Honey Ricotta Pie (no-roll gluten-free pie crust)

Honey ricotta pie is a delicious sweet dessert filled with honey orange-zest flavored creamy ricotta cheese and a sweet pie dough with a perfect hint of vanilla tasting notes.

Although traditionally served on easter Sunday, this creamy pie is so easy to make with its 5 minutes no-roll crust, so you can easily enjoy it year-round.

It's also gluten-free!

This lovely pie is a family recipe and is purely designed to keep everyone around the table for a little while longer as you catch up, relax and indulge in a slice.

I often make it as an Easter pie dessert, but it equally belongs on a cozy brunch table.

Whether you make it around easter time or to celebrate your weekend, a planned get-together, or a birthday, you can't go wrong with this honey ricotta pie.

Jump to:

• Recipe feature
• Filling ingredients & notes
• Bottom crust ingredients & notes
• How to make ricotta pie
• Easy pie topping design ideas
• Equipment
• Storage
• More reasons to make this Italian dessert
• FAQ
• Recommended
• 📖 Recipe

Recipe feature

• It's one of those pie recipes that's straightforward to make.
• It looks so rustic and gorgeous once it comes out of the oven.
• The flavors are amazing!
• The creamy ricotta filling is sweetened with honey only and orange zest.
• While the bottom is a no-roll gluten-free crust—no rolling pin required.
• The sweetness of the entire pie is wonderfully balanced.
• It's a delicious dessert that kids and adults alike get really excited about.

Filling ingredients & notes

RICOTTA CHEESE: You can choose whole milk ricotta cheese or part-skim ricotta. I prefer whole milk, because it's wonderfully rich but not too heavy and with a fuller flavor. But either one will work. 

Note: Part-skim ricotta can sometimes contain excess liquid in the box. Therefore, always drain it to obtain a solid and creamy texture.

FLOUR: A little flour thickens the ricotta pie filling, adding a soft texture and the right amount of firmness once baked. I like to use either gluten-free all-purpose flour or cassava flour.

EGG WHITES: Beaten until firm, they will add structure and lightness to the filling.

ORANGE ZEST: It adds that citrusy, tangy flavor to this beautiful ricotta pie recipe.

Note: Use a Microplane or any grater to zest half to one orange—depending on its size—to get one tablespoon of orange zest. Only zest the colorful part of the peel and not the white part to avoid the more bitter flavors of the orange pith. You can use some of the orange peel to decorate the top of the pie, and I usually rework the peeled orange in a green smoothie.

HONEY: If you can, go for liquid honey. For this recipe, I like all-natural wildflower or Orange blossom honey. They go well with the orange flavor and are always readily available at almost all stores or online.

Bottom crust ingredients & notes

It's a healthier version of a pie dough than normally used in an authentic Italian ricotta pie recipe and made with a combination of Teff flour—an ancient grain—and gluten-free all-purpose flour.

FLOUR: I love to mix gluten-free all-purpose flour and Teff flour—which is also gluten-free.

Note: Teff flour adds not only a good amount of nutrition but also a lovely natural sweetness to the crust and a beautiful rustic red-brownish color—Bob's Red Mill sells a good stone-ground version.

SWEETENER: Coconut sugar and vanilla extract add an extra hint of sweetness.

Note: I've never tried it before, but I imagine that you could easily use brown sugar instead if you don't have any coconut sugar at hand.

BUTTER: Instead of cold butter, the recipe calls for butter at room temperature (soft enough to easily combine it by hand with the rest of the ingredients).

Note: Go for unsalted butter if you can, but no worries, I've used salted butter before as well.

EGGS: I'm adding two large eggs, beaten, to make the crust beautifully compact.

Note: It's best to take the eggs out 30 minutes before making the pie dough to have them at room temperature.

BRANDY OR RUM: Adds nutty and vanilla flavoring notes. You can choose either, but if I have both available, I'll go for Brandy. Don't skip this ingredient.

Note: Brandy is made with wine or fermented fruit juices, while rum is made using molasses or sugarcane juices. There is NO BOOZY taste, and the tiny amount of alcohol will cook away, rather, it adds moisture, creates a crumblier texture, and a richer flavor that goes well with the orange-flavored ricotta cheese.

How to make ricotta pie

We're making the ricotta filling first. It is super easy to make, and you want to refrigerate the creamy mixture while preparing the crust to firm up a little.

Easy pie topping design ideas

This tart doesn't need any garnish. It looks incredible once baked with its golden colors.

But if you want to take it a step further, keep it simple with orange rind matchsticks.

• Cut the peel of the other half of the orange (or a second small orange) into large segments.
• Remove any thick white parts from the inside of the peel.
• Flatten the segments out on the cutting board with the palm of your hand.
• And then, with a sharp knife, cut from end to end into thin sticks.
• Give each orange stick a light squeeze to bend them a bit and arrange them crisscrossed on one side of the tart—see picture.
• You can add some edible flowers, sprinkle extra orange zest, sift on top some powdered sugar, or use some dried or fake eucalyptus leaves—these are just a few suggestions.

Equipment

This is one of the easiest ricotta bakes you'll ever make. Since most of it is made by hand, you don't need a lot of special equipment.

• I do recommend a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
• And if you have a stand mixer to whip the egg whites, perfect, if not, a hand mixer can work too.
• Other than that, I recommend a whisk and a spatula, as they are handy for combining the cheese filling and evenly dividing it into the pie crust.

Storage

• Any leftovers store easily in the fridge for up to one week—best stored in an airtight container or at least covered.
• You can make the pie crust in advance and store it well-wrapped for a few days in the fridge before planning to bake this ricotta pie.

More reasons to make this Italian dessert

• It is beautifully rustic looking;
• Deliciously creamy, slightly sweet, and wonderfully soft in the middle.
• It has that buttery, almost cookie-like crust that everyone will love;
• And sophisticated flavors due to the orange zest and a tad of Brandy or rum.
• Around the Holidays, this tart is always a family favorite.
• But it equally belongs on a cozy weekend brunch table—think delicious homemade egg dishes, fruity drinks, mocktails, or coffee drinks, and the colorful display of nut butterspreads, jams, waffles, or sweet bread next to your favorite dips, cheeses, charcuterie, and the rustic look of this Ricotta cheese pie to add a delicious sweet treat. 

FAQ

Recommended

---

Don't forget to subscribe to my Monthly Newsletter!

Your shares and ratings are valuable to me and so much appreciated. It'll help me create more content you and others can enjoy!

---

📖 Recipe

This post was originally published in April 2017 and has since been updated with new pictures and new information.