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    Home » Dessert Recipes » Cakes & Cupcakes » Ricotta Cheesecake

    Ricotta Cheesecake

    Gluten & Grain Free RecipesLow Carb & Keto RecipesSugar Free RecipesTrim Healthy Mama Recipes

    Published: Jan 9, 2019 by Taryn

    This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
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    pinterest image for keto ricotta cheesecake

    This Vanilla Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe is rich and creamy. If you’ve never tried ricotta in a cheesecake it works really well. It makes a lighter cheesecake than just using cream cheese. With just 8 simple ingredients I'm sure this will be your new favorite keto cheesecake!

    slice of ricotta cheesecake on a plate set in front of cake plate with remaining cheesecake

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    Almost every year my husband and I host a cheese tasting party for our friends. It is one of my favorite nights of the year. We provide wine, crackers, fruits, and dessert and each couple brings an interesting variety of cheese. We also do a white elephant gift exchange with humorous gifts. What is the best type of dessert for a cheese party? Cheesecake, of course. So I decided to stick with the theme and make a ricotta cheesecake for dessert.

    From the very first time I made this, it has been our go-to dessert for nice occasions.

    bite of ricotta cheesecake on a fork next to slice of cheesecake on a white plate

    When presented with multiple cheesecake flavors I tend to stick to the classics. Vanilla. Lemon. Maybe Raspberry. Plain old New York Style Cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries. I don’t often go for chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, or other intense flavors when eating cheesecake. I love all of those but like my cheesecake simple most of the time.

    The vanilla flavor is the star in this cheesecake. It is perfect on its own or topped with a top of whipped cream and the fresh berries of your choice.

    How to make the ricotta cheesecake crust:

    I make a very simple almond flour crust for this ricotta cheesecake in my food processor. It only takes a minute or two to pulse the ingredients and then press them into the bottom of a springform pan.

    cheesecake crust dough in food processor

    Using unblanched almond flour gives an appearance similar to a traditional graham cracker crust.

    Once you press the crust into the bottom of a standard nine inch springform pan you bake it until it is golden while you make the cheesecake filling. Prebaking the crust brings out the flavor from the almond flour and gives it a nice golden hue. It also helps prevent the crust from getting soggy from the ricotta filling.

    close up on cheesecake crust in springform pan

    Making Cheesecake with Ricotta

    Using whole milk ricotta in cheesecake gives the cheesecake a lighter texture than a dense New York cheesecake and has a mild enough flavor you can add in any flavor of your choice. I think it is as close to an authentic Italian recipe for cheesecake as you can get while converting to keto.

    ingredients needed for ricotta cheesecake

    Step One: Once you've got the crust in the oven it is time to make the filling. Simply process the room temperature filling ingredients in the same food processor bowl. I don't even bother to wash it in between.

    ricotta cheesecake batter in food processor

    Step Two: Pour the filling over the par-baked crust. Bake the cheesecake in a water bath (just a larger roasting pan with an inch or two of boiling water) until it no longer jiggles in the center when lightly shaken. Cool completely and then chill in the fridge for a few hours.

    cheesecake batter in springform pan wrapped in aluminum foil

    Flavors for Cheesecake

    I used vanilla extract in this ricotta cheesecake so the flavors of the ricotta and cream cheese would really stand out. You can sub in a little lemon juice, lemon zest, or lemon extract, orange zest, or almond extract instead.

    Another idea would be to swirl in a berry puree before baking. I love the beautiful colors of cranberry swirl cheesecake or my raspberry cheesecake brownies. Looking for a no-bake recipe? Try my Keto Blackberry Cheesecake!

    Tips for making a Food Processor Cheesecake

     

    My top kitchen appliance is a food processor. You see my Cuisinart food processor in almost every recipe I have. If you are only going to buy one appliance to prep with this should be it. I recently upgraded to the 14 cup model and it is like a dream come true. I gave my ten year old smaller food processor to a friend because it is still going strong.

    When you make cheesecake in the food processor it saves on time because you can make the crust and then the filling without even washing it. True story. I don't even bother to wash the bowl between steps. A couple of bits of almond flour crust in the cheesecake batter doesn't matter in the slightest. I just scrape out the sides with a rubber spatula and let the crumbs remain.

    This method makes any of the cheese cake recipes you want to try SO much easier!

    overhead view of ricotta cheesecake

    What is a Bain Marie? Do I need a water bath for a cheesecake?

    The term Bain-marie means "A container holding hot water into which a pan is placed for slow cooking". The reason why a water bath works so well for cheesecake is that it helps the cheesecake heat up and then cool down gradually. This ensures a creamy texture and helps prevent cracking.

    I don't always use a water bath. And I'm not always patient enough (or have enough time) to let my cheesecake cool gradually. So sometimes my cheesecakes crack. When that happens I simply top them with berries or whipped cream and no one is any wiser. Check out my beautiful cracked easy pumpkin cheesecake. Still delicious!

    What if I don't have a springform pan?

    You can make any cheesecake into cheesecake bars. For this one, I would make 1.5 times the crust and then bake it in a 9 x 13 pan. It will take between 35-45 minutes to bake. Maybe a little longer. Just bake it until the center only jiggles slightly when gently shaken.

    Tips for a Perfect Ricotta Cheesecake

    1. Do use the water bath
    2. Try not to open the oven door
    3. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven (this helps prevent cracking)

    pie server lifting slice of ricotta cheesecake

    I hope you love this Ricotta Cheesecake!

    slice of ricotta cheesecake on a plate set in front of cake plate with remaining cheesecake

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    pie server lifting slice of ricotta cheesecake

    Vanilla Ricotta Cheesecake

    This Vanilla Ricotta Cheesecake is rich and creamy. If you've never tried ricotta in a cheesecake it works really well. It makes a lighter cheesecake than just using cream cheese. The vanilla flavor is the star in this cheesecake.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 32 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 307
    Author: Taryn

    Ingredients

    Crust Ingredients:

    • ⅔ cup almond flour
    • ⅓ cup coconut flour
    • 4 tablespoon melted butter
    • 2 tablespoon Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)

    Filling Ingredients:

    • 2 cups ricotta cheese
    • 16 oz cream cheese softened
    • 4 eggs
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla
    • ¾ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350. Wrap a springform pan with three layers of aluminum foil. You are going to bake this is a water bath so this protects the crust from getting wet.
    • Mix crust ingredients until crumbly. Press into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake for 12 minutes until golden brown around the edges.
    • Meanwhile, in a food processor or with an electric mixer mix the ricotta cheese until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix again until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla, and sweetener. Process until smooth. You will probably need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
    • When the crust is done grease the sides of the pan with a pat of butter on a fork. Don't touch it to the crust. This will help the cheesecake release from the pan easier. Pour the cheese mixture on top of the crust.
    • Put the entire pan into a larger pan. Pour hot water into the larger, outside pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 10 minutes or until only the very center of the cheesecake jiggles. 
    • Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the oven off for at least one hour. Preferable two hours. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. To serve run a knife around the edges of the pan and then release the spring mechanism to remove the outside of the pan.

    Notes

    Notes on Sweeteners: 
    I use my own blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia in my recipes. This is twice as sweet as sugar. It is comparable to Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet and Truvia.
    To sub in Swerve or Lakanto Monk Fruit use 1.5 times the amount of sweetener called for. 
     
    To sub in Pyure or Trim Healthy Mama Super Sweet use half the amount of sweetener called for.
     
    Substitutions will work in most recipes. They may not work in candies, such as caramel.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 307 | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 890IU | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 0.9mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @joyfilledeats or tag #joyfilledeats!

    Originally Published February 22, 2016. Revised and Republished January 9, 2019.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nicole says

      May 22, 2022 at 6:44 am

      Love this recipe! Have you ever made cheesecake cups instead of bars? Just wondering what the cook time would be? And if the temp should be lower or not. Thanks!5 stars

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        May 22, 2022 at 1:07 pm

        The temp should be the same. Just bake until they no longer jiggle. I'd start checking at 15 minutes.

        Reply
    2. Chrissy says

      May 02, 2022 at 7:45 pm

      Literally couldn’t eat this. The texture was so bad! Not like a cheesecake at all! I used high quality ingredients and just wasted them. Sorry but the ricotta totally ruined it!1 star

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        May 03, 2022 at 2:42 pm

        I'm sorry you didn't like it. This normally gets great reviews and should have a cheesecake texture.

        Did you use a food processor as directed? What brand of ricotta?

        Reply
    3. Barbara King says

      August 07, 2021 at 3:24 pm

      Can I freeze the cheesecake bars?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        August 09, 2021 at 9:39 am

        Yes, cheesecake freezes well.

        Reply
    4. Vivian Baker says

      December 30, 2020 at 7:41 pm

      The cake was a bit bland and not as creamy as I had hoped. I may need to put more sugar in it next time. And I may have left it in the oven too long after being turned off. The top was pretty brown, so I may have cooked it too long. I put whipped cream on top of it to serve, and that helped a bit. Strawberries and blueberries might help even more. I used Swerve, so I'll add a bit more if I make it again.4 stars

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        December 31, 2020 at 6:54 pm

        How much swerve did you use?

        Reply
    5. Anya says

      November 23, 2020 at 7:51 pm

      I want to make this ricotta cheesecake with pumpkin puree. Do you suggest using half the amount of ricotta to balance out the pumpkin puree?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        November 24, 2020 at 8:01 am

        I think that would work.

        Reply
    6. Melissa says

      October 31, 2020 at 12:40 pm

      Would your pecan crust work for this cheesecake?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        October 31, 2020 at 9:40 pm

        Yup!

        Reply
    7. H Nam says

      October 03, 2020 at 12:51 pm

      Can I make this entirely with ricotta cheese and not cream cheese?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        October 04, 2020 at 12:21 pm

        I have not tested it with all ricotta cheese. Ricotta is more watery than cream cheese so I'm not entirely sure if it would work - sorry!

        Reply
    8. Monika Schuldt says

      April 07, 2020 at 3:07 am

      Can I make this without the crust. Using silicone cupcake cups for individual servings. I'm not big on crust even before I went keto.

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        April 07, 2020 at 2:01 pm

        Yes, that should work as long as you grease the cups. I'm not sure the exact baking time though. Maybe 20 minutes.

        Reply
    9. April says

      April 05, 2020 at 11:40 pm

      The flavor was great! I used THM Super Sweet but only a 1/3 of what it called for in Gentle Sweet and I was plenty sweet. My only problem was the water bath. I wrapped my pan 5 times with the foil yet water still got through. 😩 I’ve made cheesecakes before without the water bath and they were excellent. I may try it that way next time. Also, what size is your springform? I really wanted mine to be thick and creamy like yours but it was only about an inch thick. 🤷🏻‍♀️4 stars

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        April 06, 2020 at 3:54 pm

        My pan is 9 inches. Cutting back on the sweetener amount would've decreased height a bit. You can skip the water bath if you prefer and just set a pan of water on the rack below the cheesecake.

        Reply
      • Mimi says

        May 29, 2020 at 5:14 pm

        Instead of wrapping in foil put the cheesecake in a plastic liner used for crock pots. Works every time!

        Reply
        • Taryn says

          May 30, 2020 at 1:26 pm

          Great idea!

    10. kathy ingham says

      March 16, 2020 at 1:47 pm

      LOVED THE CHEESECAKE, BUT IF I MAKE THE BARS, DO I PUT THE 13X9 IN A WATER BATH OR JUST BAKE THEM LIKE REGULAR CHEESECAKE COOKIES?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        March 16, 2020 at 3:15 pm

        You can just bake in the 9x13 pan without the water bath to make bars.

        Reply
    11. Maureen says

      March 01, 2020 at 5:25 pm

      Mine didn’t rise as high as the picture looks! I needed more swerve but didn’t notice the instruction to increase the amount till the end. However; with fresh strawberries mixed with Swerve it was excellent.5 stars

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        March 02, 2020 at 12:27 pm

        I'm glad you liked it! Cheesecake doesn't rise much but if your pan was a little bigger than mine that could've been the difference 🙂

        Reply
    12. Ada says

      February 25, 2020 at 5:24 pm

      Hi. I would like to make this recipe however not using the sweeteners you’ve mentioned. Can I simply use regular white sugar or any other kind and how much of it?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        February 26, 2020 at 4:57 pm

        You can use white sugar. Try 1.5 times the amount of sweetener listed.

        Reply
        • Ada says

          February 27, 2020 at 11:02 am

          Ok, now is that 1.5 times for each- crust and filling?

    13. Leila says

      January 29, 2020 at 7:32 pm

      Hi,
      This cheesecake is amazing, it turned out creamy and tasty. I made walnut crust instead of almond flour .
      Thank you for the recipe!I will make again!5 stars

      Reply
    14. Kelly says

      November 22, 2019 at 10:11 am

      I’m going to make this today and was wondering if Monkfruit sweetner will work-thanks!

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        November 22, 2019 at 11:22 am

        Yes, you can use a monk fruit sweetener like lakanto. Use a little more than the amount listed.

        Reply
    15. Karine says

      August 12, 2019 at 12:27 pm

      Wow!!just did it!!i made a keto caramel sauce to go with 🙈 thanks for the recipe,im gonna make it again for sure!!!

      Reply
    16. Lynnita Ellis says

      July 04, 2019 at 12:09 pm

      If I bake in a 9x13 inch pan, how do I do a water bath?

      TY

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        July 04, 2019 at 9:14 pm

        You can set the 9x13 in a larger pan of water. Or you can put a pan with water on the lowest oven rack and then just bake the cheesecake on the middle rack.

        Reply
    17. Marge says

      June 27, 2019 at 9:47 am

      I don’t see what size Springform pan you used as I don’t want to over cook.

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        June 27, 2019 at 10:50 am

        I used a standard 9 inch springform pan.

        Reply
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