Is Ricotta Pasteurized In Italy? - Advice From An Italian Family

Last updated on June 22nd, 2024

Have you ever wondered, “is ricotta pasteurized in Italy?” If you are planning a trip to Italy and have specific health or dietary restrictions because of pre-existing conditions or pregnancy, it’s important to get the correct answers.

Generally speaking, yes, ricotta is pasteurized in Italy. But there is so much more to know and learn before jumping the gun and spending your Italian vacation eating tubs of ricotta.

After traveling in Italy for years now and even having learned how to make ricotta cheese during my WWOOF experience in Italy, I am confident in providing reliable answers that you can count on! I also carried out four pregnancies here so knowing what was and what was not pasteurized has been crucial for me as an expecting mother.

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What Is Ricotta?

small mounds of ricotta cheese from side view on a plate garnished with tomatoes and lettuce on a table to be served at a buffet

Ricotta is a soft, creamy cheese made from milk of any kind of animal including cows, sheeps, goats and the Italian water buffalo.

Ricotta means ‘recooked’ in Italian and is actually a byproduct of the cheese making process. To make cheese, the curds are separated from the liquid, known as the whey, which is in turn used to make the ricotta.

The whey is reheated with a bit of the leftover curds, a bit more milk and some kind of acid. The acidity curdles the milk and ricotta is made! The whole mixture is strained through a cheesecloth or mold to remove excess liquid and you are left with a light and pillowy fresh ricotta cheese.

This method is the traditional, old school method used to make ricotta in Italy. In the US, however, ricotta cheese is not made in this way but rather, made from cow’s milk and acid without the whey. I can assure you that you can taste the difference!

Is Ricotta Pasteurized?

Hand holding strainer with ricotta cheese inside. — Straining ricotta cheese helps remove excess liquid when baking

So now that you know what ricotta is, it’s time to get into the nitty gritty. Because ricotta is reheated whey, it does get up to the correct temperature to kill bacteria and is considered pasteurized.

Is Ricotta Safe For Pregnant Women?

large pot with curds and whey of cheese making with a person scooping out the curds — Curds separate from from the whey in the cheese making process

Yes, ricotta is safe for pregnant women, even if the ricotta is made from other types of milk such as sheep or Italian water buffalo. It’s important that the ricotta is heated to a specific temperature (63 °C (145 °F) for for 30 minutes or higher to 72 °C (162 °F) for a mere 15 seconds)*

*Source Britannica

Learn More: You may also want to read Is Mozzarella Pasteurized in Italy?, 10 Foods I Ate in Italy While Pregnant, My Favorite Snacks to Eat in Italy While Pregnant, and 10 Foods You May Want to Avoid in Italy While Pregnant.

How Italians Eat Ricotta

Lemon ricotta cake on left and two plates with slices and forks on right. — My lemon ricotta cake is one of my family’s favorite ways to use ricotta in desserts

Italians eat ricotta in any way possible, including by the spoonful from its mold that it comes in.

Here are my family’s favorite ways to eat ricotta:

Chocolate Ricotta Cake
Lemon Ricotta Cake
With Nutella with a spoon
On bread with jam, Nutella or other savory spreads such as hot pepper jelly
In fillings
In pasta sauces. Our favorite is with tomato sauce
On crostini

Other Italian recipes with ricotta:

Torta salata con ricotta (quiche with ricotta)
Pasta con limone e ricotta – pasta with lemon and ricotta
Frittata with zucchini and ricotta (an Italian omelet with zucchini)
Sformato di ricotta (savory flan with ricotta)
Crespelle con ricotta (savory pancakes filled with ricotta)
Necci (chestnut pancakes with ricotta)
Pasta con ricotta e noci – pasta with ricotta and walnuts
Cannelloni con spinaci e ricotta – cannelloni with spinach and ricotta

Plates with slices of torta pasqualina, sitting on a marble counter. A full torta is on the lower left. — Torta Pasqualina is a savory pie made with spinach and ricotta

Is Ricotta Pasteurized In Italy FAQ

Is ricotta cheese from Italy?

Ricotta cheese is originally an Italian cheese but is now made in other countries. The authentic method for making ricotta cheese is still practiced in Italy while other ricotta cheeses made outside of Italy are made in non-traditional ways.

How do Italians eat ricotta?

In Italy we eat ricotta in many ways, including fresh out of the little basket it comes in with jams, on bread, with Nutella or on other crostini. Ricotta is used as a filling, in soups and even in many baked goods and desserts.