9 Ricotta Dessert Recipes for Cheese Lovers

Ricotta cheese is widely used in dessert recipes as an alternative to mascarpone. It is appreciated for its light texture and mild, creamy taste. Made from curdled milk, the Italian whey cheese is simple to store and even preserve for different occasions.

It is perfect for most dietary requirements and is used in many Italian dishes like pasta, lasagna or pizza! But other than savoury dishes, this soft cheese can be used for many more homemade recipes, some of which we could hardly think of.

Today, we’ll show you a few dessert recipes using ricotta cheese. In our experience, these light and delicate treats are a winner for any occasion!

Jump to:

• Lemon Ricotta Dessert No-bake bars
• Ice cream
• Pancakes
• Moist Coffee Cake
• Italian Cheesecake
• A Light and Creamy Ricotta Dessert
• Chocolate Cookies
• Pudding
• Baked Ricotta with Cherry Orange Compote

Lemon Ricotta Dessert No-bake bars

This lightweight and porous ricotta dessert recipe will only need beaten cheese, butter, sweetener, and cracker crumbs. Yes, you read that right, no baking is needed!

• 2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)
• 3 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup lemon curd
• 3 cups cream cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 4 oz. Unsalted melted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups Graham cracker crumbs

Let’s begin by preparing the buttery crumbled base. Melt the butter in a saucepan and slowly stir in the sugar. Add in the graham cracker crumbs and combine all the ingredients thoroughly. Grease the baking tin before spreading the crumb mix firmly into the tin.

Using a whisk or a mixer, beat the cheeses until even. Fold in the lemon curd, vanilla extract, honey, and lemon zest. Smear the mixture over the crumbled cracker base and chill in the fridge for at least two hours. Cut and lightly dust with icing sugar.

Ice cream

Besides a cool option for summer, this super easy ricotta dessert recipe doesn’t require any complicated components.

Take cold heavy cream, soft Italian curd cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Beat the cream until stiff peaks appear. The next step is to beat the cheese, milk, and vanilla until the blend is even. Fold the peaky cream into the mixture, and freeze that substance for 4-6 hours. Done! Your summer confection is ready! Scoop it into the waffle cones or eat as it is - you decide. It is heavenly delicious anyway.

Pancakes

Another unexpected way of using this cheese is by incorporating it into pancakes. Italian whey cheese will give the pancake mixture a lovely airy texture and creamy taste that goes so well with berries and sour citrus glaze!

• 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup Italian whey cheese
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup full fat or semi skimmed milk
• 2 large eggs

Bring together the egg, milk, soft Italian curd cheese, lemon zest, and melted butter.

Mingle the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.

Slowly add the wet blend to the dry one. If the substance is too thick, add more milk, and leave it to puff for 5 min.

Now cook the pancakes on the preheated pan. Don’t hesitate to add berries on each pancake and then turn it over to fry the other side - it will make the taste more fruity.

Serve with syrup or any other sweet topping.

Moist Coffee Cake

Adding soft cheese won’t harm the taste and sweetness of this dish. Instead, its texture will become lighter with a lovely moist. Perfect for tea or coffee!

This ricotta dessert recipe will take some time but believe us, it’s worth it!

• 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ⅓ cups sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup Italian curd cheese
• 1 large egg
• 175g softened butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, drained

Combine your dry ingredients together. Mingle butter and sugar in one with a mixer. Add the cheese, milk, and eggs to the butter and sugar blend. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients.

Finally, add your blueberries, and transfer the dough into a generously greased baking pan. Bake for 60 min in a preheated oven at 350 F.

Italian Cheesecake

Yes, there’s cheesecake again! No wonder since we’re talking about ricotta cheese dessert recipes! This homemade Italian recipe is gluten-free, with no crust, using only fresh cheese instead of heavy cream cheese. Lighter, fluffier, and more delicate - it goes perfectly with citruses or nuts.

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8-ounce cream cheese
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon rum
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 cups whole milk Italian curd cheese
• ¾ cup slivered almonds
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons orange zest, from one orange

To prepare this yummy treat, blend the cheese, eggs, and sweetener well, and add the citrus juice and zest, vanilla, almond, and rum extracts. Manually whisk until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Transfer the substance into a greased and floured form and toss into the oven until the cake is golden brown (around 40 min).

A Light and Creamy Ricotta Dessert

Extremely simple and fast, this creamy treat will be a great ending for any dinner. You will only need soft Italian curd cheese, plain yoghurt, and a mix of your favourite berries. Beat the milky components until even, add sugar to sweeten the cream, and decorate with berries. Leave it to cool in the fridge before putting it on the table; nobody will resist such a tasty thing!

Chocolate Cookies

No matter what this soft cheese is added to, it creates miracles! Simple crunchy cookies turn soft and delicate once the cheese ends up in the dough.

Add some chocolate drops, and a quick sweet snack is ready to serve.

Cream butter and sugar to taste them, then add eggs and vanilla. The blend must be even.

Now whisk in the Italian whey cheese and slowly add the flour blend at a low speed (flour, soda, baking powder - all mixed together). When everything is perfectly blended, sprinkle it with chocolate drops and scoop the cookies onto the baking sheet.

Ten minutes in the oven, and it’s time to enjoy the treat!

Pudding

Soft, airy and creamy. This light evening treat will become your family’s favourite.

• 1 cup whole milk Italian curd cheese
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Chocolate chips
• 1 cup of full-fat milk
• 1 packet Gelatin

Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5 min and drain. Whisk in the cheese and sugar thoroughly. In a pan, heat up the milk and dissolve gelatin in it. Add this warm milky gelatin to the blend and mix in chocolate chips (optional).

Pour the blend into moulds and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Baked Ricotta with Cherry Orange Compote

An alternative option for a quick sweet treat for any occasion is this cherry, and orange compote served in cute ramekins. This treat won’t take as much time as other recipes. Simply cream eggs, sweetener, and cheese together, add fresh orange juice, scoop the blend into the greased ramekins, and toss to bake at 350 F for half an hour.

Of course, this is not a complete list of ricotta cheese dessert recipes! This type of Italian whey cheese is a true multipurpose thing. Cakes, souffle, creamy rolls, waffle toppings, muffins, and lots of other delicious sweet treats are not all you can use it for.

The soft Italian curd cheese also goes perfectly for hot savoury dishes; of course, it tastes great on a crispy toast! In any dish, this cheese gives it that recognizable creamy, delicate taste and soft and airy texture that we can’t resist.

Don’t know what to start with? Try them all, one by one, and pick those that you like most!

Bon appetit!

For more dessert recipes, check out this ube and coconut pudding recipe!