Sure, classic New York cheesecake, made with cream cheese is great. But I have a soft-spot for ricotta cheesecake. It’s tangier than New York cheesecake and, dare I say it, lighter. If you’ve never had one before, you might be surprised by the texture. It’s slightly “gritty”. But not in a bad way, I promise! It’s just different.
I like to flavor this cheesecake with lemon. It hightlights the slightly tangy flavor of ricotta. You could use orange juice instead of lemon. That’s lovely too!
By the way, occasionally this cheesecake cracks when cooled. Don’t worry about it. Just sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top to hide the cracks!
Classic Ricotta Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1/2 cup white rice flour (2 ounces; 56 grams)
- 1/3 cup sweet rice flour (1 1/3 ounces; 38 grams)
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch (1 1/3 ounces; 38 grams)
- 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar (1 1/3 ounces; 38 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 stick butter, cold, cut into small pieces (1/2 cup; 4 ounces; 113 grams)
- 1 large egg (about 1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams, out of shell)
For the Filling
- 4 cups whole milk ricotta cheese (2 pounds; 1.8 kilos)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces; 198 grams)
- 1/3 cup white rice flour (1 1/3 ounces; 38 grams)
- 5 large eggs (8 3/4 ounces; 150 grams)
- zest of one lemon
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (2 ounces; 56 grams)
Instructions
-
For the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degress F.
-
In bowl of food processor, combine white rice flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, confectioners' sugar, baking powder, and xanthan gum. Pulse to combine.
-
Add butter. Pulse until no large pieces of butter remain. Add egg. Pulse until dough forms, about one minute.
-
Press dough into bottom and up 1/3 of the side of 9-inch springform pan. Chill for 15 minutes.
-
Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
-
For the Filling: While crust bakes, prepare the filling. In bowl of stand mixer, cream ricotta cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well between each addition. Stop mixer and scrape down bottom and sides of the bowl.
-
Add white rice flour and lemon juice and zest. Mix until smooth. Pour cheesecake batter into baked crust. Bake until filling does not jiggle, about one hour to one hour and 15 minutes.
-
Remove pan from oven. Cool on wire rack for two hours. Chill overnight before cutting.
Kathi Merlino says
I am gf and I want to make this!!!
Laurie Nigro says
Fantastic recipe! I received rave reviews from everyone, including those who are not fans of cheesecake! I made a gluten free graham cracker crust instead but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. We love it and it’s become a regular in the rotation.
Elizabeth says
I love a graham cracker crust! So glad to hear you liked the recipe!