Whipped Ricotta Spread (Printable)

Fluffy, seasoned ricotta whipped with cream and olive oil for an elegant, versatile spread.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 1 cup fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese, drained
02 - 2 tablespoons heavy cream

→ Seasonings

03 - 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
04 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
05 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
06 - 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

→ Garnish

07 - 1 tablespoon honey or hot honey
08 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (basil, chives, or parsley)
09 - Cracked black pepper to taste
10 - Flaky sea salt to taste
11 - Toasted bread or crostini for serving

# Directions:

01 - Place the drained ricotta cheese and heavy cream in a large mixing bowl.
02 - Using a hand mixer or whisk, beat the ricotta on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light, smooth, and fluffy.
03 - Add the olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and lemon zest, mixing gently until just incorporated.
04 - Taste the whipped ricotta and adjust salt, pepper, or lemon zest as needed.
05 - Transfer the whipped ricotta to a serving bowl. Drizzle with honey, sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs, and finish with cracked black pepper and flaky sea salt.
06 - Serve immediately with toasted bread or crostini. Alternatively, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It turns a humble tub of ricotta into something that tastes like it came from a fancy Italian restaurant with almost zero effort.
  • The lemon zest and olive oil combination makes it feel bright and grown up, yet kids will happily dunk crackers into it.
02 -
  • Skipping the draining step will leave you with a watery puddle instead of a fluffy spread, learned this the hard way at a dinner party.
  • Overmixing after adding the oil can make it dense and greasy rather than light, stop as soon as everything is incorporated.
03 -
  • A food processor works even better than a hand mixer if you want the absolute smoothest texture possible.
  • Make a double batch because it disappears fast, and the leftovers are incredible smeared on a sandwich the next day.

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