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

That pie is sold only by the slice and features a New York-style thin crust with pesto, mozzarella, garlic, tomato, Romano cheese and garlic oil, with the option to top it with goat cheese or ricotta and hot honey. —John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026

Try the lemon ricotta pancakes, chicken atop mini waffles or cinnamon rolls that are as large as the plate. —Ella Gonzales march 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2026

Bright green asparagus ribbons enliven a crunchy crostini base with the help of fresh herbs and a smear of cheesy ricotta mixture. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026

Then there is the cacio e pepe gnocchi appetizer, potato pasta tossed in black pepper and pecorino Romano sauce; Chenzo pizza, red sauce, garlic, ricotta, meatballs and fresh basil and the atlas pizza, andouille sausage, gorgonzola, pickled onion, arugula and hot honey. —Sarah Kyrcz, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2026

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