Easy Italian Easter Ricotta Pie Recipe

This creamy, citrusy Italian ricotta pie is simple to make with just a few basic ingredients and store-bought phyllo dough. It’s similar to a cheesecake but lighter and not as sweet. And while it’s a traditional Italian Easter dessert, it’s delicious any time of the year!

Italian Easter Ricotta Pie Ingredients

This custardy Italian rice and ricotta pie is made with tangy orange zest and baked in a flaky phyllo dough crust. And while this traditional Italian ricotta pie might be fancy-looking, but it’s actually super simple to make with just 8 ingredients. This is what you’ll need.

• RICOTTA CHEESE: Ricotta cheese is a soft, wet Italian cheese that’s slightly sweet. For this recipe, use whole-milk ricotta cheese.
• EGGS
• CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR: This recipe uses confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) in both the pie and as an optional garnish.
• PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
• ORANGE ZEST: You could also use lemon zest if you prefer.
• PRE-COOKED SHORT GRAINED RICE: If you’re short on time, you can use frozen, pre-cooked rice. Just heat it to room temperature before using.
• PHYLLO DOUGH: Store-bought phyllo dough works great for this ricotta pie recipe. Just make sure to defrost it per the package instruction before using it.
• MELTED UNSALTED BUTTER

How to Make Ricotta Pie with Phyllo Dough

You can make this custardy, citrusy ricotta pie quickly and easily. Here’s how to do it.

• PREP: Preheat to oven to 375 degrees F.
• BLEND WET INGREDIENTS: Add the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and citrus zest to a food processor and blend.
• ADD RICE: Mix in the prepared rice.
• LAYER PHYLLO DOUGH IN PAN: Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan with melted butter and then carefully add a sheet of phyllo dough. Using a pastry brush, baste the sheet with melted butter. Repeat the process until you’ve added all the phyllo dough sheets.
• ADD THE RICOTTA RICE MIXTURE: Next, pour the ricotta mixture into the prepared pie dish. Then crunch up the edges of the phyllo dough to get the rustic, ruffled edges. Some of the phyllo dough might cover the edges of the pie and that’s fine.
• BAKE: Put the pie dish on a baking sheet and cook until the center is set and the phyllo dough is slightly browned, about 35-40 minutes. If the phyllo dough starts to get too dark, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
• COOL AND SERVE: Let the pie cool completely. Then dust with confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) and serve.

A Few More Recipe Tips:

Here are a few more things to keep in mind when making this ricotta pie recipe.

PHYLLO DOUGH IS EASY TO USE: Phyllo dough is thin and delicate. But it’s easy to work with — especially in this rustic recipe. If you tear a sheet, don’t worry about it. You won’t be able to tell once the pie is baked.

HOW CAN I TELL IF CENTER IS SET? When the pie is done, the center will look like custard. If it’s very slightly jiggly, that is OK. The pie will continue to set as it cools.

MAKE AHEAD: This pie can be made several hours ahead of time. Just let it cool and then sit to room temperature until ready to serve.

Looking for More Easter Desserts? Try These Too!

BEST CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
FESTIVE EASTER CANDY COOKIE BARS
THE YUMMIEST LEMON COCONUT LOAF CAKE

Italian Easter Ricotta Pie

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• Author: Laura | Growing Up Cali
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 6–8 servings 1x

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Description

This creamy, citrusy Italian rice and ricotta pie is simple to make with just a few simple ingredients and store-bought phyllo dough.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 container (15-ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for garnishing
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 3/4 cup cooked short-grained rice
• 6 sheets store-bought phyllo sheets, thawed (or homemade if you prefer)
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

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Instructions

1. PREP: Preheat to oven to 375 degrees F.
2. BLEND WET INGREDIENTS: Add the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and citrus zest to a food processor and blend.
3. ADD RICE: Stir in the prepared rice by hand.
4. LAYER PHYLLO DOUGH IN PAN:  Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan with melted butter and then carefully add a sheet of phyllo dough. Using a pastry brush, baste the sheet with melted butter. Repeat the process until you’ve added all the phyllo dough sheets.
5. ADD THE RICOTTA RICE MIXTURE: Next, pour the ricotta mixture into the prepared pie dish. Then crunch up the edges of the phyllo dough to get the rustic, ruffled edges. Some of the phyllo dough might cover part of the pie and that’s fine.
6. BAKE: Put the pie dish on a baking sheet and cook until the center is set and the phyllo dough is slightly browned, about 35-40 minutes. If the phyllo dough starts to get too dark, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil. I had to do this with mine about halfway through the baking process.
7. COOL AND SERVE: Let the pie cool completely. Then dust with confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) and serve.

Notes

PHYLLO DOUGH IS EASY TO USE: Phyllo dough is thin and delicate. But it’s easy to work with — especially in this rustic recipe. If you tear a sheet, don’t worry about it. You won’t be able to tell once the pie is baked.

HOW CAN I TELL IF CENTER IS SET? When the pie is done, the center will look like custard. If it’s very slightly jiggly, that is OK. The pie will continue to set as it cools. 

MAKE AHEAD: This pie can be made several hours ahead of time. Just let it cool and then sit to room temperature until ready to serve.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: Italian