Whipped Ricotta is a 5-minute recipe made from ricotta, honey, and citrus juice and zest that blends into a deliciously silky smooth dip, spread, or dessert topping.
Try it once and it will soon be your go-to for making everything from healthy breakfasts to your favorite appetizers.
What is Whipped Ricotta?
If it sounds a little strange to whip ricotta to spread on toast or dollop on cake, believe me, it’s worth it.
Since even the best ricotta has somewhat of a grainy texture, whipping it breaks up those tiny curds. And after just a couple of minutes of blending, the once-grainy, slightly chalky ricotta becomes luscious, smooth and creamy — a veritable blank canvas for a multitude of delicious recipes.
You’re going to love this
Simple ingredients. This recipe comes together with whole milk ricotta, an orange, and honey. That’s it.
Super versatile. Appetizers, desserts, sweet treats, savory dishes — you’ll use this for everything.
Easy last-minute recipe. Put this recipe in your back pocket for that pop-up dinner party. In just 5 minutes, you can have whipped ricotta dip or dress up a store-bought cake.
Smooth, creamy, and super flavorful.
Ingredients
Creamy whipped ricotta is an easy recipe that comes together with a handful of ingredients.
Ricotta. For best results, use the highest quality whole-milk ricotta you can find. Low-fat whipped ricotta is still delicious, but has a looser consistency and isn’t as creamy. Store brand ricotta can have a grainy texture — more so than usual.
Orange juice and zest. Fresh citrus livens up the ricotta and adds fresh flavor. Lemon juice and lemon zest are delicious, too.
Honey. A little bit of honey adds the right amount of sweetness and goes perfectly with citrus.
Recipe Variation
Savory Whipped Ricotta
To make savory whipped ricotta, omit the honey, orange juice, and orange zest. Blend the ricotta and top with a mixture of savory herbs, olive oil, and freshly-ground black pepper.
Serve with roasted vegetables, crudités, crackers, pita chips, or grilled bread.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Place the ricotta, orange juice and zest, and honey into a medium bowl.
With a hand mixer, using either beaters or a whisk attachment, whip the ricotta mixture at medium speed for a few minutes or until everything is combined, smooth, and creamy.
You can also make this whipped ricotta recipe in a food processor.
To serve, top with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of orange zest.
Delicious with cake, fruit, granola, or grilled bread.
Storage
Store whipped ricotta in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Expert Tips
For best results, use whole-milk ricotta. It whips up creamier and silkier than low-fat ricotta.
A hand mixer, blender, or food processor all work well to whip the ricotta into a luscious smooth consistency.
Make your whipped ricotta savory instead of sweet with olive oil and fresh herbs.
How to Serve Whipped Ricotta
Sweet whipped ricotta with orange and honey is a delicious and wholesome breakfast, snack, or dessert topping. Here are a few ways to serve it:
Parfait. Make a fruit parfait with layers of whipped ricotta, fresh fruit or Balsamic Roasted Strawberries, and granola, or nuts.
Fruit dip. Ricotta dip with fresh fruit is a wholesome and satisfying snack.
Pancakes and waffles. Creamy ricotta is a delicious topping for pancakes, waffles, and French toast.
Ricotta crostini. Spread a little sweet ricotta over a slice of toasted baguette slices, then add fruit, nuts, and an extra drizzle of honey for an easy appetizer, quick lunch, or late-night snack.
Dessert topping. Top your angel food cake, pound cake, pudding, or anything that needs a little sweetness with a dollop of whipped ricotta. It’s really delicious on this Orange Angel Food Cake.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, absolutely. Buy the best quality whole milk ricotta you can find and it will whip up into a smooth and creamy spread.
It’s really easy to whip ricotta in a food processor. Just add the ricotta, honey, orange juice and zest to the food processor and process until it is smooth and creamy.
When you whip ricotta, the small curds break up and the ricotta transforms from being slightly grainy and a little chalky to silky smooth and creamy.
Try Whipped Ricotta on These Delicious Desserts
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5-Minute Whipped Ricotta Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1-2 tablespoons orange zest I used the zest from one orange, save a little for serving
- 2 tablespoons orange juice I used the juice from ½ of a juicy orange
- 3 tablespoons honey
To Serve
- drizzle of honey
- sprinkle of orange zest
Instructions
- Place the ricotta, orange juice and zest, and honey into a medium bowl. If desired, save a little bit of the zest for sprinkling over the top.
- With a hand mixer, using either beaters or a whisk attachment, whip the ricotta mixture at medium speed for a few minutes or until everything is combined, smooth, and creamy. You can also use a food processor.
- To serve, top with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of orange zest.
- Delicious with cake, fruit, granola, or grilled bread.
- Store whipped ricotta in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Hello! I thought I would give this a try for Easter. I can’t seem to make mine smooth. It’s still gritty. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
Hi, Miranda! Thanks so much for your note! 🙂 I've found there's a big difference in the quality of ricotta in the stores. The lower quality ricottas are chalky and tend to have a grittier consistency, while the higher quality ones are much smoother. If you've got the best you can find, you can also try running it through a blender or food processor for a couple of minutes. I hope this helps, let me know! 🙂 Thanks, Cara