Sweet ricotta crostini is an irresistible sweet treat ready in a blink of an eye. Imagine creamy bed of velvety ricotta cheese topped with sweet fruity topping all served atop a crisp toasted baguette slice. YUM!
Just like savory whipped ricotta crostini, when it comes to toppings, imagination is your only limit.
Here I'll share with you my 4 most favorite sweet ricotta crostini combos that will become a hit at any gathering, be it a brunch with friends, a fancy cocktail party, or a last minute after dinner dessert.
Table Of Contents
What You’ll Love About Sweet Ricotta Crostini
- Ready in a snap of a finger.
- Wholesome and no-bake.
- What makes these bite-size delights special is their versatility.
- You can easily make them your own!
- Inherent simplicity. All you need is a french baguette, fresh ricotta cheese, a drizzle of honey and your choice of fresh fruit and/or nut toppings.
- Kids absolutely love them!! Ricotta & honey is Italian kids favorite after school snack. You’ll probably want to skip the thyme 😉
Ingredients
There are only 3 main ingredients in sweet ricotta crostini which is bread, ricotta and honey. These 3 ingredients alone will make delicious crostini that the whole family will love. From here you can add more fruits, nuts & herbs to the base.
Base Ingredients
- French Baguette - fresh french baguette slices toasted in the oven or not. You can also use packaged bread for crostini or homemade Semolina bread loaves that are perfect size for crostini.
- Ricotta Cheese - fresh ricotta cheese, preferably full fat.
- Honey - natural high quality honey of your choice. The type of honey alone can add another dimension to your ricotta crostini. Try wildflower honey, orange blossom honey and even buckwheat honey which has a unique, spicy flavor.
Sweet Crostini Topping Ideas
- Combo 1: Honey, thyme.
- Combo 2: Pears, walnuts, honey.
- Combo 3: Strawberries, aged balsamic vinegar, honey (or sugar).
This all-natural Italian Barrel Aged Balsamic Vinegar is the ONLY one I use.
It's dense (think like a balsamic glaze but without any thickeners!) with perfectly smooth flavor.
Make sure to get the one that comes with cork-pourer as you don't want any drop of it to go to waist! - Combo 4: Candied oranges, chocolate chips, honey.
How To Make - Step By Step With Pictures
Step 1: Prepare The Bread
Slice french baguette in diagonal aiming for a little over a half an inch thickness (1.5 cm).
Place bread sliced on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated to 375F (180C) oven for 5-10 minutes. Half through baking time, flip each slice and finish toasting until light golden color.
Alternatively, use fresh bread as is.
Step 2: Assemble Ricotta Crostini
Once the bread is completely cool, generously spread each slice with ricotta cheese.
Honey + Thyme Combo
Top with honey and fresh thyme leaves.
Pear + Walnuts Combo
Wash and core the pear. Slice into thin slices. Arrange on ricotta and top with crumbled walnuts. Right before serving drizzle with honey.
Strawberries + Balsamic Combo
Wash and pet dry strawberries. Remove the stem and cut into small cubes. Add a little honey or sugar. Let sit for at least 10 minutes or until ready to serve.
Right before serving, top with strawberries drained from excess juice. Drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar.
Alternatively use macerated strawberries, drained from excess juice.
Candied Oranges + Chocolate Chips Combo
Top ricotta crostini with candied orange peels and dark chocolate chips. Right before serving drizzle with honey.
You can easily make candied orange peels (classic or chocolate covered) at home using only 2 ingredients! Cut them in cubes for sweet ricotta crostini and use in many other recipes.
Top Tips
- Use well chilled ricotta from the fridge.
- Assemble crostini not more than 30 minutes before serving. If assembled too much in advance the bread will loose its crunchiness.
- Pour honey right before serving.
- Soft fruit/berry crostini (such as strawberry, peach) should be assembled last minute.
Looking for more sweet treats ideas without heating up your kitchen?
Try one of the classics from The Best Italian No-Bake Desserts!
More Recipes Using Ricotta
But Ricotta Cheese is not only for desserts.
It's one of the main ingredients in many savory dishes. See them all in The Best Italian Recipes With Ricotta Cheese.
Full Recipe
Sweet Ricotta Crostini
Ingredients
- 16 oz Ricotta Cheese (450 grams) for 16 crostini
- French Baguette
Combo 1
- Honey
- Thyme
Combo 2
- Pears
- Walnuts
- Honey
Combo 3
- Strawberries
- Aged balsamic vinegar
- Honey (or sugar)
Combo 4
- Candied oranges
- Chocolate chips
- Honey
Instructions
Toast The Bread
- Place bread sliced on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated to 375F (180C) oven for 5-10 minutes. Half through baking time, flip each slice and finish toasting until light golden color.
- Alternatively, you can use fresh bread as is.
Assemble Ricotta Crostini
- Once the bread is completely cool, generously spread each slice with ricotta cheese.
Combo 1: Honey + Thyme
- Top with honey and fresh thyme leaves.
Combo 2: Pear + Walnuts
- Wash and core the pear. Slice into thin slices. Arrange on ricotta and top with crumbled walnuts. Right before serving drizzle with honey.
Combo 3: Strawberries + Balsamic
- Wash and pet dry strawberries. Remove the stem and cut into small cubes. Add a little honey or sugar. Let sit for at least 10 minutes or until ready to serve.
- Right before serving top with strawberries, preferably drained from excess juice.
- Drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar.
Combo 4: Candied Oranges + Chocolate Chips
- Top ricotta crostini with candied orange peels and dark chocolate chips.
- Right before serving drizzle with honey.
Notes
- See the Step By Step Pictures for visual walk-through of the recipe.
- Use well chilled ricotta from the fridge.
- Assemble crostini not more than 30 minutes before serving. If assembled too much in advance the bread will loose its crunchiness.
- Pour honey right before serving.
- Soft fruit/berry crostini (such as strawberry, peach) should be assembled last minute.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Buon Appetito!
Merenda Carbone Antoinette says
I always loved these quick desserts. Make them especially on a hot day.