Whipped Ricotta Toast

FLUFFY. WHIPPED. RICOTTA. TOAST. This savory whipped ricotta appetizer is only 5 ingredients and ready in under 10 minutes. Serve on toasted Italian bread and drizzle with olive oil and tons of flaky sea salt.

I'm so excited to share this copycat Misi Whipped Ricotta Toast recipe with my fellow New Yorkers and Misi lovers!

The first time I ever had whipped ricotta crostinis was at Misi in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Fortunately for me, the friend I went with is a psychopath that doesn't like cheese so all three slices were mine. Unfortunately for me, getting to Williamsburg on the L train is an absolute pain and getting a reservation at Misi is even worse.

Eventually, I began to see this appetizer pop up at various different restaurants for a whopping $15 and like most people I said "this can't be that hard to make at home???"

Et voila! Turns out it's ridiculously quick, cheap, and easy to make this vegetarian appetizer at home in a food processor. We're talking less than 10 minutes!

Jump to:

• Why this Recipe Works
• Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
• How to make Whipped Ricotta Toast
• Other Variations
• Expert Tips and Tricks
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Delicious Appetizers to indulge in
• Recipe

Why this Recipe Works

Making whipped ricotta may sound like quite an undertaking. But honestly, it's a quick lunch for me in between meetings. You know when the one meeting ends 10 minutes early before the next half hour point? Yeah, you can have this ready and scarf it down before the next.

But that's not the point. Whether the goal is an elegant appetizer that you can whip up (haha, no pun intended) for entertaining at a dinner party or a quick snack, you now have something in your arsenal to impress!

Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions

• Bread - Ideally use Italian bread for this toast, but any rustic bread will work! I also love sourdough.
• Ricotta - Use the highest quality whole milk ricotta you can find, whether it's making it fresh at home or getting some from a local dairy farm at the farmer's market. It completely changes the taste of the ricotta, but store-bought is completely fine. The fresher the ricotta, the better aeration you'll get for a light and creamy result.
• Heavy Cream - Cream loosens the ricotta to get a smooth cheese and also adds a ton of richness in flavor! Substitute with half-and-half or it can be omitted entirely.
• Extra virgin olive oil - Since the olive oil isn't used for cooking, use an extra virgin high quality oil! The flavor of the olive oil will enhance the ricotta.

How to make Whipped Ricotta Toast

Before whipping the ricotta, have your bread ready. Grab a few slices of rustic or Italian bread and toast it until golden brown in a toaster or with butter in a hot pan.

Now that the toast is ready, set that aside. Let's make the whipped ricotta in a food processor.

Whip the ricotta. All you have to do is aerate the ricotta with the EVOO and heavy cream mixed in until it's smooth and fluffy. You can do this with a rubber spatula, a whisk, a blender, or preferably whip the ricotta in a food processor for up to 5 minutes. The food processor gives the fluffiest, smoothest texture that's ideal.

Pro Tip: You can omit the olive oil and heavy cream for really thick whipped ricotta. On the other hand, if you add too much olive oil and heavy cream, the whipped ricotta will be too runny and may be better used elsewhere.

Pipe the ricotta. Spoon the ricotta into a Ziploc bag or decorating bag. Be sure to push the ricotta towards the tip you're going to cut to prevent air bubbles. Cut a dime sized tip, and pipe it on toast in a snake motion.

Then, the toast is ready to serve! Misi only sprinkles the toast with a bit of flaky sea salt but I love it with an extra drizzle of olive oil.

I recommend adding a side salad, charred peppers, or some fruits to go with it to make it a whole meal!

Other Variations

The best part is that you can make so many different variations of this toast. Keep the base of the recipe the same and add truffles or sautéed vegetables like peppers, broccolini, snap peas, etc

While I chose to make it a bit more savory by adding olive oil and my favorite flaky sea salt, you can go the opposite way!

A few people told me that they would completely omit the olive oil in this recipe make whipped ricotta toast with jam instead, making it the perfect breakfast. I'll personally be adding some grilled caramelized peaches to mine with some honey. I meannnn... drooooool!

I made a sweet variation with honey and fresh figs, and I'd also recommend this Jumbo Stuffed Pasta Shells with Lemon Basil Whipped Ricotta version for a full meal!

Expert Tips and Tricks

1. Use any bread. You can toast up any type of bread that you have.
2. Olive oil and heavy cream make this rich. The heavy cream and olive oil make the whipped ricotta especially rich, but you can just use the ricotta. It'll be a lot thicker so you're really looking for it to be almost a glassy smooth and thick.
3. Avoid using too much olive oil and heavy cream. Add too much and it'll be super thin and soak through the toast. You want it to be thick enough to sit on top.
4. Piping bag vs Ziploc bag. Use a piping bag or a Ziploc bag to pipe the whipped ricotta, or you can just dollop it on the toasted bread.
5. No need to use a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can also use a whisk or a blender to get fluffy ricotta.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Delicious Appetizers to indulge in

Recipe