This crustless ricotta cheesecake has a delicate, airy texture and a pleasant lemon-vanilla flavor. It's not as heavy as cream cheese-based cheesecake.
This cake is amazing. It is wonderfully light, and it has a pleasant vanilla flavor. Plus, it's such an easy recipe! The food processor mixes the ingredients, you pour them into the baking dish and bake.
Cheesecake is by far one of my favorite desserts. I don't think I ever tasted a cheesecake that I didn't like, although admittedly some are better than others. This one? It's a keeper.
The ingredients you'll need
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this ricotta cheesecake. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Butter: I use it for greasing the pan.
Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes, this one included.
Granulated sweetener: Sugar if you don't mind the carbs; I use erythritol.
Ricotta cheese: Definitely use whole-milk cheese in this recipe.
Coconut flour: Helps stabilize the cake, which is especially helpful since it doesn't have a crust to contain it. If you don't mind the gluten/carbs, you can probably use ¼ cup all-purpose flour instead.
Vanilla extract: Try to use the real thing - pure vanilla extract - and not the artificially flavored stuff.
Lemon zest: Truly adds wonderful flavor, so I wouldn't skip it. Orange zest is also good.
How to make a ricotta cheesecake
This is a truly easy recipe! The food processor does it all. You could mix it by hand if you'd like, but then it might not be as smooth.
The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
Use the butter to grease a 9-inch pie plate, then process everything else in your food processor. How easy is that!
Pour the mixture into the greased pan.
Bake until golden and set, about 45 minutes at 350°F.
Cool completely, then refrigerate.
Are cream cheese and ricotta interchangeable?
Not exactly. Ricotta is an Italian whey cheese made from the whey that’s left over from the production of cheese. It is lighter than cream cheese. And it produces a less creamy, but more airy and delicate cake than a cheesecake made with cream cheese.
I think that this ricotta cheesecake is excellent, but I do prefer my classic recipe for creamy keto cheesecake.
My husband, on the other hand, prefers this cake. He loves its airy texture and delicate flavor. He asks for it on a weekly basis!
Use whole milk ricotta
I highly recommend using whole milk ricotta cheese in this ricotta cheesecake recipe. I tried making it with reduced-fat ricotta, and it wasn't very good. The whole-milk cheese makes the cake creamy and flavorful. The reduced-fat cheese lacks both in flavor and in texture.
Why I add coconut flour
The addition of coconut flour is meant to help stabilize the cake and make it a bit more sturdy and easier to slice since it doesn't have a crust.
Coconut flour is available on Amazon and at Whole Foods. And these days it's also available in many supermarkets.
I haven't tried it, but if you don't mind the carbs/gluten, I'm pretty sure that you could use ¼ cup all-purpose flour instead of 2 tablespoons of coconut flour.
What sweetener to use?
You can use granulated white sugar in this recipe. Or you can make it keto by using a sugar-free granulated sweetener such as erythritol.
I tried making it with honey one time and it wasn't as good. I haven't tried making it with coconut sugar, so I don't know if that would work.
Plan ahead
Like all cheesecakes, this cake needs time to chill and set after it's baked, so plan accordingly. If you need it by the evening, you'll need to start making it in the morning. Or make it the day before.
How to serve ricotta cheesecake?
Serve this cake as is, or with keto whipped cream and berries. It's also good with a dollop of chocolate whipped cream or topped with blueberry compote.
What about leftovers?
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Place them on paper towels to absorb moisture and replace the paper towels daily.
Remove the cake from the fridge about an hour before you plan on serving it, to allow it to reach room temperature.
Reviews of this recipe
Yvonne made this cake for a dinner party. I love the way she served it with whipped cream and strawberries! It looks so pretty.
Yvonne did mention that the cake wasn't as smooth as she was hoping it would be, but that she didn't follow the recipe to a T.
As mentioned above, I do recommend using a food processor to blend the batter well. Otherwise, it might not be perfectly smooth.
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Crustless ricotta Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon melted butter for baking dish
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sweetener*
- 2 (15 oz) containers whole milk ricotta cheese (30 oz total; not low fat)
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour (14 g)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9-inch pie plate with a little butter. Cover the bottom with a parchment paper circle and brush it with more butter.
- Place the remaining ingredients in your food processor and process until light and foamy, about 1 minute, stopping once to scrape the sides with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pie plate. Bake until the cake is golden and set. Depending on your oven, this can take anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes. Start checking after 45 minutes. If the cake is not done yet, loosely cover it with foil to prevent over browning of the edges.
- Cool the ricotta cake for 2 hours on a cooling rack, then cover and refrigerate for 2 more hours.
- Slice the cake. Place the slices on paper towels to absorb any extra moisture.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days, on paper towels to absorb moisture. Replace the paper towels daily.
NOTES
NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 