Ricotta cheese is one of those pantry staples you only miss when a recipe calls for it and your fridge comes up empty. Whether you are layering lasagna, piping cannoli, stuffing shells, or folding it into a lemon ricotta pancake batter, knowing where to buy ricotta cheese, which style to pick, and what mislabeled substitutes to avoid will save you a second trip to the store. This guide walks through the brands, retailers, and buying criteria that matter, along with a few pitfalls most shoppers never notice until they taste the difference at the table.
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What Ricotta Is and Who Buys It
Ricotta, which means “recooked” in Italian, is a fresh dairy product traditionally made by reheating the whey left over from mozzarella or provolone production. Modern American versions often use whole or skim milk plus an acid to boost yield, but the soft, slightly sweet, faintly grainy texture remains the same. The Wikipedia entry on ricotta traces its Mediterranean origins back to ancient Sicily and Sardinia. Home cooks reach for it in baked pasta, ravioli fillings, cheesecake, and Sicilian desserts, while dietitians recommend it as a higher-protein, lower-sodium option compared with many aged cheeses. FDA standards of identity under 21 CFR 133.162 define the product, its whole-milk and part-skim grades, and the minimum milkfat required for each label claim.
What to Look For: Features and Buying Criteria
Not every tub on the dairy shelf is built the same. Before you drop one in your cart, scan for these features.
Whole milk versus part skim. Whole-milk tubs carry roughly 11 percent milkfat and deliver the richer, creamier mouthfeel most Italian American recipes expect. Part-skim sits around 6 to 8 percent and bakes firmer, which some cooks prefer for lasagna that slices cleanly. Nonfat versions exist but taste chalky and weep water in the oven.
Curd style. Supermarket tubs are typically smooth and homogenous, spoonable straight from the container. Artisan brands like Calabro and BelGioioso sell hand-dipped baskets with a pillowy, irregular curd that holds its shape on crostini. If a recipe calls for “fresh” or “basket” ricotta, hand-dipped is what you want.
Ingredient list. A clean label reads milk, whey, vinegar or citric acid, and salt. Gums like xanthan, locust bean, or carrageenan are added to prolong shelf life and keep the curd from weeping, but they can mute flavor and give baked dishes a gummy set.
Sheep, buffalo, or cow. Most American tubs are cow’s milk. Imported sheep-milk versions (ricotta di pecora) are tangier and firmer, sold at specialty counters. Water buffalo ricotta, rare stateside, is the richest of the three and worth the splurge for a standout dessert.
Package size. Standard grocery tubs run 15 ounces, enough for one 9-by-13 lasagna. Club-store tubs from Costco or Sam’s push 3 pounds, which makes sense only if you are catering or baking multiple dishes inside the one-week fridge window.
What to Avoid When Buying Ricotta
A few traps that trip up even experienced home cooks.
Products labeled “ricotta style.” Any tub that hedges with “style,” “blend,” or “with added milk solids” is likely cut with stabilizers or skim-milk powder to hit a price point. The curd feels rubbery and the flavor goes flat when baked.
Ultra-pasteurized, over-stabilized tubs. A long sell-by date is convenient, but ultra-pasteurization cooks off the delicate sweet-cream notes that make fresh ricotta special. Combine that with gum stabilizers and you end up with a bland, gluey filling.
Dates pushed to the edge. Unlike hard cheeses, it is fresh dairy with a two-to-three-week shelf window from production. Check the sell-by carefully, especially at warehouse clubs where turnover on specialty sizes can lag.
Bulging or weeping tubs. A dome on the lid means fermentation has started. Pooled liquid beyond a thin surface layer means the curd is breaking down. Skip either one, even if the date looks fine.
Buying frozen. Freezing damages the delicate curd structure. Thawed tubs turn watery and grainy and work only in baked dishes where texture is forgiving.
Where to Buy Ricotta Cheese In Store
Walmart
Walmart carries the broadest lineup at supermarket prices. Expect Great Value house brand, Galbani, Frigo, Polly-O, and Sorrento in most Supercenters, stocked in the refrigerated dairy aisle near the cream cheese and sour cream. Check the Walmart selection page before driving over if you are hunting a specific brand, since smaller neighborhood stores carry a thinner mix.
Target
Target keeps Market Pantry house brand plus one or two national labels in its grocery section, usually near the front of the store opposite the apparel. It is a solid quick stop for a full-fat or part-skim tub. The Market Pantry listing is the easiest way to confirm local stock before you drive over.
Kroger, Publix, and Regional Grocers
Kroger, Publix, Safeway, Albertsons, and H-E-B each stock their store label plus Galbani and Polly-O in the main dairy case. Publix in the Southeast and Wegmans in the Northeast tend to carry a wider premium selection, including imported sheep-milk options at the full-service deli counter.
Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Sprouts
Costco and Sam’s Club
Whole Foods stocks BelGioioso, Calabro, and Organic Valley in the dedicated cheese case, not the main dairy aisle. Trader Joe’s rotates a Galbani-made house tub and an organic option. Sprouts leans organic with smaller-producer labels. For bulk, Costco and Sam’s Club carry 3-pound Galbani or Precious tubs at a sharply lower per-ounce price, ideal for big family gatherings or meal-prep cooks.
Italian Specialty Markets and Delis
Neighborhood Italian delis and specialty markets are where you find the good stuff: hand-dipped baskets, fresh-made that morning, sometimes still warm. Call ahead, since small producers often sell out by early afternoon on weekends. This is also the place to ask about sheep-milk ricotta di pecora or true water-buffalo versions.
Quick tip: call your local grocer before a holiday weekend. Lasagna-heavy holidays like Christmas and Easter tend to clean out the dairy case by mid-morning.
Where to Buy Ricotta Cheese Online
Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods on Amazon
Where Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods delivery is available, same-day grocery on Amazon #ad stocks BelGioioso, Galbani, Polly-O, and 365 by Whole Foods in cold-chain delivery. Shelf-stable “ricotta” pouches sold as ambient groceries on the main Amazon site are usually the wrong product, so stick to the Fresh or Whole Foods storefronts.
Instacart and Shipt
Instacart pulls from Kroger, Publix, Costco, Wegmans, Sprouts, and most regional chains. Shipt covers Target, H-E-B, and Meijer. Both deliver within a two-hour window, which keeps the cold chain tight. Tip the shopper well and ask them to pick the tub with the latest sell-by date.
iGourmet and Direct-from-Producer
For specialty and imported styles, iGourmet ships fresh ricotta with cold packs overnight, including sheep-milk options. Calabro Cheese in Connecticut and Antonelli’s in Texas ship direct; both are worth the premium for a baked ziti or cannoli that will be the centerpiece of the meal. Order early in the week so delivery does not sit in a Friday or Saturday warehouse.
Walmart.com and Target.com Grocery
Walmart.com and Target.com both offer same-day grocery pickup or delivery in most ZIP codes. Pickup keeps the product coldest because it skips the last-mile porch wait.
Top Picks: Best Ricotta Brands to Buy
Best overall: BelGioioso Whole Milk Ricotta. Wisconsin-made with fresh milk and vinegar, no gums or stabilizers, and a sweet, creamy curd that bakes beautifully. Around $5 to $7 for a 15-ounce tub. Check BelGioioso on Amazon #ad.
Best budget: Polly-O Original Whole Milk. The classic Italian American supermarket pick, owned by Lactalis, widely stocked, and reliably creamy for a workhorse weeknight lasagna. Around $4 to $6 per 15-ounce tub. Find Polly-O on Amazon #ad.
Best artisan: Calabro Hand-Dipped Ricotta. A Connecticut small-batch producer using fresh, never-frozen whey from East Coast dairies. Pillowy, delicate curd, best eaten with olive oil and sea salt on grilled bread. Around $8 to $12 depending on basket size. Shop Calabro on Amazon #ad.
Best organic: Organic Valley Whole Milk Ricotta. Pasture-based milk from the farmer cooperative, no gums, certified organic, clean flavor that skews a touch tangy. Around $6 to $8. See Organic Valley on Amazon #ad.
Best for baking and cooking: Galbani Part-Skim Ricotta. A firmer, drier curd straight from the tub means less weeping in lasagna and stuffed shells. Made by Lactalis, widely distributed, and a restaurant-kitchen favorite. Around $4 to $6. Find Galbani on Amazon #ad.
Pairing ideas from our guides: layer your lasagna with fresh pasta sheets, finish a cannoli plate with mascarpone, or keep cheesecloth on hand for draining any tub that looks too wet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ricotta the same as cottage cheese?
No. Cottage cheese is a curdled, drained milk product with large, distinct curds and a tangy, salty taste. Ricotta is technically a whey product, made by recooking the liquid left over from other cheeses, with a finer, sweeter, and smoother curd. They behave very differently in baked dishes, so swapping one for the other changes both texture and flavor.
Should I buy whole-milk or part-skim?
Whole-milk has a richer flavor and creamier mouthfeel, which suits desserts like cannoli filling and cheesecake. Part-skim is firmer and drier, which makes for a cleaner slice of lasagna and less liquid pooling at the bottom of the pan. Pick by the dish, not by calorie count.
How long does an opened tub last in the fridge?
Once opened, store it in the original container with the lid tight, pressed down against the surface if possible, and use it within five to seven days. Toss it if you see pink or blue mold, smell sourness beyond a gentle tang, or notice the curd separating into watery layers.
Can you freeze ricotta?
You can, but the texture suffers. Freezing bursts the curd’s water cells and thawed tubs turn grainy and weep liquid. The result is fine in baked dishes like lasagna, ziti, or manicotti where texture is hidden, but unusable for cannoli, crostini, or any raw application.
Is homemade better than store-bought?
Homemade from whole milk and lemon juice or vinegar is fresher and lighter, and it takes about thirty minutes start to finish. The trade-off is yield: a gallon of milk produces only about two cups of curd, which makes the per-pound cost higher than a supermarket tub. For a dinner party centerpiece, make it yourself. For a Tuesday lasagna, buy a good brand.
Are there store-brand versions worth buying?
Yes. Great Value at Walmart, Market Pantry at Target, Kroger’s private label, and 365 at Whole Foods all turn out acceptable whole-milk tubs at a meaningful discount. Read the label, though: gum-stabilized store brands fall flat compared with a clean-ingredient national brand.
Editorial Note
Reviewed by the wheretobuyguides.com editorial team with input from home cooks and Italian American food writers who use ricotta weekly. Last updated: April 2026.