Whipped ricotta is the stuff summer dreams are made of! 3 ingredients and two minutes – that’s all you need to create a whole range of deliciously simple appetizers. Plain or flavored, you can use it to make ricotta dips and spreads or use it as a base for crostini!
What you’ll need to make Whipped Ricotta:
- Ricotta cheese: Use a high quality, artisanal ricotta cheese.
- Good Olive Oil – you definitely want to use a high-quality olive oil in this.
- Heavy Cream – this is optional, but I really like the additional creaminess!
- Salt – perhaps the most crucial ingredient! Use a non-iodized salt – seas salt, fleur de sel, or kosher salt all work really well.
How to make Whipped Ricotta:
The absolutely easiest recipe to make! This recipe yields approximately 1 1/4 cups of whipped ricotta.
- Whip the ricotta:
Add the ricotta to a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Drizzle with the olive oil and increase the speed to medium high for 30 seconds.
- Add the cream.
Add 1 tablespoon of cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a large pinch of pepper and whip on medium high speed for another 30 seconds.
Taste the cheese and add more salt, pepper or cream if desired. You want an easily spreadable mixture!
Ricotta Appetizers
Whipped ricotta makes a fabulous “blank canvas” for appetizers! here are some ideas to get you started!
Whipped Ricotta Dip: Serve with assorted crudites and/or crackers, breadsticks or baguette slices.
- Herbed Ricotta Dip: Combine the cheese with 2 tablespoons chopped tender fresh herbs. I like to combine parsley, thyme, with a little fresh mint. If you don’t have fresh herbs, substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried herbs or herb blends like herbs de Provence, Italian seasoning, or any other herb blend that you like!
- Lemon Ricotta Dip: Combine the ricotta with the zest of one lemon and stir.
- Cheesy Ricotta Dip: Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. So good!
Ricotta Spread:
To make the spread, omit the cream and just use the olive oil since you want a slightly thicker mixture.
Honey Ricotta: Slather toasted baguette slices with the whipped ricotta and drizzle your favorite honey on top!
Pesto Ricotta: Stir in 1 Tablespoon of prepared pesto and slather on top of grilled bread slices. This is delicious on it’s own, but even better topped with chopped summer ripe tomatoes and a little drizzle of good olive oil and salt!
Whipped Ricotta Crostini:
Whipped ricotta makes a fabulous crostini! Slather on grilled baguette slices and top with:
Grilled Sweet and Savory Grapes: Perhaps my favorite crostini topping, the grilled grapes develop a winelike flavor that’s absolutely fabulous with ricotta! See the recipe for details!
Roasted Vegetables: Roast 3 cups of diced tomatoes, zucchini, onions, and bell peppers in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Other Appetizer Recipes to take a bite of!
Whipped Ricotta Recipe
Whipped Ricotta with Savory Grapes
Ingredients
Whipped Ricotta
- 1 cup fresh ricotta artisan variety or homemade
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for brushing
- 1 -2 Tablespoons whipping cream
Grilled Red Grapes
- 2 cups seedless red grapes
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds toasted and crushed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- 24 baguette slices
Instructions
For Whipped Ricotta:
- Add the ricotta to a medium sized bowl. Using either a hand or stand mixer, whip the ricotta on medium speed, slowly drizzling in the olive oil .
- Add 1 Tablespoon of whipping cream and whip. If the mixture is still too thick to spread, add an additional tablespoon of whipping cream.
- Season with salt and pepper. If not using right away, place in a covered container and refrigerate.
For the grilled crostini:
- Brush the baguette slices with the olive oil. Broil for 2 – 3 minutes until the baguette slices are golden brown.
For the grilled grapes:
- In a medium bowl, combine the grapes, olive oil, sherry vinegar, fennel seeds, brown sugar and garlic.
- Stir to combine and set aside.
- Thread the grapes onto small wooden skewers.
- Grill over high heat for 2 – 3 minutes turning frequently.
- Either set out the whipped ricotta, crostini and grilled grapes and let everyone assemble their own or spread each baguette slice with some of the whipped ricotta and top with a few grapes. Drizzle the remaining marinade over and sprinkle with fresh thyme if using.
Notes
- You can marinate the grapes up to two days in advance.
- You can whip the ricotta up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate.
- Use homemade ricotta or a high-quality artisanal ricotta for this recipe!
- The grilled grapes are also delicious spooned over lightly seasoned grilled chicken or pork!
Valentina says
March 17, 2019 at 3:32 pmWow, Nancy, these are gorgeous. The red is such a deep color, I almost thought they were cherries. And with whipped ricotta? Oh my! I will definitely be giving these a try.
Andrew Fox says
April 1, 2019 at 11:58 pmOh these sound delightful; These definitely look like a sweet.Guess I’ll be finding out soon! 🙂
Nancy says
April 2, 2019 at 6:02 pmDefinitely a sweet and savory combo! The grapes take on an almost wine like flavor so perfect for pairing with cheese!!!