ricotta

noun

ri·​cot·​ta ri-ˈkä-tə 

-ˈkȯ-

: a white unripened whey cheese of Italy that resembles cottage cheese

also : a similar cheese made in the U.S. from whole or skim milk

Examples of ricotta in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Created in collaboration with Samantha Schnur of the media brand The Naughty Fork, the pizza includes spicy vodka sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, ricotta and Zab’s hot honey. —Miami Herald, 26 Nov. 2025

The menu rotates with the seasons, but some dishes endure, like the ricotta gnocchi with lamb Bolognese. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2025

Offered by the slice only, the Milpitas exclusive is the True Italian, a New York thin-crust pizza topped with pesto, mozzarella, garlic, tomato, Romano cheese, oregano and garlic oil, with the option to add goat cheese, ricotta cheese and hot honey. —Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025

Think yellowtail Hamachi crudo in corn milk leche de tigre, ricotta cavatelli with braised beef and lion’s mane mushrooms and za’atar spice butternut squash. —Nevin Martell, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from feminine of past participle of ricuocere to cook again, from Latin recoquere, from re- + coquere to cook — more at cook

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ricotta

• biota
• iota
• lakota
• nonquota
• chota
• cota
• quota

Kids Definition

ricotta

noun

ri·​cot·​ta ri-ˈkät-ə 

: a soft, white Italian cheese