Move over avocado toast, ricotta toast is here to stay. It’s creamy, full of protein, and the best base for customizing. Ricotta toast is the perfect way to start your day, as a light lunch, or snack.
I love that you can put anything onto it and I love how luxurious yet light it is. I’m a huge fan of toast and ricotta toast, especially whipped ricotta toast is my absolute favorite.
What is ricotta toast?
It’s as simple as the name: it’s ricotta on toast. I’m not too sure where it came from, it’s just about as simple as butter on toast, but so much more luxurious and better. If it’s your first time having ricotta toast, I recommend a really good slice of bread, toasted until it’s golden with a couple of deeply caramelized spots, topped off with creamy whipped ricotta, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, flaky sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper.
The mild creaminess of the whipped ricotta just about melts into the toast and is deliciously light yet luxurious against the crunch of toast. The beauty of ricotta toast is that you can top it with anything, sweet or savory.
What is the best bread for toast?
I love all bread but for ricotta toast I recommend a hearty loaf like sourdough. You want something with structure and crunch. There are so many amazing sourdough bakeries out there right now and if you have the time and inclination, you can even make your own – it’s magic! Good sourdough isn’t sour, it’s perfectly balanced, complex, and the best base for topping.
If you don’t have access to really good sourdough and don’t want to make your own, try whipped ricotta toast on slices of a crusty country loaf, a hearty whole wheat bread, or even bagels. Whipped ricotta also tastes amazing on pancakes or waffles.
What is ricotta?
Ricotta is an cheese, originally made in Italy but now available worldwide. It’s a soft, creamy cheese with small curds that are mild and slightly sweet. It’s fluffy, fresh, and creamy. You’ll find it in tubs in the refrigerated section and it tastes amazing with pasta, as a base for dips, on pizza, and in desserts.
How to make whipped ricotta
To make whipped ricotta, start with whole milk ricotta and add it to a food processor (we have this one and it’s lasted us years). Blend until the ricotta is creamy, fluffy, and smooth, about 1-2 minutes. You can season it with salt and pepper right away but I like to leave it plain so I have the option of using it as a base for both sweet and savory toasts. Whipped ricotta will keep in the fridge, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.
Ricotta toast variations
1. Classic ricotta toast
Spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on toasted sourdough, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic (if desired) and finish with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
2. Honey and thyme ricotta toast
Spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on toasted sourdough, then drizzle with a generous amount of honey and finish with fresh thyme. Pro tip, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt takes this over the top!
3. Avocado ricotta toast
Spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on toasted sourdough, top with slices of avocado, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, flaky salt, pepper, and herbs, if desired.
4. Crispy pesto egg
Spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on toasted sourdough. Heat up 2 tablespoons of pesto in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add a cracked egg to the pesto and cook the egg to your desired doneness. Scoop the fried egg and pesto over the ricotta toast. Read more about pesto egg here.
5. Tomatoes and basil
Spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on toasted sourdough, then top with sliced or quartered tomatoes, basil, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (and balsamic if desired), flaky salt and black pepper.
6. Jam and whipped ricotta
Spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on toasted sourdough, then top with your favorite jam.
7. Prosciutto and peaches
Spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on toasted sourdough, then arrange thin slices of prosciutto and juicy peaches on top. Finish with extra virgin olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper.
8. Cacio e pepe and ricotta
Spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on toasted sourdough, then top with a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper.
9. Carbonara ricotta
Spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on toasted sourdough, then top with crispy pancetta (or bacon), a poached egg, and a generous amount for freshly grated parmesan.
10. Berries and ricotta
Spread a generous amount of whipped ricotta on toasted sourdough, then top with fresh berries, a drizzle of honey, and some fresh mint or thyme.
What to serve with ricotta toast
- The best bacon ever, twisted bacon
- Crispy fried eggs for an extra boost of protein
- Super addictive hot Chinese chili oil
- Garlicky pan seared mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 cup ricotta full fat preferred
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- toppings optional as desired, see post
Special Equipment
- Toaster
Instructions
- Place the ricotta in a food processor and process until very smooth, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the bowl.
- Toast your slices of sourdough until golden and let cool slightly before topping with a generous amount of whipped ricotta.
- From there, add toppings as you see fit and enjoy!
Where has this been all my life? I am the person that eats ricotta with a spoon from the container so I could not believe I had never considered this before. I just made a simple piece of sourdough with a drizzle of olive oil, parmesan, salt and pepper. It was so good. I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Thank you for sharing this, whipped ricotta on toast is a classic “why didn’t I think of that?”, makes roo much sense flavor-wise, and love all the riffs like carbonara ricotta
goofy ahh reviews 💀
WHIP the ricotta! That’s the key! I tried eight of these (I don’t like fruit) and the avocado (I topped with Everything Bagel seasoning instead of oil, salt, pepper) and pesto egg were my favorites. Yum!