Lemon Ricotta

ricotta in a bowl topped with honey and lemon zest with a black spoon

5 from 2 votes

This creamy lemon ricotta is whipped to perfection, then topped with honey and fresh herbs. It's a delicious appetizer, especially when paired with crispy crostini or a fresh baguette.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: lemon, ricotta

Servings:

Calories: 173kcal

Author: Aimee

Ingredients

1 lemon
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons honey
1 cup ricotta whole milk
¼ teaspoon salt
basil leaves sliced into thin strips

Instructions

Wash and dry the lemon and basil leaves.
Take your lemon, and zest the yellow peel off the lemon. Set aside.
To a small bowl, add your olive oil, honey, and 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Stir to combine.
Add your ricotta to the bowl of a stand mixer, or other mixing bowl if using a hand mixer. Add the salt to the ricotta. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add the ricotta to a shallow bowl or a plate. Spread out, trying to add a little decoration with the back of a spoon while spreading.
Top the whipped ricotta with fresh lemon zest, then spoon over as much of the lemon/honey mixture as desired. Top with chopped basil leaves.

Notes

Zest your lemon before juicing! It's hard to zest a lemon once it's been sliced. Much easier to zest when whole.
The lemon ricotta dip is on the cooler side if you use the ricotta fresh from the refrigerator. For a more room-temperature dip, let the ricotta slightly warm up either before or after mixing (before adding the honey/lemon mixture).
The whipped ricotta can be used as a dip, or served with a spoon so you can spread it onto crackers, bread, or crostini.

Nutrition