ricotta

American

[ri-kot-uh, -kaw-tuh, ree-kawt-tah] / rɪˈkɒt ə, -ˈkɔ tə, riˈkɔt tɑ /

noun

a soft Italian cheese that resembles cottage cheese.

ricotta British

/ rɪˈkɒtə /

noun

a soft white unsalted cheese made from sheep's milk, used esp in making ravioli and gnocchi

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ricotta

1875–80; < Italian < Latin recocta, feminine of recoctus, past participle of recoquere to re-cook. See re-, cook ¹

Compare meaning

How does ricotta compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There will also be shrimp tempura and Georgia peach and ricotta flatbread with hot honey.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

And the industry in general seems reluctant to adopt such “artisanal pizzeria” innovations as lavender-flavored pizza, honey-drenched pizza or vegan pizza made with cashew ricotta.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

I paired it with rigatoni, Italian sausage, some toasted bread crumbs and a dollop of ricotta.

From Salon • Nov. 18, 2025

A Buffalo Chicken pizza with housemade hot sauce, breaded chicken, mozzarella and ricotta is as experimental as he gets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

She makes sure to prepare his favorite things: lamb curry with lots of potatoes, luchis, thick channa dal with swollen brown raisins, pineapple chutney, sandeshes molded out of saffron-tinted ricotta cheese.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023