Ricotta cheese is whipped along with olive oil and honey and topped with roasted pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of honey, fresh thyme and sliced dates. Layer this flavor-packed whipped ricotta & honey spread on a piece of crusty bread topped with a sliced date. This recipe only uses a few simple ingredients and it’s served cold (who wants to turn on the hot oven in the Summer?) so it’s the perfect easy appetizer for warm Summer nights on the porch.
Whipped Ricotta & Honey Spread
Spread this flavor-packed whipped ricotta & honey spread on a piece of crusty bread and top it with a sliced date.
Ingredients
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon honey or hot honey
- ¼ cup sprouted or roasted pumpkin seeds
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 3 dates sliced in halves or thirds
Instructions
- Add the ricotta, olive oil, salt and 1/2 tablespoon honey to a food processor and process for 1-2 minutes or until it's smooth and creamy. You can also use a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for 1-2 minutes.
- Spread the ricotta evenly on a serving dish or shallow serving bowl and drizzle with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon honey or hot honey. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds and fresh thyme leaves on the ricotta and place the date slices on top, spaced out evenly.
- Serve with toasted pieces of sourdough bread or to serve this dip gluten free, serve it with gluten free crackers.
Notes
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Whipped ricotta & honey spread variations
- Some like it hot! Hot honey is honey infused with chili peppers. Substitute regular honey for hot honey in this recipe for a sweet and spicy flavor. If you’re lucky enough to live close to a Trader Joe’s, they have a delicious and affordable organic hot honey sauce that is delicious drizzled on top of this creamy ricotta spread.
- Prefer a whipped ricotta dip? Serve this whipped ricotta with fresh veggies like cucumbers, celery sticks, carrot sticks or baby carrots, bell pepper slices, cherry or grape tomatoes for dipping. This is a great way to serve whipped ricotta for gluten-free guests.
- Prefer a savory spread? Skip the honey and the dates and add a little black pepper and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to the top of the spread for a savory twist. Top it with roasted cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes.
- Prefer nuts? Instead of pumpkin seeds, try crushed pistachios or toasted pine nuts.
- Whipped ricotta pasta – Skip the honey and the dates and add whipped ricotta to pasta to create a creamy ricotta sauce. Use a ladle to add a little bit of the pasta water to the pasta mixture, little by little, to achieve the perfect consistency. Add fresh vegetables like sautéed zucchini or mushrooms or roasted cherry tomatoes for added nutrients and flavor. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
When the ingredient list is short, it’s important to use the right ones.
- Whole milk ricotta is essential. The ricotta is the creamy base to this dip. It’s the star of the show so save the low-fat ricotta for lasagna and use the good stuff in this spread to ensure an extra creamy texture.
- Fresh thyme gives this dip fresh flavor. Thyme is the only herb in this recipe and it’s an important one. I don’t suggest substituting the fresh thyme for dried thyme.
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