Cream Cheese and Ricotta Cheesecake

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on Last updated

6 Comments

4.50 from 2 votes
12 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
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Cream Cheese and Ricotta Cheesecake is inspired by Italian cheesecake with a more light and airy texture. It’s the perfect easy and elegant dessert.

While New York Cheesecake is amazing, if you’re in the mood for a lighter Dessert Recipe, you should try this Ricotta and Cream Cheese Cheesecake instead. Using ricotta to replace half the cream cheese in the filling makes a less dense, airier cake. It’s perfect to enjoy with your family or serve for a special occasion!

Ricotta Cheesecake slice on serving plate with fresh berries and powdered sugar on top
Ricotta and Cream Cheese Cheesecake looks as elegant as it tastes!


RICOTTA & CREAM CHEESE CHEESECAKE

This recipe is based on an Italian Cheesecake. The ricotta works well in the cheese cake because it has a slight sweetness and really helps the cake keep its light, airy, and nice texture. Then for some more creaminess cream cheese is also mixed into the recipe.

However, in more authentic recipes for an Italian Ricotta Cheesecake, there is no cream cheese included. If you’d prefer this, simply decrease the cream cheese and add extra ricotta cheese for the amount of cream cheese you take out. It will have a more unique taste and slightly less creamy texture overall.

Ricotta Cheesecake Collage

This fabulous recipe also has such an easy process. The directions to prep the cake filling are wonderfully easy. It’s done in just a few steps, and there’s no need for a water bath when you pop it in the oven. There is a fairly long cooking time for this dish. It’s baked in two stages with a total of 2 hours in the oven, but the hands-on time is quite quick and easy to follow.

Once the Cheesecake recipe is done it’s perfect to serve for parties, over the holidays, or anytime you’re craving a light cheesecake. Serve it with fresh berries, Cool Whip, Caramel Sauce, or any of your other favorite toppings over the top.

MORE CHEESECAKE RECIPES

TIPS FOR MAKING RICOTTA CREAM CHEESE CHEESECAKE

  • Prep time: Start the recipe by preheating the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and using a butter wrapper to lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. You should also take the cream cheese and ricotta cheese from the fridge 10-30 minutes in advance so that they can soften.
  • Filling: Add the cream cheese and ricotta cheese to a large mixing bowl, and mix until they’re smooth and well combined. Then stir in the white sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch, flour, and butter. Finish it off by mixing in the sour cream.
  • Bake time: Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Pop it in the preheated oven for 1 hour baking time. Then turn the oven off and continue baking for another hour in the residual heat. Jiggle the cheesecake to make sure it’s set in the center, and then take it from the oven. Let it chill in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.

Ricotta Cream Cheese Cheesecake on serving plate with fresh berries and powdered sugar on top

VARIATIONS ON RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

  • Ricotta Cheesecake bars: Instead of baking the recipe in a classic cake shape, you can make it into bars. Pour the batter into a 9×9 pan, and make sure you keep a close eye on them while they cook so that they don’t burn. You won’t have to bake them as long because of the size. This version is great for a party because they’re easy to transport and easy to cut into squares.
  • Crust: You can add a crust to this recipe with just a few easy, classic crust ingredients. Use graham crackers, vanilla wafers, or Oreos to make the crust crumbs. Combine 1 ½ cups crumbs, ⅓ cup sugar, and 6 tablespoons melted butter. Once the crust ingredients are mixed press them into the pan. Pour the filling over the crust and bake.
  • Toppings: There are plenty of beautiful and delicious toppings you can add before serving. Try sprinkling on a little confectioner’s sugar or sifted brown sugar. You could also top it off with Hot Fudge, Whipped Cream, or Strawberry Topping.
  • Add-ins: Try mixing in some fresh berries, specifically blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries. You can also try chocolate chips, caramel, or even chunks of fudge. For some extra citrus flavor, try adding grated lemon zest or orange zest.
  • Gluten-free: To make Ricotta Cheesecake gluten-free, all you have to do is switch out the all-purpose flour for almond flour or buckwheat flour. You should also make sure that the cornstarch is specifically marked “gluten-free” to ensure that there’s no cross-contamination.

Cream Cheese and Ricotta Cheesecake side view slice lifted from whole cake

WHAT TO SERVE WITH RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

HOW LONG IS RICOTTA CREAM CHEESE CHEESECAKE GOOD?

  • Serve: Let the cheesecake set in the fridge before serving. When you take it out, don’t leave it at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
  • Store: You can store Ricotta Cheesecake for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, as long as you keep it wrapped up in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or stored in an airtight container.
  • Freeze: Although you can freeze Ricotta Cheesecake for up to 6 months, freezing can change the texture of the cheese, so it’s at its best enjoyed from the fridge.

Ricotta Cheesecake on serving plate with fresh berries and powdered sugar on top

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Dinner, then Dessert

Ricotta Cheesecake

Ricotta Cheesecake is inspired by Italian cheesecake with a more light and airy texture. It's the perfect easy and elegant dessert.
Yield 12 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Ricotta Cheesecake slice on serving plate with fresh berries and powdered sugar on top
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 16 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese , softened
  • 16 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup butter , melted and cooled
  • 1 pint sour cream

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
  • Mix the cream cheese and ricotta cheese together in a mixing bowl until well combined.
    16 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese, 16 ounces ricotta cheese
  • Stir in the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch, flour, and butter.
    1 ½ cups white sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon  vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 3 tablespoons flour, ½ cup butter
  • Add the sour cream last and stir.
    1 pint sour cream
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour; turn oven off and leave in oven 1 hour more.
  • Allow to cool completely in refrigerator before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 274mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 1237IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 1mg
Keyword: Ricotta Cheesecake

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Ricotta Cheesecake Collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  2. I halved the recipe and used a waterbath. This was my first cheesecake and it is very good. I didn’t have a springform pan so I buttered a round ceramic pan without crust. Next time I will add a pinch of salt and not bake it as long. Served strawberries with it. I will definitely make it again and my sister wants the recipe!

    Reply