Baked vanilla ricotta pudding is a deliciously creamy and easy to make dessert recipe. With just 5 ingredients it's naturally sweetened and takes hardly any time too!
Folks, I'm bringing a little bit of Italy into your homes today with my adaption of the classic Italian baked ricotta pudding.
Known as Ricotta Infornata it's particularly popular in Sardinia and Sicily. It's sometimes also called Ricotta al Forno.
I've added my own twist by sweetening it up with a little honey and flavouring it with vanilla.
This ricotta cheese dessert recipe makes for a delicious quick and easy to make summer dessert.
It's a great ending to a delicous meal and bakes in just under 30 minutes.
This tasta ricotta dessert has a lovely light delicate flavour and a creamy texture.
Whilst I wouldn't advocate having one of these every night, the calorie content of one of these small ramekin servings is only 320 calories.
So it's a reasonably healthy ricotta recipe and it's refined sugar free too.
You'll find this Italian dessert cheap and quick to make.
It can be eaten hot or cold too.
In most UK supermarkets you can get small 250g tubs of ricotta cheese.
Both full fat and low fat ricotta cheese is usually available. I tried both and the full fat ricotta works best here.
The lemon juice you use can be from either from a bottle or freshly squeezed. Whatever you have to hand.
Use a good quality vanilla essence / vanilla extract to get the maximum flavour.
Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together until smooth. Then divide the mixture between two ramekin dishes.
Bake until the dessert has risen and become firm on top.
Allow to cool a little then serve topped with blueberries or berries of your choice!
What Is Ricotta?
Ricotta is an Italian cheese made from whey.
Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained and can come from sheep's milk or cow's milk.
Traditionally Ricotta was made from the whey of cheeses such as mozzarella and provolone and many regional variations exist.
The texture of the cheese is soft and creamy and slightly grainy. It can be used on its own or in Italian desserts like cheesecake or this ricotta dessert.
How To Make Ricotta Dessert
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC Fan.
- Place all the ingredients, except the blueberries, into a mixing bowl and mix together until smooth.
- Divide the mixture between two ramekins.
- Place on a tray in the oven. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until risen and firm on top.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool a little and serve topped with the blueberries.
For These Baked Ricotta Puddings You May Need….
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This means that if you click on it and then buy that product I’ll get a small commission (at no extra cost to you of course).
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These Contemporary Smooth Ramekins are perfect for making your ricotta puddings
Great value for money they're dishwasher, freezer, microwave and oven safe too.
Not only that they look excellent for table presentation!
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Other Easy To Make Pudding Recipes For You To Try
- Semolina chocolate pudding. Low fat, low carb and only 233 calories per serving. You won’t believe that when you taste it, as it’s just so utterly decadent and chocolatey! Great if you’re watching your waistline!
- Strawberry vanilla pudding is a tasty no bake quick and easy pudding. Just 10 minutes to make and a couple of hours to set in the fridge and that’s dessert sorted!
- Easy rice pudding is a healthier take on the full fat classic recipe. This creamy, delicious and satisfying alternative tastes just as good as that original recipe but has less calories and fat!
- Best baked rice pudding recipe is easy to make and is a good old fashioned traditional rice pudding that's thick and tasty. Delicious with a dollop of jam served on top!
Baked Vanilla Ricotta Pudding Recipe
You can keep your baked vanilla ricotta pudding in the fridge for a couple of days but it is best served fresh, once you've allowed it to cool a little.
Make sure you're subscribed for future ricotta dessert recipes!
I’d love to hear what you think of my recipe in the comments below and please do rate my recipe 5* if you like it! 🙂
Baked Vanilla Ricotta Pudding Recipe
The following links and any links in the recipe card below are affiliate links.
This means that if you click on it and then buy that product I’ll get a small commission (at no extra cost to you of course).
If you do click through then thanks for being a part of Neil’s Healthy Meals!
Ingredients
- 250 g Ricotta Cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 2 tablespoon honey
- Blueberries to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C Fan
- Place the ricotta cheese, egg, lemon juice, vanilla essence and honey into a bowl and mix together until combined and smooth.
- Divide the mixture between two ramekins.
- Place on a tray in the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until the dessert has risen and become firm on the top.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Serve topped with the blueberries or other berries of your choice.
Eha Carr
Not a dessert maker as a rule I do love ricotta . . . . like the lemon and the vanilla and the fact the sweetness comes Blueberries sound moreish but most any fresh ones in hand would do methinks . . . thanks !
Eha Carr
'. . . the sweetness comes from honey / // / ' naturally (my apologies)
Neil
Thanks Eha. Glad you like the recipe and hope that you are safe and well down there! 🙂
David @ Spiced
This sounds delicious, Neil! I was actually just telling Robbie the other day about pudding. He was a little confused...it's actually kinda hard to describe pudding to someone who doesn't know what it is! Either way, this version sounds delicious. I love the vanilla + honey flavors in here. This dessert is right up my alley for sure!
Neil
Thanks David. Although Robbie was confused I expect he was very happy to hear about pudding. Another reason / excuse to be able to eat sweet treats? 🙂
Katerina
Ohh, Neil! You don't even know how much I love baking with ricotta! Large ricotta cakes are great but individual desserts are even better. Thanks for sharing this recipe - I love that they don't contain any refined sugar. They look amazing!
Neil
I think ricotta is quite underrated Katerina. I'm glad that you think so too! Yes, I prefer to try and keep everything as naturally sweetened as possible. Glad you like my puddings and hope that you get a chance to make them someday!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
How interesting! I love both ricotta and Italian desserts, but I've never tried them together. I guess this pudding is similar to Italian ricotta cheesecake (which I haven't tried either!) Sounds super delicious and totally appropriate for weekend breakfast 🙂
Neil
Thanks Ben, yes I would definitely say this is very similar to Italian ricotta cheesecake (which I love and you should try it too if you get a chance!). It's also absolutely perfect for weekend breakfast. 😆
Matt - Total Feasts
These sound really tasty, I love ricotta cheese (ok, Italian food overall) and these look delicious. Love that they are simple as well. Sounds like a great little dessert you could have on spaghetti and meatball night!
Neil
I would recommend these as the perfect dessert to go with your spaghetti and meatball night Matt! Thanks! 🙂
Shashi at SavorySpin
Easy tasty desserts like this are my jam! I love that this takes only five ingredients and is so easy to make! This ricotta pudding takes me back to the summer of 2016 when we went to Italy - we were in a small roadside cafe enjoying a ricotta lemoncello pudding and sipping on cappuccinos! Hoping you and Lady Lynn are doing well.
Neil
I'm glad that this ricotta pudding is bringing back memories of that holiday in Italy for you Shashi. Hopefully soon we will all be able to fly again and enjoy times like those, eating the real deal and sipping on cappuccinos! We are good and send our wishes of staying safe to you over there! 🙂
Elyse Miller
Absolutely fantastic. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Neil
Thanks Elyse! Glad you liked it and thanks for taking the time to rate and comment on my recipe!
Paul
Hi!
I want to make this as dessert for NYs eve but I was wondering if I could make this beforehand or should it be served warm?
Neil
Hi Paul. It can most definitely be made beforehand and stored in the fridge and eaten cold. But it is best served fresh and warm. It's not suitable for microwaving to heat it up again though. So eat it cold if you make it beforehand. And Happy New Year when it comes! 🙂
Nicole
My attempt did not seem to set, almost curdled despite leaving in the oven for longer and at a higher temperature. Is this the correct texture or did something go wrong?! Still the kids ate them so all was not lost!
Neil
Unfortunately without being there Nicole I'm not able to tell you what might have gone wrong. I've made these puddings for years (mum's recipe) without any issues or curdling. Sorry I can't help further. But glad your kids liked them!
Ruth Whetsel
Thanks for the recipe. It worked very well. We have shallow ramekins with a wider diameter than the usual ones, and they may account for the pudding tasting a little dry. I'll take some time off the baking next time to compensate for the ramekins. Thanks again for the great recipe. Oh, and I would not recommend topping the puddings with mango pieces as I did (for lack of other choices at the time)! Blueberries or similar...no doubt a better way to go.
Neil
Hi Ruth, thanks for your comment! Glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Lee
These came out ok but a bit liquidy at the bottom. I'm thinking in future I would use lemon zest rather than juice to avoid adding so much liquid to the mix, and also to make the result less acidic. I also felt the amount of honey could have been dialed back a bit, but thats just my personal taste regarding sweetness level. Very easy to make and overall not a bad result, just maybe a few tweaks needed.
Neil
Thanks for your comments and rating Lee. Perhaps your puddings came out a bit liquidy at the bottom as you didn't leave them in the oven long enough? Anyway glad you enjoyed them and if this was your first attempt, of course feel free to make any personal tweaks in future. I always make a recipe quite a few times until I have it exactly as I like it! 🙂
Rita
Followed this recipe but mine came out curdled, it was not smooth like a pudding. I read that lemon can curdle eggs if not added properly. Can you address the curdling?
Neil
Hi Rita. I've never had this problem you mention before. I've received lots of positive comments personally about this recipe so I'm not sure why it didn't work out for you! Sorry!