Ricotta Pie Recipe: An almond and lemon-flavored, creamy ricotta filling baked inside a sweet Italian pie crust. This Ricotta Pie is the life of the party at any dinner, but it’s usually served on Easter.
Ricotta Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Pasta Frolla:
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
Ricotta Filling:
- 32 ounces (905 grams) whole-milk ricotta, strained if very watery (see notes)
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- Egg wash, for assembling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Pulse until thoroughly blended.
- When the butter is broken up into tiny pebbles, add it and pulse five to seven times.
- Add the eggs and let the dough process for approximately a minute, or until it comes together into a cohesive ball around the blade, while the engine is running.
- Move the dough to a flour-dusted work surface. Split the dough in half.
- Roll out half of the dough to about an 11-inch round, then fit it into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, tucking the pastry ends under one another to create an edge. Using a fork, make several piercings in the bottom of the crust to let out steam during baking. For at least ten minutes while the oven is preheating, place the pastry in the freezer to cool.
- The remaining dough should be rolled out to a rough 10-inch circle. The pie dough should be placed on a level surface that fits inside your refrigerator, like a sheet pan. Place the covered container in the refrigerator to cool.
- Pie weights (or dried rice, beans, or lentils) should be added to the filling (after removing the bottom crust from the freezer), making sure to press the weights up against the corners of the pastry. Place the lower rack in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After that, remove the pie weights and parchment paper from the oven. Go back inside the oven and continue baking for five more minutes.
- Take it out of the oven and allow it cool for roughly fifteen minutes.
- As you wait, prepare the filling: Transfer the ricotta (strained) to a large basin. Use a whisk to whisk it for 30 seconds till it becomes lighter. Whisk together the sugar, eggs, zest, lemon juice, and almond essence until thoroughly blended.
- Spoon the filling into the pie crust that has cooled slightly.
- To prepare an egg wash, whisk together an egg and a small amount of water.
- Take the top crust out of the refrigerator and roll it out. Using the fork, evenly press and drag it over the pastry to score the top crust in a lattice pattern. Make sure not to cut through the pastry if you want to score highly on it.
- To help the top crust seal to the edges, brush the egg wash on both the top crust and the baked bottom pie dough’s edges. Place the pastry top crust over the ricotta filling. Once the top crust is sealed into the edges, trim off any extra dough.
- Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake it in the middle of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the filling has almost risen throughout and the top is golden and glossy. There should only be a tiny bit of filling left unrisen in the center.
- Let cool for a minimum of two hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
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FAQs AND Questions
Making the Ricotta Filling
- This filling contains just a few ingredients, but it is pretty magnificent. Ricotta is the star of the show of course. In case you missed it, up above I talk about the need to strain ricotta if you are using an inexpensive brand. Also, check out the notes in the recipe for tips on how to do this.
- If you don’t need to strain the filling, it’s very easy to mix it together all in one bowl. The filling can be made in between the making and baking of the pie.
