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 crustless ricotta cheesecake 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.
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 cake is excellent, but I do prefer my classic recipe for creamy keto cheesecake. My husband, on the other hand, prefers this ricotta 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 recipe. I tried making this cake with reduced fat ricotta, and it wasn’t very good. Recent research tells us that full-fat dairy is actually quite healthy.
Why do you add coconut flour to this ricotta cheesecake?
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 actually available in many supermarkets too.
What sweetener to use in this ricotta cheesecake?
You can use granulated sugar in this recipe. Or you can make it keto by using a low carb granulated sweetener. I tried making it with honey 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
This crustless ricotta cheesecake does need 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 leftover cake in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days, on paper towels to absorb moisture. Replace the paper towels daily.
Crustless ricotta Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon melted butter for baking dish
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sweetener*
- 2 (15 oz) containers whole milk ricotta cheese (not low fat)
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour (14g)
- 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
More Healthy Recipes:
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., has been following a healthy real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She has taken 
