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One of my favorite Easter traditions is baking a creamy ricotta cheesecake for my family! It’s the perfect recipe to share with a crowd, and it’s make-ahead friendly, meaning you can bake it well in advance and just pull it out of the freezer the night before you plan on serving it! Delicious on it’s own, but outrageously good with a fresh berry sauce on top!
Ricotta Cheesecake
Easter is less than a week away! Do you have your menu set?
I’m hoping you still have a little wiggle room because this creamy ricotta cheesecake definitely deserves a spot on your holiday table! Made with ricotta cheese AND cream cheese it’s the perfect combination of creamy yet dense. And they flavor? Out-of-this-world delicious!
This is definitely a great gateway cheesecake for folks who prefer a classic new-yolk style cheesecake or extra rich and creamy cheesecake, but want to shake things up a little! The taste and texture are pure and classic, and I’m certain one bite will make you a believer in this recipe!
Make the Graham Cracker Crust
This part is so easy! Especially if you use the pre-crushed graham cracker crumbs! But fret not if you can’t find them, because you can always buy sheets of graham crackers and pulse them in the bowl of a food processor until they’re fine crumbs.
After that, it’s as easy as combining the crumbs with melted butter and sugar! And then pouring the mixture into an aluminum foil wrapped (more on that below) 9-inch springform pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. You’ll want to press the crumbs in the middles and slightly up the sides of the springform pan. Then pre-bake for 10 minutes. This helps ensure you won’t have a soggy crust!
Make the Cheesecake Batter
The most important rule for making cheesecake batter? Room temperature ingredients!!! In fact, this is one of the few times I like my ingredients a little warmer than room temperature. Especially the cream cheese, because cold cream cheese is a nightmare to try and evenly blend!
But once your ingredients are at the right temperature, assembly is a breeze! Simply blend your ricotta cheese and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth, then toss in the sugar, then the eggs one at a time, and egg yolks, and finally, toss in the flour.
Make the Water Bath
I promise, it’s not as scary as it sounds! To make a water bath, you’ll need heavy duty aluminum foil, a large roasting pan, hot water, and a little patience!
The first step is wrapping the spring form pan with the foil. I recommend doing this before you make your crust so it’s ready to go. The great thing about using the heavy duty foil I recommend above is that the sheets are so large they completely cover the entire pan! No holes or gaps = no water spilling in. But just to be safe, I always do 2 to 3 layers of foil. Make sure you wrap it all the way up the sides of the pan!
When you’re ready to bake, you’re going to place this pan into a large roasting pan, pour freshly boiled water halfway up the side of the pan (into the roasting pan/outside of the cheesecake pan) and carefully slide into the oven.
Don’t Over bake!
This cheesecake needs 1 hour and 15 minutes to bake! It will still look quite wobbly in the center, but that’s ok! Because it’s going to sit in the oven, with the door shut, for 30 minutes. And then chill completely! If you decide to disregard my baking advice and bake until the cheesecake looks firm and completely set, it will be dry and not creamy.
Cheesecake MUST cool overnight
The hardest part of this entire recipe? Waiting for the cheesecake to cool completely and chill overnight! I really do recommend 8 hours of chill time, but you must wait at least 6 before slicing. Otherwise you will have a cheesecake lava cake, instead of a firm but creamy cheesecake.
How to Make ahead of time:
The good news? You can totally make this cheesecake in advance! It will keep, covered with plastic wrap and stored in the fridge, for up to 5 days! Or cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and pop in the freezer for up to 2 months!
I suggest allowing the cheesecake to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing, when serving from the fridge. And you’ll need to bring your cheesecake out of the freezer the night before you plan on serving it, and let it thaw in the refrigerator.
Fresh Berry Sauce
This part is optional, but oh-so-delicious! You can use any berries you’d like, or use a combination like I did! You’ll simply cook them down with a little sugar and lemon juice, strain, cool, then spread on top of the cheesecake. And of course, you can top that with more fresh berries for a showstopper dessert!
More Ricotta Cheesecake Recipes:
- Orange Ricotta Cheesecake
- Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes
- Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Ricotta Cheesecake
- Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake Cupcakes
Creamy Italian Ricotta Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- 2 cups (225 grams) graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) sugar
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the Creamy Italian Ricotta Cheesecake:
- 4 blocks (920 grams) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (341 grams) whole milk ricotta cheese, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/3 cups (266 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
For the Fresh Berry Sauce:
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
- 12 ounces (340 grams) mixed berries, fresh or frozen
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)
Instructions
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly spray a 9" springform pan with non-stick spray.
- Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with heavy duty tinfoil. I recommend doing several diligent layers here to ensure no water creeps through when you place the pan in the water bath. Set pan aside.
- In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter; stir well to combine.
- Firmly pat the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Place partially baked crust on a cooling rack and set aside while you prepare the filling.
- Reduce oven to 325 degrees (F).
For the Creamy Italian Ricotta Cheesecake:
- In the body of a high power blender, food processor, stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a very large bowl using a hand held mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and ricotta cheese until completely smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add sugar and vanilla and beat smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add in the eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add in the heavy cream and gently stir until it's evenly combined. Finally, fold in the flour.
- Pour filling into prepared crust and, using a silicone spatula, smooth the top.
- Place the cheesecake pan into a large, deep pan. Fill the pan with 2 inches of hot water. This is your water bath and will help ensure your cheesecake comes out crack free.
- Carefully place the pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Turn oven off and let the cheesecake sit, undisturbed, for 30 minutes, inside the oven with the door shut. The cheesecake should be still slightly wiggly.
- Remove cake from oven and gently run a knife very around the edge of the cake. Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack and cool completely, then loosely cover the pan with saran wrap and chill for at least 6 (preferably 8) hours.
- Cheesecake will keep, covered in the fridge, for 5 days. Cheesecake may be frozen for 2 months. Thaw overnight before slicing.
For the Fresh Berry Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring lemon juice and sugar to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has completely disintegrated into the mixture.
- Add lemon zest and berries and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally and slightly mashing down the berries, for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and Grand Marnier.
- Pour sauce into a bowl and cool to room temperature.
- Spoon over cheesecake right before serving. For additional pizazz, generously garnish with fresh raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, plus fresh mint sprigs!
Can the flour be omitted or substituted to make this gluten free?
Yes, but the cheesecake will be less dense and very creamy! Not a bad thing, just different 🙂
Sounds delicious. A calorie count would be helpful.
Sorry, but dumb question. After you run the knife around the edge of the cake, are you removing it from the springform pan and placing it on the cooling rack, or are you placing cake, pan and all on the cooling rack? The photos show a freestanding cake, but if anyone can mess this up, it’s me. Lol. Thanks!
Hi! You’ll run the knife around the edge of the cake just to separate it from the pan so it doesn’t crack. You’re going to keep the cake in the pan until it’s completely cooled and has been chilled in the fridge. You’ll unfold it right before serving, which is when you can top it with the berry sauce, as shown in my photo 🙂
I am going to try this! I place my springform pan in a shallow cake pan that is slightly larger than the springform then place in the water bath. I do not have to wrap the springform in foil and it comes out great.
Hi! Love your website and your recipes, often times I wish I could make everything at once
How would you describe the flavor profile of this ricotta cheesecake to be different from your tall and creamy cheesecake?
I only have a 8 inch spring foam pan. Should I increase the amount of time in the oven?
Hi. Can I make the berry sauce the day before and stand in the fridge overnight?
How many cupcakes would this recipe make?
I made this as cupcakes on the second round! I was distracted and accidentally did the additional egg whites instead of the yolks, and it ended up being fluffier than my first attempt. I also added a little lemon zest and extract as we had a lemon themed event, with a chocolate graham cracker crust. They were soooo delicious!!
This is perfection!!! I’m tasting the batter as I go along and OMG delicious!!! U cannot even tell there is ANY ricotta in there!!!! It’s in the oven now, wish me luck guys
This is perfection!!! I’m tasting the batter as I go along and OMG delicious!!! U cannot even tell there is ANY ricotta in there!!!! It’s in the oven now, wish me luck guys
can you substitute whole milk instead of heavy cream?
Hi Lydia. I don’t recommend it.
I made this for a culinary class and it turned out to be the best cheesecake I think that I have ever had! Berry sauce added a nice sweet flavor, but even without the sauce the cheesecake dominated
Made this cheesecake this week. It was super easy and turned out amazing! My husband requested I keep it for special occasions, it is his new favorite dessert!
Fabulous! I even left the cheesecake in the over for a few hours after turning the oven off and it still was perfect. Hint: all my batter did not fit in the pan, so I made a half batch of the crust and got 6 cupcake tin cheesecakes in addition.
This recipe is amazing and I have made it multiple times now! I’m making it again for a party and I’m running short on time. Any suggestions how I can set it faster than the 6-8 hours in the fridge??
Can you use peaches
I haven’t tried, so I’m not sure how that would work.
Love Cheese cake! I have baked many! This one is going to a Bachelor Neighbor who’s family is coming for a visit! Now I don’t know? But’ I always add a tlb flour because it keeps it from Cracking! I might try this one without it! If it cracks , Ill make a fruit topping of some sort! I don’t mind helping a friend! He doesn’t know how to boil Water! : -) Oh well! It’s all good! Thanks for the Recipe!
Love Cheese cake! I have baked many! This one is going to a Bachelor Neighbor who’s family is coming for a visit! Now I don’t know? But’ I always add a tlb flour because it keeps it from Cracking! I might try this one without it! If it cracks , Ill make a fruit topping of some sort! I don’t mind helping a friend! He doesn’t know how to boil Water! : -) Oh well! It’s all good! Thanks for the Recipe! I forgot to say’ I didn’t have enough cream cheese so adding the Ricotta makes up for that! And I will be putting the fresh fruit on top! This may become a favorite! I never tried using Ricotta before!
I’m Back! My Cheese cake came out Beautiful! I didn’t notice that you also use a little flour in the batter until I got started! Somehow I missed it? But yes it does make a difference! Thanks again!
Do you need to drain the water from the ricotta with cheesecloth? Or is it okay to go in the batter as is? Thanks so much
This recipe was a HUGE hit!!! Even my Italian boyfriend was impressed and couldn’t stop raving about it! Everyone LOVED it!!! I skipped the “water bath” step and maybe I just got lucky, but my cake didn’t crack at all. Also, I made a little extra fruit topping and put it a long time before serving since I was bringing the dish to a friend’s house. I felt this actually was good since the fruit at a chance to seep a bit longer into the cake. I am so happy I found this wonderful recipe and I HIGHLY recommend it!! Thank you!!!
Is this for a fan forced oven for temp?