This authentic Italian Ricotta pie is a deliciously sweet and creamy pie made from ricotta, eggs, and lemon and is quite addictive. Traditionally ricotta pie is made at Easter and holidays but you can make this easy sweet Italian pie any time of year. This easy Italian ricotta cheese pie is so good that you will want to look for reasons to make it all the time.
Ricotta Pie Tradition
Now there are as many recipes for Italian ricotta pie as there are recipes for red sauce. The basic ingredients are always, ricotta, egg, sugar, lemon, and a pastry dough. It is an Italian ricotta cheesecake but not to be confused with ricotta cake!
Ricotta, the star ingredient in this pie, is actually not considered a true cheese since it is made from the leftover production of making cheese. It is the curds and whey leftover from cheesemaking and will have somewhat of a grainy texture. Poor Italians learned to make use of this since only the rich had access to real "cheese". Ricotta pie is one of many dishes that the poorer class of Italians learned to make with this ricotta cheese.
Italian ricotta pie is sometimes called ricotta Easter pie because it is traditional in Italian families to serve this at Easter. This is a recipe that has been passed down in my Italian family and we actually enjoyed this ricotta pie at Christmas.
Even though my grandmother made this for the Christmas holidays, I now make this for my family at Christmas and all holidays. Tradition aside, it does not need to be Easter or a holiday to make this delicious dessert! Make it whenever you want a smooth and creamy pie 🙂
Making Ricotta Pie Creamy
In this ricotta pie recipe, I added a bit of sour cream to give the final pie a smooth and creamy texture and to eliminate the dryness that can sometimes happen with this Italian dessert. It also helps offset that slightly grainy texture that the ricotta filling can have. If you have eaten ricotta pie that cracks, this will fix that.
This is my tried and true Italian ricotta pie improvement to produce the most creamy ricotta filling and it always works! This very simple and uncomplicated ricotta pie recipe and my Amaretto tiramisu, have become my go-to desserts during the holidays since they are so easy.
Just keep in mind that ricotta pie will need a little time to set up in the refrigerator after cooling but it is well worth the wait. It is at this point, that it goes from a custardy texture to a smooth and dense pie.
What You Will Need
The ingredients for this lemon ricotta pie are so simple. Most of the items you probably already have in your kitchen. Here is what you need:
- Pie crust: This is flour, butter, salt, sugar, a little vinegar, and some sour cream. I have included my family's pie crust recipe below for this ricotta pie. You can also use store-bought pie crust but make sure it is not rolled too thin.
- Whole milk ricotta: Please make sure to use whole milk ricotta! Not low fat or fat-free. The full fat will help make sure the pie custard is creamy.
- Granulated sugar
- Sour cream: This is my special addition that helps with the creaminess of the ricotta filling.
- All-purpose flour: Helps hold the custard filling together.
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon: lemon and ricotta are classic Italian flavors and what make this pie so delicious. If you really love citrus flavors, you can also add a little orange zest to the creamy ricotta filling.
- Kosher Salt
Ingredients Note: Traditional Italian recipes call for pasta frolla for the crust. Since this is a family recipe (my grandmother's recipe), the recipe for the pie crust below is similar except it adds a little more fat to the crust to help the crust hold its shape during baking. I do what I am told and it works out perfectly each time 🙂
How To Make
If you have never made a ricotta pie before, this is the best ricotta pie recipe to start with. Because it has sour cream in it, this ricotta pie always comes out smooth and creamy. I tell my family when they make this to remember the easy steps of, Prep, Mix, Bake, And Cool.
The prep: Roll out the pastry crust with a rolling pin then gently transfer to a pie 9-inch round pie pan. At this point, make sure to preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mix: grab a large bowl add your eggs, vanilla and sugar and mix well. Then add your ricotta, sour cream, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix. And last, add your flour and salt and mix and that is the filling. Done!
The baking part: is pouring your ricotta mixture into your pie dish (or a spring form pan if you do not have one) and bake until the custard looks firm when you give the pan a little shake.
And of course the cooling: Make sure to let the pie cool completely on a wire rack before refrigerating it for at least 2 hours but preferably 4 hours.
Storing And Serving
Ricotta pie is best served chilled, much like a pumpkin pie. Since the ricotta pie has ricotta and eggs it is best to store it in the fridge until ready to use.
We love making this ricotta pie ahead of time (up to 2 days) and having it already chilled and ready for when we want to serve it.
This is especially helpful when entertaining. Though it is optional, we always love sprinkling a little ground cinnamon on our ricotta pie slices before serving.
Cinnamon and ricotta are a match made in heaven. Try it out and see!
Make This Your Own!
This is my family's recipe for ricotta pie but that does not mean you cannot make this your own. Here are some variations to change it up a bit but still keep it authentic:
- Add a lattice top to the pie: I use pastry crust on the bottom only but you can certainly add a beautiful lattice top to the pie before baking. Many Italians like to do this and it makes a beautiful presentation.
- Add more citrus: You can make this Italian pie with orange zest or even more lemon zest if you love citrus flavors.
- Skip the citrus: I do love making this sometimes with no lemon and just topping the ricotta pie with cinnamon. It is so good that way!
More Ricotta Recipes
For More Italian Recipes
- Torta Tenerina- Italian Brownie Cake
- Buttermilk Vanilla Panna Cotta
- Sultana Cookies- Italian Cornmeal Cookies
- Baked Italian Sausage
- Italian Rice Pudding
- Rigatoni Amatriciana
- Italian Meat Sauce
- Ciambella Cake
Authentic Smooth and Creamy Italian Ricotta Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust one disc of dough (recipe below) or store-bought pie crust.
- 2 cups ricotta Whole milk ricotta
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest of the lemon and the juice
- pinch of salt
Pie Crust (makes 3 discs of dough or 3 pie crusts)
- 4 cups All purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 1 egg beaten
- ½ cup ice water
- 3 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Ricotta Pie
- Roll the pie crust (see recipe below) out a little larger in diameter than a 9-inch pie pan.1 pie crust
- Add your pie crust to a 9 inch round pie pan and crimp the edges and remove any excess crust.
- Set aside.
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl add your eggs, vanilla and sugar and mix well for 1 minute.1 cup granulated sugar, 4 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Now add your ricotta, sour cream, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix it all in.2 cups ricotta, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 lemon
- Add your flour and salt and mix for 1 minute until yo do not see any more lumps.¼ cup all purpose flour, pinch of salt
- Pour your ricotta mixture into your pie pan and place in the pre-heated oven.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the texture of the pie is firm and not jiggly.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably 4 hours.
- Serve as is, with whipped cream or sprinkled with a little fresh cinnamon.
Pie Crust Recipe
- Add dry ingredients to a food processor.4 cups All purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the cold butter to the flour in the food processor and pulse until butter is combined and looks like coarse sand.1 ½ cups cold unsalted butter
- In a small bowl mix together your egg, water, sour cream, and vinegar.1 egg, ½ cup ice water, 3 tablespoon sour cream, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Add to the food processor with the flour mixture and pulse until just combined.
- Dump flour-butter mixture into a large bowl and set aside
- Dump out onto a lightly floured board and shape into a ball. Divide the ball into 3 sections and form into round balls.
- Take each ball of dough shape into a ball and press down into a disc. Wrap each disc with plastic wrap
- Refrigerate dough for 20-25 minutes to make the butter cold again (this helps with flakey layers)
Sarah
This looks amazing!
Denise
OMG, I am addicted to this ricotta pie. We have made it 3 times now and each time it is eaten quickly 🙂
Jen
This was like the ricotta pie I grew up eating! So good
Meg
This ricotta pie is my new favorite pie. Silky and creamy and so good!