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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Italian Ricotta Cheesecake with Berries

    Published: Apr 18, 2021 · Modified: Aug 3, 2023 by Chef Dennis Littley

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    5 from 43 votes
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    pinterest image of ricotta cheesecake

    If you’ve never tried an Italian Ricotta Cheesecake you don’t know what you’re missing. Top it with fresh berries and you’ve got a dessert of legendary status!

    updated from original post July 3, 2010

    overhead view of sliced cheesecake with slices next to it on plates

    Ricotta Cheesecakes are not the same as a New York style cheesecake. They’re not a sweet and not creamy in the same way. I didn’t want to say not as creamy, because it’s still freaking awesomely creamy!

    The real secret to making a ricotta cheesecake extra cream is adding mascarpone. Which for lack of a better term is Italian cream cheese. Adding in sour cream or Greek yogurt adds a little of the flavor you’ve come to expect from a New York style cheesecake.

    Table of Contents:

    • What ingredients do I need to make a Ricotta Cheesecake?
    • How do I make a Ricotta Cheesecake?
    • Kitchen tools I use for my cakes
    • More Cheesecake Recipes You’ll Love!
    • Ricotta Cheesecake
      • Equipment
      • Ingredients
        • Crust for Cheesecake
        • Ricotta Cheesecake
        • Topping for Cheesecake
      • Instructions
        • Crust for Cheesecake
        • Ricotta Cheesecake
        • Topping for Cheesecake
      • Video
      • Nutrition

    What ingredients do I need to make a Ricotta Cheesecake?

    overhead view of ingredients to make ricotta cheesecake

    Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make an Authentic Ricotta Cheesecake with Berries. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

    Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the up cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

    *If you’re not familiar with digestive biscuits I like to think of them as Adult Graham Crackers.

    How do I make a Ricotta Cheesecake?

    four images showing how to prepare the cheesecake crust

    The first step is making the crust for the cheesecake. In a food processor, grind up the pistachios, then remove from them from the processor. Add the digestive biscuits and grind to a fine meal.

    four images showing how to prepare the cheesecake crust

    Melt one stick of butter and add the butter and sugar to the ground pistachios and digestive biscuits, mix well.*The mixture should be wet enough to form, but not so wet that it oozes butter.

    Form crust into your springform pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 7 minutes.

    four images showing how to make ricotta cheesecake batter

    In your mixer blend together the ricotta cheese, mascarpone, and Greek yogurt. Blend until the mixture is smooth.

    Add the eggs one at a time until well blended. Next, add the sugar, flour, salt, grated lemon peel, lemon juice, and vanilla. Blend well until very creamy. 

    cheesecake batter in prepared springform pan

    Pour the cheesecake batter into a prepared Springform pan (with baked crust) and bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes in a conventional oven, or until the cake has set in the middle.

    **The top of the cheesecake can get brown. If you’re not topping the cheesecake or prefer a lighter top, cover the cheesecake with foil for half of the time in the oven.

    four images showing how to top the cheesecake with berries

    After the cheesecake has fully cooled, you can start adding the strawberries around the outer edge of the cheesecake. Cut the bottoms off the strawberries so they sit nicely on the cheesecake.

    Next add the blueberries to the center of the cheesecake, making sure they are at least two deep. Spoon the prepared glaze over top of the strawberries and blueberries.

    *You can use a brush to make sure all of the strawberries are coated with the glaze,

    finished whole cheesecake with berries out of the pan with a bowl of blueberries in the foreground

    Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight. The cheesecake will be soft and crumble unless you give it time to set up.

    slice of cheesecake on a plate with berries

    You’re going to love the texture and flavor of this Ricotta Cheesecake. This Italian Classic is a delicious version of one of America’s favorite desserts!

    Kitchen tools I use for my cakes

    • 9 -inch Springform Pan
    • offset spatula (essential for bakers)
    • 9-inch parchment cake circles
    • silicone spatulas
    • wire whisk
    • mixing bowls

    More Cheesecake Recipes You’ll Love!

    • Restaurant Style Cheesecake
    • Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars with a toffee crust
    • Blood Orange Ricotta Cheesecake
    • Chocolate Cheesecake Bars with Pecan Shortbread Crust

    Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

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    slice of cheesecake on a plate with berries
    Print Recipe Save Saved!
    5 from 43 votes

    Ricotta Cheesecake

    What could be better to celebrate the summer than my red white and blue Ricotta Cheesecake. My oh so creamy cheesecake will be a hit at your next gathering
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 571kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Equipment

    • 9 inch springform pan

    Ingredients

    Crust for Cheesecake

    • 12 digestive biscuits or one pack of graham crackers
    • ½ cup pistachios toasted
    • 4 oz Unsalted Butter melted
    • ¼ cup Sugar

    Ricotta Cheesecake

    • 16 oz ricotta cheese full fat or low fat
    • 16 oz mascarpone *or cream cheese if you can find mascarpone
    • 8 oz Greek yogurt *or sour cream
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 6 large eggs
    • 2 tablespoon flour
    • grated peel of one lemon
    • juice from one half lemon
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Topping for Cheesecake

    • 1 pint strawberries whole berries
    • ½ Pint blueberries more if desired
    • 1 cup red fruit juice
    • juice of one lemon
    • 2 tablespoon sugar
    • 1½ tablespoon corn starch
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Crust for Cheesecake

    • In a food processor, grind up the pistachios and remove from the processor. Then add the digestive biscuits and grind to a fine meal.
    • Melt one stick of butter and add the butter and sugar to the ground pistachios and digestive biscuits, mix well.
      *The mixture should be wet enough to form, but not so wet that it oozes butter.
    • Form crust into your springform pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 7 minutes.
      *Allow to cool before adding the cheesecake batter.

    Ricotta Cheesecake

    • In your mixer blend together the ricotta cheese, mascarpone, and Greek yogurt. Blend until the mixture is smooth.
    • Add the eggs one at a time until well blended.
    • Add the sugar, flour, salt, grated lemon peel, lemon juice, and vanilla.
    • Blend well until very creamy. Pour mixture into prepared Springform pan and Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes in a conventional oven, or until the cake has set in the middle. The top of the cheesecake can get brown. If you're not topping the cheesecake or prefer a lighter top, cover the cheesecake with foil for half of the time in the oven.

    Topping for Cheesecake

    • Wash the strawberries and blueberries, allow to dry on paper towels.
    • Cut the tops off the dried strawberries and place around the outside of the cheesecake, fill the inside with blueberries. They should be at least two deep in the middle of the Strawberries.
    • Place all but ¼ cup of the juice and lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan, heat to a near boil. Mix corn starch, into remaining juice and make into a slurry, add the slurry to the heated juice and bring to a low boil. The mixture should start to clear as it thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then spoon over the berries.
    • Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight. The cheesecake will be soft and crumble unless you give it time to set up!
      I know it's hard to resist but it will be worth it!!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 571kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 358mg | Potassium: 285mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 1108IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 187mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home. For more details, check out his About page.

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    1. Aditi Bahl

      April 24, 2021 at 1:24 pm

      5 stars
      Cheesecake can be a diff as well as messy and time taking dessert. But you made it look like a very simple process. Plus it looks tempting and not trying this beauty is too difficult. Am surely making it this weekend.

      Reply
    2. Sangita

      April 21, 2021 at 1:41 am

      5 stars
      Heavenly dessert recipe! Such a delicious cheesecake…

      Reply
    3. Natalie

      April 20, 2021 at 12:09 pm

      5 stars
      Oh Gosh. What a beautiful cheesecake. Sounds and looks heavenly delicious. I just have to make this asap. My boys will love this. Thanks!

      Reply
    4. Christina

      April 20, 2021 at 9:44 am

      5 stars
      Delish classic recipe!

      Reply
    5. Addison

      April 19, 2021 at 9:35 pm

      This cheesecake is stunning! Love the use of ricotta!

      Reply
    6. Debra

      April 19, 2021 at 9:11 pm

      5 stars
      Oh yum…..my grandmother always made her cheesecake with ricotta. I think I need to try this recipe in her honor. Thanks for posting.

      Reply
    7. Amy

      April 19, 2021 at 7:20 pm

      5 stars
      Love a good cheesecake! This recipe looks easy enough to try.

      Reply
    8. Michele H Peterson

      April 19, 2021 at 4:02 pm

      5 stars
      What a beautiful cheesecake! Perfect for Mother’s Day

      Reply
    9. Jere Cassidy

      April 19, 2021 at 2:58 pm

      5 stars
      I have never made a cheesecake with ricotta cheese and I am pretty sure I am missing something special. This is a must-try recipe.

      Reply
    10. Nora

      April 19, 2021 at 2:31 pm

      5 stars
      I love to bake with ricotta! Thanks for the idea to use it in a cheesecake!

      Reply
    11. Natalia

      April 19, 2021 at 2:00 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! What a nice cheesecake, never tried one with ricotta but definitely will try this one! Thank you for the recipe.

      Reply
    12. Bernice Hill

      April 19, 2021 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      It’s been ages since I’ve had cheesecake but I do prefer the lightness that ricotta brings to this classic. Those berries make a stunning addition visually and in flavour too.

      Reply
    13. Kay

      April 19, 2021 at 11:50 am

      5 stars
      The perfect summer dessert 🙂

      Reply
    14. Gloria

      April 19, 2021 at 11:05 am

      5 stars
      Ricotta cheese is such a great ingredient. Perfect for cheese cakes. This looks like one delicious dessert. Party perfect.

      Reply
    15. Nancy Bates

      June 21, 2020 at 11:28 pm

      Is it possible for you to please include in your Recipes, the measurement conversion of the ingredients equivalent of ounces to cups, grams to cups and oven temperature Foreign height to Celsius.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        June 22, 2020 at 8:00 am

        hi Nancy

        at the bottom of the ingredients in the recipe card is a toggle for metric conversion. As for temperature, it should be around 190 C.

        Reply
    16. Sameer S Nilatkar

      June 05, 2020 at 9:42 am

      Awesome recipe Chef. A crafty and easy to make dessert. Keep posting. Thanks.

      Reply
    17. Cathy

      June 03, 2020 at 11:48 pm

      I had to make a couple of minor adjustments due to the unavailability of ingredients. We used 28 ounces of ricotta, 16 ounces cream cheese and 2 ounces of greek yogurt. I used all of the other ingredients as listed. The cheesecake came out delicious. Creamy and light tasting.

      Reply
    18. Online cake delivery

      May 27, 2018 at 4:26 am

      5 stars
      step by step explation is good.
      It looks so wonderful and tasty, well I was thinking to make something special during the weekend but now I am sure what to make in the weekend to make it special. thanks to you I was able to learn this awesome recipe

      Reply
    19. Rozann cupidiro

      March 31, 2018 at 1:32 pm

      5 stars
      Love the sound of your ricotta cheesecake I made one last night for Easter and I actually thought about putting in marscapone but I didn’t have any in the house so I use my usual straight ricotta but I also use lemon rind the lemon juice like you a lot of vanilla and fresh nutmeg what would you suggest or a topping I think it’s wonderful without a topping because of the nut Meg and vanilla and lemon combination but if you would put a tapping on it what would you use thank you

      Reply
    20. Jodee Weiland

      July 04, 2014 at 11:35 am

      This recipe looks fabulous! Rich and creamy, this cheesecake would take first place in my home! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        July 04, 2014 at 2:31 pm

        Thank you Jodee, it is one of my favorites!

        Reply
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    My name is Dennis Littley or “Chef Dennis” as I’m known both at work and across the blogosphere. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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