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This whipped lemon ricotta cheesecake is rich and luscious and takes so little effort to make. Creamy whipped ricotta cheese made with lemon and honey and baked up in a flaky phyllo dough crust. This unique cheesecake is light, creamy, airy, a touch buttery, lightly sweetened, and perfectly hinted with fresh lemon and vanilla. The best part? There’s no fancy water bath required, just simple and delicious!
If you can believe it, this is my first ever cheesecake. Sure, I shared these blueberry cheesecake bars last year, but never before have I made a real cheesecake. Of course, this one’s not traditional either, but then isn’t that what you’ve come to expect from me by now? Putting my own little twist on a classic is kind of what I do…
Even though I second guess myself every step of the way. Will I ever stop this…probably not.
So with that, let’s talk about this cheesecake and how you should plan to make it this week. Don’t second guess yourself like I do, this is so easy and delicious. No matter whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day or not, your week needs this creamy ricotta cheesecake.
It really does.
For starters, the inspiration for the cheesecake was drawn solely from the fact that cheesecake is one of the few desserts I’ve never made. Cheesecake wasn’t something I grew up eating. And while I know that most people really enjoy it, I was always under the impression that it wasn’t for me. Why? Well, because both my parents are chocolate only kind of dessert people, and never once shared cheesecake with their kids.
Of course, now that I’m older, I realize just how delicious a good cheesecake can be. BUT I do have a few requirements when it comes to what makes a good cheesecake…
It’s must not be overly sweet, it must be extra creamy, and it has to have good flavor.
Enter this ricotta cheesecake…lightly sweetened with only honey, with hints of lemon and vanilla for extra flavor. Whip the ricotta cheese before baking for an extra creamy filling. And, to add one more layer of flavor and texture, I ditched the boring graham cracker crust and instead used flaky phyllo dough.
Perfection.
I was inspired to use ricotta, instead of the more traditional cream cheese, mainly due to the fact that I had two containers in my fridge. But also because I just really love ricotta cheese when used in a sweet way (cc: this Dutch Baby). I knew that in order to achieve that silky smooth cheesecake texture, I’d need to whip the ricotta up in the food processor. What’s great is the entire batter is all made in the bowl of the food processor (you could also use a blender).
It’s pretty much as simple as it could get.
And that crust? Well, I’ve never really enjoyed a graham cracker crust, so I brainstormed a few ideas until I landed on phyllo dough. The phyllo dough ended up being the perfect light and flaky crust. It not sweet and doesn’t over shadow the delicious ricotta filling.
As mentioned above, this cheesecake requires no water bath. Yes, I may get called out for this. But I’m going to be honest, I tested the recipe both with a water bath and without. Truly I couldn’t tell the difference between the cakes. Sure, you may have a crack or two on the top of your cake, but who really cares when you’re just going to top the cake with fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar, you know?
Trust me, the water bath is not worth the extra effort.
The hardest part about this cheesecake? Waiting for it to actually chill. Which I will not lie, I snuck in a few bites while the cake was warm. I’m not the biggest fan of cold food, so I personally found it delicious. But of course, it’s a little creamier once it’s fully chilled and set.
My tip…bake this cheesecake up today or tomorrow. This will give it proper time to chill before Thursday night (which is v-day). Then enjoy as a special after dinner treat. Bonus? This also makes a great brunch item for the weekend…just a thought.
If you make this lemon ricotta cheesecake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Whipped Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 1258 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 12 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
- 2 pounds (32 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup honey, plus additional honey for serving
- 1/4-1/2 cup granulated sugar (optional* please see note)
- 4 whole eggs + 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, preferably Meyer lemon
- powder sugar and fresh berries, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan.2. Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a clean counter and brush with melted butter. Repeat, layering 1 more time, placing the sheets of dough over top of each other. Carefully transfer the buttered phyllo to the prepared pan, gently pressing it to fit inside. Repeat, over lapping each layer 3 more times until you have completely covered the bottom and sides of the pan to create the crust (see above photo) and have used 8 sheets of dough. Don’t stress about making this perfect, just cover the pan with phyllo and all will be good.3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ricotta and cream. Pulse until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the honey, sugar, if using, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon juice, pulse until combined and no streaks of yellow egg remain, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.4. Transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit in the oven another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Transfer to the fridge to chill completely, at least 2 hours or serve at room temperature. We prefer room temp. 5. Release the cake from the mold. Serve with fresh berries, a drizzle of honey, and a dusting of powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
*This is not meant to be a sweet cheesecake and we do prefer this with only 1/2 cup of honey and no additional sugar. That said, if you like a sweeter cake, 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup granulated sugar can be added with the honey.
This post was originally published on February 12, 2019
Can’t wait to make this for Valentines Day, made our own ricotta for the recipe!
Love your cooking style! Thank you!
Wow I love that! I hope this turns out amazing for you, Kara! Thank you!
I don’t have a food processor, but I have a blender and a Kitchenaid mixer. Will either of those work?
Hey June! I would use you blender. That should work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This intrigued me, I decided to give it a go yesterday. It did bake up nicely, smelled pretty good. But unfortunately not myself nor my dinner guests cared for the taste. We were all in agreement it was not sweet enough, and did not care for the texture. I have made cheesecake before using phyllo and knew it was something that better be eaten sooner rather than later, pretty but the phyllo becomes soggy fast. I think this would greatly benefit with at least one half to 3/4 cup of sugar, an original ricotta pie recipe I altered originally called for 2 cups of sugar and reduced to one cup with still enough sweetness. Your beautiful photos had me hopeful it would taste as good as it looked.
Hey Sue, I very sorry that this cheesecake was not for you. It is definitely not meant to to be overly sweet and I did talk about this within the post. If you’d like to try it again, you could add 1/4 to 1/2 granulated sugar along with the honey. I think using a full cup of sugar in addition to the honey will be a bit too much. As for the texture, did you puree the ricotta in the food processor? Or was there anything you did differently that may have caused the texture to be off? For the phyllo, I don’t have issues with mine becoming soggy, but please feel free to serve this room temp if you prefer. I hope this helps you! Thanks so much for reading. xTieghan
In the ingredient list it says 12 sheets of phyllo and in the directions you use 8, are they just in case extras?
Hi Katie! Yes, the extra sheets are just incase! You can use them if needed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Sounds perfect, but I’ve had celiac for more than four years now and I have to ask; can I bake this without the crust?
Hey Terry! You can bake this minus the crust. I am sure the cake will still be delicious without it. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I dont have a spring form pan. Suggestions?
HI! You can make cheesecake bars! Just bake this in a square 9×9 inch baking dish (or round cake pan). You will need to cute into bars to remove them, but it will still be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Beautiful cheesecake!
Try a CHOCOLATE cheesecake for you chocolate ? loving parents!
Thank you so much Valerie! I am sure they would LOVE that! xTieghan
Two teaspoons of lemon zest, yes, I get that; but, how much lemon juice exactly. Please respond.
Hi! You need 2 teaspoons lemon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi! Do you think this could be made in the phyllo cups for individual servings? It is perfect for an upcoming Girls Night.
Hi! Love the idea of cute little phyllo cups! I think that will be great! I would bake 25-30 minutes, but I am not sure as I have not tested this…just a guess! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Do you have any tips for working with phyllo dough? It always crumbles into a million pieces for me 🙁
Hi Tricia! It really helps if you can keep the dough covered with a damp kitchen towel while you are working with the dough. If the dough stays moist, it is less likely to crumble…also, a little butter really goes a long way! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
What do you mean by 2 tsp of zest and juice…how much of each ?
Thanks
Hi Susan, you need 2 teaspoons lemon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This sure does look delicious.It is also so pretty. I don’t care for graham cracker crust either. In fact, I have made lots of cheesecakes with no crust at all. Just lie my pan with parchment paper and it peels right off after it has cooled. I would much rather have cheesecake room temp than cold. It is more creamy.
Now I make a Keto cheesecake with macadamia nut and coconut crust. My, it is good! I never liked cheesecake until I had this one.
I hope you try this recipe, Charlotte! Also, that crust sounds amazing, I might have to try something like that! xTieghan
Wow…this is great. Actually prefer ricotta cheesecake. This one is gorgeous. Especially this crust. Very original. Anxious to make it.
Thank you so much Joyce! I am so glad you love this and I hope you try it! xTieghan
I’m not a big fan of cheesecake. It’s never creamy or sweet enough for my taste but I might give this one a try because honey and lemon and vanilla and mostly RICOTTA. Thanks for sharing !
I also made you lemon chai muffins the other day. They were a huge hit at work and in my family (and yes, the Ricotta again really is a game changer)
I am so glad you’re willing to give it a go! I hope this cheesecake changes your mind! Thank you Syrine! xTieghan
You make everything looks so easy and delicious. Gorgeous 🙂
Thank you so much Maja! I hope you try this recipe! xTieghan