Ricotta Pie Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Best Italian Ricotta Pie Recipe is a classic, traditional recipe – often served at Easter time. This sweet ricotta pie has a creamy ricotta filling flavored with lemon zest and a hint of almond and vanilla all inside a super easy pie shell.

Prep Time25

Cook Time40

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Easter dessert, Italian dessert, ricotta pie

Servings: -8 servings

Author: Elena Davis

Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 recipe Italian Pasta Frolla Dough Recipe click on link and find printable recipe at bottom of post
For this recipe I only used the larger dough disc and saved the scraps to make small cookies.

For the Filling:

2 cups ricotta whole milk well-drained (about 15 oz)
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs room temperature
Optional: freshly whipped cream for topping

Instructions

Make the Dough

Make the
pasta frolla dough and set in fridge while preparing the filling.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place oven rack to bottom third.

Filling and Assembly

Make filling: If your ricotta has extra water strain it (see notes)
Start by whipping the ricotta in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl using a hand held electric mixer. Whip as you would whipped cream- very smooth consistency.
Then, add the sugar and mix again. Add the eggs one by one to the ricotta mixture- scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed.
Add the almond and vanilla extract and lemon zest, mix to incorporate.
Set aside while you roll out your dough.
Roll out the dough to fit your pie plate (9-inch). The thickness should be about 1/8 of an inch. Carefully fold over and fit into your pie pan.
Pour in the filling.
Optional step: Decorate with strips of dough and brush tops of dough strips with egg wash.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the center filling is set. Place foil on the edge of crust to prevent over-browning (if needed).
Cool completely, about 2 hours, on a wire rack and refrigerate until serving. If desired, top with freshly whipped cream. Enjoy!

Notes

How to strain ricotta: Set a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a couple of paper towels over a bowl. Add the ricotta and allow it to strain out excess liquid for 5 to 10 minutes as you continue with the prep.

Nutrition