Ricotta Pie

Absolutely delicious and light ricotta pie with homemade buttery crust with lemon zest and creamy ricotta filling.

My ultimate tip to make a delicious pie with ricotta cheese is to stay close to a traditional Italian recipe, make the sweet crust dough from scratch, and not use baking powder. I like to enhance the silky texture of ricotta with heavy cream and eggs.

I love using ricotta in baking desserts, from simple cookies, to extra-moist chocolate cake and savory dishes. It is an amazing ingredient for Easter dessert just like my simple Easter bark.

What Is Classic Italian Ricotta Pie?

Sicilian ricotta pie or “crostata di ricotta” in Italian is a perfect dessert for Easter and Christmas.

It is usually made in a deep dish pie pan, with crumbly pie crust and creamy ricotta filling.

Pie crust aka pasta frolla is crumbly and buttery sweet shortcrust dough and has a traditional Italian twist – lemon zest! Classic pasta frolla dough doesn’t need any leavening agents and is just perfect the way it is.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• All from scratch for an ultimate homemade feel that a pie from an Italian bakery can offer. I don’t use store-bought pie crust in this recipe.
• To make this recipe you will only need 9 simple ingredients.
• Great to make ahead. You can assemble and bake it one day ahead.

Ingredients Notes

You can find the printable recipe and the exact quantities on the recipe card at the end of the post.

Pie Crust

• Granulated sugar
• Flour mixture: all-purpose flour, spooned, and level + salt. Gluten-free flour doesn’t always work in this recipe so it may not be very celiac-friendly. No baking powder or baking soda is needed.
• Lemon zest – the secret ingredient of Italian ricotta pie!
• Unsalted butter. My recipe calls for softened butter but old-fashioned recipes also use shortening.
• Egg (room temperature).

Ricotta Filling

• Full-fat ricotta cheese, drain if too watery, or strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Use fresh ricotta for the best taste. Whole milk ricotta cheese has a signature grainy texture and milk milky taste.
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs. Free-range eggs are best for authentic recipes and good quality sweet desserts. We use many eggs in this recipe but the original Italian ricotta pie recipe calls for even more eggs!
• Vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla extract.
• Lemon zest + Orange zest – for amazing flavor touches and aromas.
• All-purpose flour to bulk up the filling.
• Heavy cream. You can use sour cream but it will add more tang. Pich full-fat heavy cream (36%+), and don’t use vegan cream, it doesn’t work well in this recipe. Heavy cream should be cold!

Kitchen Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Parchment paper
• Rolling pin
• Baking sheet
• Blender. It is possible to use a food processor with a blade attachment too.
• 9-inch tart pan/ pie pan. The pie dish is rather deep but don’t go with bigger pans as it will make the pie bake longer. Springform pan works well too.

How To Make Ricotta Pie Recipe

1: Make The Pie Dough

1. Mix the flour, salt, lemon zest, and sugar in a large bowl. 
2. Add the softened butter and mix with a spoon until it has a grainy consistency and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Add the egg and combine until you get a uniform, sticky dough.  You can use your hands to knead the dough.
4. Cut a large piece of parchment paper and extend it over the counter. 
5. Place the dough in the center and extend it in a circular shape until ¼ inch thick. 
6. Add some flour if the dough sticks onto the rolling pin. 
7. Place the dough over a flat baking sheet and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Don’t leave it in the freezer, the dough can break, a maximum of 2 minutes in the freezer.

2: Prepare Ricotta Filling

1. Combine the ricotta, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, orange zest, flour, and heavy cream in a blender. Blend for 2 minutes or until you get a smooth cream. 
2. Set it aside while the crust is refrigerated.

3: Assemble Ricotta Pie

1. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350°F. 
2. Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a good amount of butter. 
3. Roll out the refrigerated dough a bit more if needed; it should be 2 inches larger than the tart pan. Cover the bottom and sides of the pan evenly. Cut off or pinch off the excess dough.
4. Optional: At this step, you can also quickly chill the dough in the pan to make it hold the shape better or blind-bake it.
5. Pour the filling over the prepared pie crust dough, extend it evenly with a spoon, and take it to the oven. 

4: Bake And Chill

1. Bake it for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven or until the center is set and the crust is golden brown. It will be slightly jiggly, and it’ll harden as it cools. You must extend the baking time if the center is too jiggly or liquid but don’t overbake otherwise the pie can crack.
2. Let the pie cool completely as it continues to set (it can take a few hours), then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours overnight. 
3. When ready to serve, dust it with confectioner’s sugar, and slice.

Storage

Store leftover ricotta pie in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Ricotta pie is best served when it is at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

You can freeze ricotta pie for up to 3 months but I don’t recommend it since it changes the texture of the filling (making it grainy). If you decide to freeze it, wrap individual slices in a layer of plastic wrap and another layer of aluminum foil.

Substitutions & Variations

• Use pre-made crust or Graham cracker crust to save time. Blind bake it with some pie weights to make sure it won’t become soggy. Pre-baking helps to make a crisp crust.
• Ricotta substitutes. Although the texture and flavors will be different you could still use cream cheese, mascarpone, or blended cottage cheese
• Use fresh fruit, orange slices, citrus zest, or berry compote for topping, or simply dust with powdered sugar. You can make whipped mascarpone cream for decoration too.
• Add mini chocolate chips or candied oranges to the filling.
• Add a splash of Amaretto liqueur or anisette for an adults-only dessert. To make it non-alcoholic, you can use almond extract. You can also add a little bit of cinnamon for warmth.
• If you have any remaining dough you can do a dough lattice on top of the cake to give it a rustic feel. It should be baked till golden brown.

Popular Questions

What Is The Difference Between Ricotta Pie And Cheesecake?

Ricotta pie is a delicious treat just like cheesecake but ricotta cheese pie is less sweet than cheesecake and often goes with citruses: lemon juice, zest, and orange zest. Ricotta cheese is also often more grainy than smooth cream cheese pie.

What Is The Difference Between American Ricotta And Italian Ricotta?

Italian ricotta is made from whey, which is the liquid left after making cheese from cow, goat, sheep, or water buffalo milk, giving it a light and fluffy texture. It’s often used in traditional Italian recipes.

American ricotta is usually made from whole cow milk, making it creamier and thicker. This version is often used in dishes like lasagna and stuffed pasta. You can use either in this ricotta pie recipe.

Why Can’t You Freeze Ricotta?

Freezing ricotta cheese isn’t a great idea because it changes the texture. When you freeze ricotta, the water inside it forms ice crystals, and when it thaws, these crystals melt, making the cheese watery and grainy instead of smooth and creamy.

Why Do You Add An Egg To Ricotta Cheese?

In baking, the egg mixture acts like glue for ricotta cheese pies and fillings. It helps hold everything together on the pie plate so the ricotta filling in your pie doesn’t fall apart. Using only egg yolks also makes the filling smooth and creamy, giving your ricotta pie a better texture. 

If you love this pie recipe, you’re going to love these other pies too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Ricotta Recipes

Ricotta Cookies

Chocolate Ricotta Cake

Ricotta Banana Nut Bread

Easy Oreo Cannoli Cream Pie

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