This Whipped Ricotta Crostini is the perfect appetizer for fall and winter and especially the holiday season! Creamy whipped ricotta is mixed with lemon, garlic, and hot honey, spread on crispy toasted baguette, and topped with fresh figs. It's easy to make into a big batch and it can be ready in just 20 minutes!
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Why You'll Love This Ricotta Crostini
Spicy and sweet - Hot honey, ricotta, lemon juice, fresh herbs, and juicy figs are the perfect flavor combo! Hot honey makes it the right amount of spicy and sweet and crispy baguette adds a nice crunch.
Easy and simple - The whole dish comes together in just 20 minutes and you can make parts of it ahead! You can easily double the recipe if needed and it's really easy to serve it for a big crowd.
Perfect for the holiday season - The creamy ricotta, figs, and hot honey flavor combo makes this the perfect fall and winter appetizer! I love serving it at Thanksgiving or Christmas parties along with other finger foods or dips.
Ingredients
- Baguette - I like using sourdough baguette for all of my crostini or bruschetta recipes and often get a multigrain one for the health benefits, color, and extra crunch. You can use any baguette you prefer.
- Ricotta - Look for full-fat ricotta, you want the spread to be extra creamy.
- Extra virgin olive oil - A little bit of olive oil will help to make the whipped ricotta extra smooth and it also adds flavor.
- Hot Honey - Hot honey adds both sweetness and heat without changing the color of the whipped ricotta or the texture. It shines in this recipe so I highly recommend it if you have it.
- Lemon juice and zest - I highly recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice here because it provides the best flavor and because you'll also need fresh lemon zest! Use organic non-waxed lemon whenever possible when zesting lemons.
- Garlic - One grated clove of garlic is all you need here for garlic flavor. It's not very strong but if you don't like raw garlic at all you can use Roasted Garlic instead.
- Fresh herbs - This crostini is delicious with finely chopped fresh parsley sprinkled on top but other herbs like fresh thyme, oregano, or chives also work great. You can also mix them in with the ricotta.
- Figs - Fresh black figs when they're in season are amazing here. You can eat the skin so there's no need to peel them, just wash them well and remove the tops. Use organic figs whenever possible. If you can't find fresh figs, you can use fig jam or finely chopped dried figs instead.
Variations and Substitutions
- Hot honey - If you don't want the extra heat, you can use plain honey instead. If you just don't have it, use regular honey and add crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce to the food processor when whipping the ricotta.
- Figs - If you don't have fresh figs, you can add a little bit of fig jam on top of the crostini instead! You could also chop up some dried figs and sprinkle them on top. Keep in mind this will make the crostini sweeter because dried figs are much sweeter (just like dates).
- Regular bread - You can swap the baguette for regular sourdough bread and turn this from an appetizer into a lunch!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F (190C) and prepare a large baking sheet.
- Add ricotta cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, hot honey, minced garlic, fine sea salt, and black pepper into a food processor.
- Pulse and blend everything for a couple of minutes or until it’s smooth and creamy.
- Use a spatula to scrape down the sides if needed.
- Transfer the whipped ricotta into a jar and store it in the fridge while you prepare the baguette.
- Slice the baguette into ½-inch thick slices and lay them out on your prepared baking sheet.
- Spray or drizzle the sliced baguette with avocado oil and toast it in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Brush each slice with a clove of garlic while they’re still hot (optional).
- Spread a generous amount of the whipped ricotta on each crostini.
- Top each with 2-3 pieces of diced fresh figs, chopped fresh parsley, and drizzle with extra hot honey.
- Season with black pepper and flaky sea salt if desired and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Once you put everything together, the crostini is best served right away. If you let it sit for longer than an hour, the toasted baguette will lose its crispiness.
My favorite way to serve this crostini is as finger food at parties or as an appetizer. Serve it with other finger foods, dips, or any other appetizers. It would go great together with this Roasted Eggplant Dip or this Butternut Squash Crostini with Goat Cheese and Fig Glaze.
Although this recipe is for a crostini, you could easily serve this on bread instead (or bigger slices of a baguette) for lunch, or a light dinner! I like to cut a thick slice of sourdough bread, toast it, brush it with a clove of garlic for extra flavor, and add a generous spread of whipped ricotta topped with fresh figs and parsley.
You could even serve it as a side with roasted or grilled meats!
Storing and Make Ahead Tips
Once you put everything together and serve the crostini, it's best to enjoy it right away but there are a few components you can make ahead of time.
- Figs - You can pre-chop the figs up to a day ahead and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Whipped ricotta - The whipped ricotta can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight jar. It's great made ahead if you want to save time and dishes right before your party or dinner.
- Crostini - Some recipes say crostini can be stored for a couple of days in a container at room temperature but I find the bread gets too hard once it cools down and sits so I always recommend making it fresh. This is especially true with sourdough baguettes.
FAQs
I don't recommend it because of ricotta's high water content, it won't have the same creamy texture once defrosted.
Some store-bought ricotta cheese is grainier than others and if you don't blend it enough it stays a little grainy. Just blend the ricotta more till it's completely smooth! If it's still too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
More Crostini Recipes
Crostini and bruschetta are some of the best appetizers to make for a crowd or a party of any kind because the recipes are easy to double and there are endless flavor variations. Below are four of my favorites with more being added often. Head over to Appetizers to see all the latest ones!
📖 Recipe
Whipped Ricotta Crostini
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Whipped Ricotta Crostini is the perfect appetizer for fall and winter and especially the holiday season! It's easy to make into a big batch and it can be ready in just 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 16 oz ricotta cheese (1 ½ cup)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp hot honey (plus more for serving)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 baguette
- Avocado oil in a spray (or 1 tablespoon cooking oil)
- 1 whole clove garlic, peeled (optional)
- 6-8 fresh black figs, cut into quarters or into 8 pieces (tops removed, no need to peel)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (or fresh thyme, oregano, chives, or rosemary)
- Flaky sea salt (optional for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F (190C) and prepare a large baking sheet.
- Add ricotta cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, hot honey, minced garlic, fine sea salt, and black pepper into a food processor.
- Pulse and blend everything for a couple of minutes or until it’s smooth and creamy. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides if needed.
- Transfer the whipped ricotta into a jar and store it in the fridge while you prepare the baguette.
- Slice the baguette into ½-inch thick slices and lay them out on your prepared baking sheet.
- Spray or drizzle the sliced baguette with avocado oil and toast it in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Brush each slice with a clove of garlic while they’re still hot (optional).
- Spread a generous amount of the whipped ricotta on each crostini.
- Top each with 2-3 pieces of diced fresh figs, fresh parsley, and drizzle with extra hot honey. Season with black pepper and flaky sea salt if desired and enjoy!
Notes
Storing: Store any leftover whipped ricotta in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The crostini is best eaten right away so it doesn't lose its crunch. You can dice the figs up to a day ahead and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
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