadvantage? Because the taste isn’t as strong as ricotta, you may need to make some modifications when adding other savory components. Simply follow a 1:1 ratio to accomplish the transfer.

Buttermilk Cheese

Buttermilk cheese has 64 calories per 100 grams, which is less than half the calories of ricotta. Unsurprisingly, if you want to make a low-calorie version of any dish that asks for ricotta, buttermilk is an excellent substitution choice.

The texture and flavor of buttermilk cheese are quite close to those of ricotta, therefore your end result will be very comparable. The biggest disadvantage of buttermilk cheese is that it is difficult to locate, but if you can find it, utilize it as a healthier option. For this, use a 1:1 ratio.