Ricotta Pie

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This creamy Ricotta Pie has a milky cinnamon flavor with a hint of lemon. The flavor is incredible, and it’s surprisingly light for a cheese-based custard and buttery shortbread crust.

Side shot of a slice of ricotta pie being lifted out of the whole pie pan.

Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Great Make-Ahead Dessert: This pie needs to chill overnight, making it a great dessert to prepare the night before. It’s easy to pull out for your party or just make your life easier!
  • Crowd-Pleaser: The texture and flavors in this pie make everyone happy! The smooth, creamy, and slightly sweet ricotta filling is satisfying without being heavy.

Family Tradition

You guys are going to love this creamy, delicious pie. I’m excited to make it for my Easter dinner this year. I found that this pie’s cultural roots are in Italian-American tradition. Families share this pie during the Easter holiday as a symbol of renewal. I’m going to serve it as a dessert with my apricot glazed ham, cheesy potatoes, and hot cross buns. Do you have Easter dinner traditions?

Ingredients For Ricotta Pie Crust and Filling

How do you make Ricotta Pie?

This Italian ricotta pie recipe is easy to make, and it tastes amazing with its creamy ricotta filling and buttery crust. It uses basic ingredients like ricotta cheese, as well as many pantry staples. Scroll to the bottom of the post for exact measurements.

Pasta Frolla (Crust)

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and whisk until combined.
  2. Butter: Grate the cold butter on a box grater and then toss with the flour mixture.
  3. Knead: Add the egg and stir until combined. Use your hands to gently knead the egg into the flour mixture until it forms a dough.
  4. Roll: On a clean, lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until you have a large circle that is about 11 inches across.
  5. Chill: Transfer it into a 9-inch pie dish, pressing it down into the bottom and crimping the edge as desired. Chill the crust in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
Overhead shot of the dry ingredients whisked together in a bowl.
Overhead shot of cold butter grated in a cheese grater.
Overhead shot of the butter and dry ingredient mixture with an egg on top.
Overhead shot of the pie crust rolled out next to a rolling pin.
Overhead shot of the pie crust pressed into a pie plate.

Ricotta Pie Filling

  1. Mix: Whip the ricotta, sour cream, and sugar together for 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer.
  2. Combine: Add the flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and cinnamon.
  3. Add: Beat the eggs into the ricotta mixture one at a time, then pour into your prepared pie plate.
  4. Bake: Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the center of the pie only has a slight wobble to it if lightly shaken. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool to room temperature before chilling overnight in the fridge. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Sicilian Ricotta Pie Tips and Variations

Here are some of my tips and variations to ensure your pie turns out just how you like it!

  • What can I do if my ricotta is too wet? If your ricotta is quite wet, line a fine mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth. Then, drain the ricotta for a couple of hours before using it in this recipe.
  • Just keep kneading! When making the pasta frolla, the dough may seem too dry to come together. You will likely need to knead and press the dough together for a few minutes before it forms a cohesive dough.
  • Make the crust thick! The crust for this pie shouldn’t be rolled as thin as a traditional pie crust. It should be somewhere between ¼-½ inch thick.
  • Can I switch up the crust? Instead of making the pasta frolla crust, you can use a regular pie crust. Either store-bought or homemade. The traditional crust for a ricotta pie is more similar to a sweet shortcrust, which has a crisp, crumbly texture, rather than a flakey pie crust.
  • Do I have to use cinnamon? You can omit the cinnamon if you would like. This will give your pie a more prevalent lemon flavor.
  • Don’t overbake the pie! The filling should wobble in the center but stay set on the edges when it is done. It will continue to bake as it cools. Overbaking the pie will cause the filling to crack as it cools.

Close up shot of the ricotta pie with a piece taken out.

How to Store Leftover Ricotta Pie

  • Fridge: Ricotta pie can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil or in an airtight container.
  • Freezer: You can freeze ricotta pie for up to 3 months. Ricotta tends to change texture once frozen, so I wouldn’t recommend freezing it. If you do, wrap the pie or slices in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Close up shot of a plated piece of ricotta pie.

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Pasta Frolla (Sweet Shortcrust)

Ricotta Filling

Pasta Frolla (Sweet Shortcrust)

  • Add the 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt to a large bowl and whisk until combined.

  • Grate the ½ cup unsalted butter on a box grater and then toss with the flour mixture.

  • Add the 1 large egg and stir until combined, using your hands to gently knead it into the flour mixture until it forms a dough.

  • On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until you have a large circle that is about 11 inches across, then transfer it into a 9-inch pie dish, pressing it down into the bottom and crimping the edge as desired. Chill the crust in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

Ricotta Filling

  • Whip the 2 cups whole milk ricotta, ½ cup sour cream, and ¾ cup granulated sugar together for 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer

  • Add the 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons lemon zest, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Beat in the 3 large eggs one at a time.

  • Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the center of the pie only has a slight wobble to it if lightly shaken. Remove the pie from the oven and let it room to room temperature before chilling overnight in the refrigerator. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Calories: 416kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 11gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 131mgSodium: 176mgPotassium: 116mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 564IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 148mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Published by Staff Reporter