Ricotta Pizza
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This ricotta pizza with cherry tomatoes and basil makes a simple yet fresh and delicious vegetarian pizza that everyone will LOVE!
Published in Nov 2023/Updated in July 2026
I turn on our oven and bake our pizza here, even in summer. Nothing can stop me from having my pizza night with my family!
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And I LOVE playing with different pizza toppings, especially with glorious cheese. Think of these gooey mozzarella pizza, cream cheese pizza, gorgonzola pizza, or this one made with super delicious goat cheese. They’re ALL amazing, seriously.
Today, I wanted to re-share this ricotta pizza recipe that is currently a hit in my household.
For the pizza in these photos, I used my stand-mixer pizza dough, but to make your life even easier, you can use my amazing 1-bowl no-knead dough recipe, or your favorite one.
Now, let’s talk about the topping!
First, I use a simple pizza sauce (my recipe here!), then I combine the creamy ricotta with a little olive oil, garlic, and seasonings to make it creamier and more flavorful. And I use dollops of this fresh ricotta mixture instead of mozzarella cheese. It’s so simple, and so good!
Then I add more cherry tomatoes, and once it’s baked and crispy, I serve it with plenty of fresh basil, black pepper, and an extra drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
It’s so yummy, fresh, and flavorful; this ricotta pizza is truly perfect for summer and any time of the year. Enjoy!
List of the ingredients
- Pizza dough (for 2 servings)
- Ricotta
- Pizza sauce
- Fresh tomatoes
- Garlic
- Basil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper
How to make ricotta pizza
(Note: this is a quick description, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Start by making this stand-mixer dough for 2 round pizzas (10-inch/25-cm Ø each), of this no-knead pizza dough, or your favorite recipe.
- Prep the topping by combining fresh ricotta, grated garlic, olive oil, and seasoning in a bowl. Set aside.
- Stretch the pizza dough into a round circle (this recipe yields 2 pizzas).
- Top with tomato sauce, dollops of ricotta, and top each dollop with halved cherry tomatoes. Bake and finish with fresh basil, black pepper, and olive oil. For this recipe, I’ve used my Ninja artisanal pizza oven for a crispy, artisanal crust.
Recipe notes
Ricotta pizza ingredients & substitutions
Pizza Crust: You can use your favorite recipe or store-bought pizza crust, but I highly recommend my stand-mixer dough or this no-knead pizza dough, which yields either one large pizza or two smaller ones.
Ricotta: Full-fat ricotta is the best for flavor and texture. Either standard ricotta sealed in containers or fresh ricotta from the deli counter works for this recipe. And if you have ricotta leftovers to use up, check out these ricotta recipes to turn this fresh soft cheese into scrumptious pastas, dips, or sweet desserts.
Tomatoes: Use tomato pizza sauce as the base, topped with fresh tomatoes for pops of freshness and extra flavor.
Extra-virgin olive oil: When it comes to pizza, you’ll want to use extra-virgin or another high-quality olive oil. In this recipe, we use it to emulsify the ricotta and to drizzle the pizza before or after baking. It adds great fruity flavor.
Herbs: I love the combo of ricotta and basil; it’s just perfect for pizza. But you’re also welcome to use dried oregano or thyme, although the end flavor will be more earthy and less fresh.
Garlic: I recommend grating the fresh garlic, and garlic lovers are free to use more garlic if desired.
Salt & pepper: Taste the ricotta mixture before spreading it over the pizza, and adjust the seasoning to your liking. A sprinkle of Maldon sea salt is delicious here.
Let’s customize your pizza with ricotta!
This ricotta pizza recipe pairs beautifully with a myriad of vegetarian add-ins.
You’re welcome to scatter over grilled veggies (peppers, eggplants, zucchini…), sautéed spinach, canned artichokes, olives, fresh arugula, or fresh or sautéed mushrooms. And if you love pesto, add a few small dollops of this flavor-packed Italian pesto for the best flavor. The end result will be fresh and flavorful!
Helpful tips
1. Preheat the oven to the maximum temperature. Always!
2. Bake the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven, close to the heating element, or use the position that works best for you.
4. Don’t use a rolling pin.
5. For the best crispy bottom, bake your pizza on a hot pizza stone or pizza steel (check out my tips in the recipe card!).
6. Use parchment paper and a pizza peel (or the back of a baking sheet) to transfer your pizza to the hot stone. This helps, especially with a high-hydration dough like this no-knead dough.
More pizza recipes you’ll love!
This collection of 17 veggie pizzas and 35 YUMMY pizza toppings or Focaccia toppings is a dream for any pizza lover!
Here are some of my favs:
- Greek pizza
- Pizza with eggplants
- Pesto pizza
- Fresh tomato pizza
- Pizza with peppers
- Quick Caprese pizza
- Sun-dried tomato pizza
- Lemon pizza
- Mini pizzas
If you make this ricotta pizza or have a question, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you and get your feedback! x
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Ricotta pizza
Ingredients
Pizza dough
Ricotta pizza topping
- 1 cup (250 grams) full-fat ricotta
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ¼ teaspoon fresh garlic clove, grated
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, season to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (240 ml) tomato pizza sauce
- 10-12 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- a handful of fresh basil leaves, to serve
Instructions
Pizza dough
- You can use this stand-mixer dough (ready in about 3 hours), this easy no-knead dough (ready in about 1 ½ hours), or your favorite dough enough for 2 servings. If using my dough recipes, follow the recipe link and method.
Ricotta topping
- Make the cheese mixture: Add the ricotta, olive oil, garlic, seasoning, and mix with a spoon until fully combined and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning and overall flavor to your liking; add a bit more garlic or chili flakes if you like. Once the ricotta is well combined with the other ingredients, set aside.
- Preheated the oven: When the dough is ready and fluffy, a pizza stone in the oven and preheat at least 230 ℃/450℉ – a hotter oven leads to a better pizza!
- Shape the dough: Place the parchment paper onto a baking tray. Then stretch the dough starting from the center, gently press it out with your fingers until you get a round circle (11 inches/30 cm in diameter) and place it on the paper. Please note, if you make my no-knead recipe, you'll get approx a 9×13 inch pizza instead, not two round pizzas.
- Add the topping: Top with the pizza sauce and add small dollops of ricotta cheese using two small spoons, then top each dollop with halved cherry tomatoes and gently press them to spread the ricotta mixture.
- Bake the pizza: When the oven is hot, use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza and parchment paper onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the crust is nicely browned, approx 10-15 minutes. But each oven is different, keep an eye on it ( in a forced fan oven it will take about 8-10 minutes).
- Serve: allow the pizza to cool for a minute or two before serving, then scatter with fresh basil leaves and sea salt flakes (optional), drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil. Slice, serve immediately, enjoy!
