This is truly The Best Ricotta Pie Recipe you will ever try! Deliciously creamy, smooth and decadent! You will savor every bite!
My mom has made this ricotta pie for over 40 years! Lucky you! I am sharing it with you today. Every Easter, she would make at least six of them. One for my immediate family, two to bring down to my grandmother’s for dessert after Easter dinner, and the others? For her best friends to enjoy and share with their families.
There are many versions of ricotta pie, but this one is my absolute favorite! Even if you don’t like ricotta in your desserts, you will love this pie. It’s filled with two layers. A homemade vanilla pudding for the bottom. A rich, sweet and creamy ricotta for the top layer. A delicious homemade crust rounds out The Best Ricotta Pie Recipe. Although easy to make, this pie is a labor of love. Make a day ahead of time for best results!
Let’s get started…
The Best Ricotta Pie Recipe-Crust Ingredients
Salt, orange juice, pure vanilla extract, flour, milk, sugar, baking powder, egg and butter.
Instructions-Crust
Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter to a mixing bowl. Whisk together.
Cut in butter until very fine.
Make a well in the mixing bowl. Add beaten egg, milk, orange juice and vanilla. Mix with a spoon until a soft dough forms (if easier mix with your hands to finish off). Add 1 additional tablespoon of milk if dough is dry.
Gather dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
Homemade Vanilla Pudding-Ingredients
Cornstarch, granulated sugar, pure vanilla extract, milk, butter and eggs (yolks).
Instructions
In a large sauce pan, heat milk over low heat. Separate egg yolks and whites into two bowls. Save 2 egg whites for ricotta filling.
In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk cornstarch and sugar. Pour 1/2 cup of warm milk into the bowl and whisk together.
Beat the egg yolks.
Add to the mixture and whisk together until smooth.
Pour mixture back into the saucepan. Over medium heat, stir mixture constantly.
Once the mixture starts to come to a boil, it will start to thicken. Once thickened, remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
Set aside and let cool. Once cooled, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place plastic wrap gently on top of the pudding so that a film does not form.
Ricotta Filling-Ingredients
Ricotta, granulated sugar, pure vanilla extract, egg whites.
In a small mixing bowl, add ricotta, sugar, egg whites and pure vanilla extract.
Use a hand mixer and beat together until light and creamy. Cover and set aside.
Pie Assembly-Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator. Cut dough into roughly a 1/3-2/3 ratio. (1/3 for the top and 2/3 for the bottom crust).
Add flour to your board and to the top of the dough. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough from the center outward, flip, add more flour, and repeat until you have a crust about 2 inches bigger than your pie plate.
Carefully fold the dough into quarters, making sure not to crease it. Place dough on the bottom of the pie plate and unfold.
Add the vanilla pudding to the bottom layer. Spread out to the edges evenly.
Next, place the ricotta filling on top of the pudding. Spread out to the edges evenly.
Roll out the remaining dough repeating the above process. Place the top on the pie. Gently fold the top crust under the bottom crust to create a seal. Then crimp with a fork, or flute using your fingers. Pinch with your thumb and index finger all the way around the pie plate.
Use a fork to poke holes in the top of the pie and brush milk on the top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. After 20-25 minutes you may need to place a pie shield or wrap edges with foil to prevent the crust from browning too quickly.
Once done, remove pie from oven and let cool.
Glaze Topping-Instructions
In a medium bowl, add powdered sugar, milk butter and pure vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Spread on glaze topping. Place in refrigerator overnight. Place a piece of wax paper lightly over the top of the pie after glaze has set. This pie is best served cold.
Enjoy! It’s one of my favorite pies! SO DELICIOUS! If you like this pie then try my Coconut Cream Pie!
For other delicious Italian desserts try my:
Irresistibly Delicious Italian Cream Cake
Homemade Italian Pizzelles with Anise
Homemade Italian Chocolate Pizzelles
Popular Italian Easter Cookies
The Best Ricotta Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 10 inch pie plate
- Rolling Pin
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- Pie crust cutter
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Homemade Vanilla Pudding
- 3 cups milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/8 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
Ricotta Filling
- 1 lb ricotta
- 2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pie Crust Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp butter softened
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter to a mixing bowl. Whisk together.
- Cut in butter until very fine.
- Make a well in the mixing bowl. Add beaten egg, milk, orange juice and vanilla. Mix with a spoon until a soft dough forms (if easier mix with your hands to finish off). Add 1 additional tablespoon of milk if dough is dry.
- Gather dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
Homemade Vanilla Pudding
- In a large sauce pan, heat milk over low heat.
- Separate egg yolks and whites into two bowls. Save 2 egg whites for ricotta filling.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk cornstarch and sugar. Pour 1/2 cup of warm milk into the bowl and whisk together.
- Beat the egg yolks and then add to the mixture above. Whisk together until smooth.
- Pour mixture back into the saucepan. Over medium heat, stir mixture constantly.
- Once the mixture starts to come to a boil, it will start to thicken. Once thickened, remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla and stir until smooth.
- Set aside and let cool. Once cooled, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place plastic wrap gently on top of the pudding so that a film does not form.
Ricotta Filling
- In a small mixing bowl, add ricotta, sugar, egg whites and pure vanilla extract.
- Use a hand mixer and beat together until light and creamy.
- Set aside.
Pie Crust Glaze
- In a medium bowl, add powdered sugar, milk butter and pure vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Pie Assembly
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator. Cut dough into about a 1/3-2/3 ratio. (1/3 for the top and 2/3 for the bottom crust).
- Add flour to your board and to the top of the dough.
- Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough from the center outward, flip, add more flour, and repeat until you have a crust about 2 inches bigger than your pie plate.
- Carefully fold the dough into quarters, making sure not to crease it. Place dough on the bottom of the pie plate and unfold.
- Add the vanilla pudding to the bottom layer. Spread out to the edges evenly.
- Next, place the ricotta filling on top of the pudding. Spread out to the edges evenly.
- Roll out the remaining dough repeating the above process. Place the top on the pie.
- Gently fold the top crust under the bottom crust to create a seal. Then crimp with a fork, or flute using your fingers. Pinch with your thumb and index finger all the way around the pie plate.
- Use a fork to poke holes in the top of the pie and brush milk on the top.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. After 20-25 minutes you may need to place a pie shield or wrap edges with foil to prevent the crust from browning too quickly.
- Once done, remove pie from oven and let cool. Spread on glaze topping. Place in refrigerator overnight. Place a piece of wax paper lightly over the top of the pie after glaze has set. This pie is best served cold.
- Enjoy!
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