Whipped Ricotta Crostini
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Ready in 15 minutes, this whipped ricotta crostini recipe makes a wonderful and easy holiday appetizer that’s elegant, indulgent and sweet.
You’ll love the oh-so creamy and fluffy ricotta on crispy bread drizzled with honey and aromatic thyme.
Crostinis are one of my favorite holiday recipes because they are easy, bite-sized and perfect for when you want a simple, yet lovely appetizer to share with friends and family.
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In this easy crostini recipe, the crunch of the crispy bread, the delicate tang of the fluffy fresh ricotta, the sweetness of the honey and the earthy thyme make a sensational combination.
And you’ll love the contrast between the sweetness and the sea salt!
All you have to do is whip the ricotta in a food processor – it takes no time! – and grill small slices of rustic bread until deliciously crispy.
Best part? You can make it ahead of time! When it’s time to serve, just grab a serving plate, arrange all the ingredients nicely, et voila!
This recipe is a no brainer, my friends, secretly a total snap to prepare, but it looks and tastes lovely and it’s perfect for sharing.
List of the ingredients
- Crostini (use baguette or ciabatta)
- Ricotta cheese
- Honey
- Fresh time
- Nuts (pine nuts, walnuts or pistachios)
- Sea salt
How to make Ricotta Crostini
(Note: this is a quick description, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Slice the bread, brush the slices with olive oil, and grill them until crispy.
- Place the fresh ricotta in a food processor and blend until creamy and fluffy.
- Assemble the whipped ricotta crostini with honey, thyme and pine nuts just before serving. Alternatively, arrange the ingredients on a large plate, use a lovely honey dipper and let everyone makes up their ricotta crostini; that saves the bread from ever becoming soggy.
Recipe notes
Ricotta Crostini Ingredients
Ricotta: we use only whole milk ricotta cheese and we blend it just until smooth and creamy. Skim ricotta doesn’t deliver the same texture and flavor.
Bread: French baguette or ciabatta are my fav choices. However, Crostini are meant to be canapés, so make sure the slices are tiny and grill them just until golden and crispy, but not over toasted.
Olive oil: you need just a little amount of olive oil to brush or to spray crostini before baking. It makes them crispier and adds extra flavor.
Honey: use clear, runny honey rather than set or crystallized.
Thyme: fresh thyme with its aromatic notes is perfect with ricotta and honey. And if you don’t have fresh thyme on hand, just skip it. This appetizer is all about fresh flavors, you don’t want to use dried stuff here.
Pine nuts: slightly toasted pine nuts add nutty flavor and extra texture. Toasted walnuts or pistachios are great substitutions as well.
Salt: although I leave the black pepper totally optional here, I find that a touch of salt, especially delicious sea salt flakes, enhances the overall flavor without clashing with the sweet honey. I Iove to serve these ricotta crostini with Maldon sea salt flakes on the side, and they look pretty too.
Love ricotta?
This versatile fresh Italian cheese has wonderful texture and flavor that work in both sweet and savoury recipes. It’s perfect for quick pasta dishes, cakes, and more. Have a look at this inspiring collection of scrumptious ricotta recipes to see how to get the most of it.
Just to name a few:
- Ricotta meatballs
- Mushroom ricotta pasta
- Ricotta crostini with peas
- Lemon ricotta cake
- Easy cake with ricotta
- Herbed whipped ricotta
More appetizers for you!
I’m sure you’ll love these party food ideas or these colorful appetizer recipes to create Italian-style get togethers for the upcoming holiday season:
- You might like these super quick caprese skewers, spicy olives, sun dried tomato paste, chickpeas bruschetta, or marinated mozzarella.
- If you’re a keen baker, give a go to these terrific italian focaccia, tomato focaccia, focaccia with olives or crispy breadsticks. Also a delicious gorgonzola pizza, artichoke pizza or caprese pizza, they’re great for sharing!
- Impress with these yummy Italian rice balls or make this Italian-style sautéed arugula to serve with bruschetta!
If you make this scrumptious ricotta crostini recipe, or you have a question, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! x
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Whipped Ricotta Crostini
Ingredients
- 26 baguette or ciabatta, slices
- ½ – 1 tablespoon olive oil, for brushing the bread, as needed
- 1 cup (250 grams) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons clear runny honey, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts (or 2 Tbsps chopped walnuts or pistachios)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- sea salt flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Slices the baguette, cut 0.5cm / 1/4-inch thick, ideally on the diagonal.
- Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F. Alternatively, preheat a grill pan on the stove.
- Place the bread slices on a baking sheet, and spray or lightly brush them with some olive oil, than bake (or grill) for about 4-5 minutes or until golden and crispy. Set aside.
- Whip the ricotta in a food processor until smooth and creamy. It takes 1-2 minutes. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, in airtight container.
- When it's time to serve, spread the whipped ricotta on crostini, drizzle with a touch of honey, sprinkle with thyme leaves, pine nuts and a pinch of salt. Arrange the crostini on a serving plate and serve straight away. Alternatively, place everything on a serving plate and let the guests make their own crostini.
