This whipped ricotta recipe is incredibly easy, comes together in less than five minutes, and is a super impressive dip for dinner guests!
Have you ever tried whipped ricotta before? It's creamy, fluffy, and mild, making it the perfect base for infinite customizations. I first heard of this dish from the restaurant Misi, in Brooklyn, NY. Misi is an Italian restaurant that focuses on simple Italian cooking - and if you haven't been yet, please make a stop asap! In addition to the genius creation of whipping ricotta into a light and fluffy texture, the dish likely became super popular because of the way it was presented. Using a piping bag, they pipe the ricotta into large squiggles onto a piece of toasty bread with flakes of sea salt. So. Good.
The best part? You can do this at home, and it'll take you less than 5 minutes. Yup, seriously, 5 minutes and you're golden.
Table of Contents
What is Whipped Ricotta?
If you're unfamiliar with whipped ricotta, it's essentially just ricotta cheese processed in a food processor or hand blender until smooth, fluffy, and creamy. Typically, salt, olive oil, and heavy cream are added in small amounts to create that ultra-creamy texture and flavor.
What Does it Taste Like?
Whipped ricotta is creamy, airy, and milky tasting with hints of salt.
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Serving Suggestions
This is a perfect accompaniment to carby things like crackers, toast, or pasta. I also love layering it on a plate as a base and topping it with marinated peppers or roasted beets. Orrrr, make my blistered tomato sauce and top the ricotta with the sauce! I'm definitely trying that asap.
Make it a Dip
Once you've processed the ricotta into a fluffy, creamy texture, it's basically turned into a dip. Drizzle some olive oil, flaky salt, and black pepper on top, and it's ready to go! If you want to elevate the dip, you can drizzle some honey (hot honey is great too) or top with spicy pickled peppers. Oh and if you have some time for a weekend project, I highly, highly recommend serving this dip alongside some fluffy warm focaccia.
Serve on Crostini
Crostini are another great option for serving this ricotta. Grab a baguette from the grocery store, slice it into ½-inch pieces, drizzle them with some olive oil and bake in the oven at 400°F until nice and toasty. You can either spoon the ricotta on crostini and spread it with a knife, dollop it as I have below, or pipe it using a piping tip like at Misi.
Key Ingredients
- Whole-milk ricotta cheese: Whole milk ricotta cheese will give you the creamiest texture. Lower fat ricotta might be a little watery, so I don't recommend this. If you really want to go all out, I have a recipe for making the ricotta from scratch! As for store-bought ricotta, I really like Calabro brand - it's got a nice milky taste.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream helps ensure the cheese processes into a creamy, smooth texture. The amount you need will depend on how watery your ricotta is, so you can add a little bit add a time and adjust as needed.
- Salt and black pepper: Okay, obviously we need salt and pepper...but in this recipe, these two ingredients are really important. Because the ricotta is pretty mild in flavor, a little bit of salt and pepper can really transform the flavor.
- Honey: A drizzle of honey on top is the perfect balance to the creamy ricotta and flaky salt.
Optionally, if you feel the dip needs a little acidity, a squeeze of lemon juice (and added zest) will do the trick!
Recommended Equipment
A food processor is the best way to achieve the smoothest texture, but I've also used a hand blender with success. A regular blender would work too.
How to Make Whipped Ricotta
Like I said, making whipped ricotta is super easy! It's done in two easy steps.
Step 1: Place the ricotta in a food processor or in a blender cup and blend/pulse until smooth and creamy with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and heavy cream (as needed).
Step 2: Spoon the ricotta into a bowl. Drizzle with honey (if desired) and flaky salt. Enjoy!
Ideas for Customization
Here are some fun variations on this dip:
- Hot honey: Drizzle or swirl in some hot honey
- Pesto: Spoon some pesto on top of the whipped ricotta
- Marinated and/or pickled peppers: Top the dip with marinated or pickled peppers
- Fresh herbs: Add some freshly chopped mint, basil, or parsley.
Storage Instructions
Store ricotta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. Just note that the mixture might leak a bit of water; feel free to drain it off (or give the ricotta a little mix) and you should be good to go! Before serving, allow the ricotta to come to room temperature.
FAQ
You can try using dairy-free ricotta or lactose-free ricotta. I haven't tried these myself, but as long as they are high enough in fat (look for full fat), they should whip up fine.
Runny ricotta can happen if you add too much liquid (either from the olive oil or heavy cream). If this happens, you can add more ricotta to thicken it up.
The ricotta might not be smooth for a few reasons. If you use a grainy ricotta (or one lower in fat), it may not be as smooth. If the mixture feels very dense, you might need some heavy cream to loosen it up and smooth out any textured parts.
Did you try this recipe? I would love to hear your feedback! Be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment below.
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Happy eating! Love, KarishmaWhipped Ricotta Recipe (with Honey)
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1.25 cups high-quality whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream, plus more if needed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lemon, optional
- flaky salt, optional, for topping
- Honey, for drizzling
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, process ricotta cheese, olive oil, and heavy cream until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. If needed, add in an additional teaspoon of heavy cream at a time to smooth it out as needed.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Optionally, zest the lemon and mix in the zest to the whipped ricotta. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice if needed.
- Top with flaky salt, squeeze a drizzle of honey onto the ricotta and serve as desired.
