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This whipped lemon ricotta cheesecake is rich and luscious and takes so little effort to make. Creamy whipped ricotta cheese made with lemon and honey and baked up in a flaky phyllo dough crust. This unique cheesecake is light, creamy, airy, a touch buttery, lightly sweetened, and perfectly hinted with fresh lemon and vanilla. The best part? There’s no fancy water bath required, just simple and delicious!

side angled photo of Whipped Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with 2 slices cut

If you can believe it, this is my first ever cheesecake. Sure, I shared these blueberry cheesecake bars last year, but never before have I made a real cheesecake. Of course, this one’s not traditional either, but then isn’t that what you’ve come to expect from me by now? Putting my own little twist on a classic is kind of what I do…

Even though I second guess myself every step of the way. Will I ever stop this…probably not.

So with that, let’s talk about this cheesecake and how you should plan to make it this week. Don’t second guess yourself like I do, this is so easy and delicious. No matter whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day or not, your week needs this creamy ricotta cheesecake.

It really does.

phyllo dough before baking

Whipped ricotta with raw eggs before baking

For starters, the inspiration for the cheesecake was drawn solely from the fact that cheesecake is one of the few desserts I’ve never made. Cheesecake wasn’t something I grew up eating. And while I know that most people really enjoy it, I was always under the impression that it wasn’t for me. Why? Well, because both my parents are chocolate only kind of dessert people, and never once shared cheesecake with their kids.

Of course, now that I’m older, I realize just how delicious a good cheesecake can be. BUT I do have a few requirements when it comes to what makes a good cheesecake…

It’s must not be overly sweet, it must be extra creamy, and it has to have good flavor.

Enter this ricotta cheesecake…lightly sweetened with only honey, with hints of lemon and vanilla for extra flavor. Whip the ricotta cheese before baking for an extra creamy filling. And, to add one more layer of flavor and texture, I ditched the boring graham cracker crust and instead used flaky phyllo dough.

Perfection.

Whipped Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake before slicing

close up side angled photo of Whipped Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with slice cut

I was inspired to use ricotta, instead of the more traditional cream cheese, mainly due to the fact that I had two containers in my fridge. But also because I just really love ricotta cheese when used in a sweet way (cc: this Dutch Baby). I knew that in order to achieve that silky smooth cheesecake texture, I’d need to whip the ricotta up in the food processor. What’s great is the entire batter is all made in the bowl of the food processor (you could also use a blender).

It’s pretty much as simple as it could get.

And that crust? Well, I’ve never really enjoyed a graham cracker crust, so I brainstormed a few ideas until I landed on phyllo dough. The phyllo dough ended up being the perfect light and flaky crust. It not sweet and doesn’t over shadow the delicious ricotta filling.

Whipped Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with 1 slice cut

Whipped Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with 2 slices cut and stacked on top of each other

As mentioned above, this cheesecake requires no water bath. Yes, I may get called out for this. But I’m going to be honest, I tested the recipe both with a water bath and without. Truly I couldn’t tell the difference between the cakes. Sure, you may have a crack or two on the top of your cake, but who really cares when you’re just going to top the cake with fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar, you know?

Trust me, the water bath is not worth the extra effort.

The hardest part about this cheesecake? Waiting for it to actually chill. Which I will not lie, I snuck in a few bites while the cake was warm. I’m not the biggest fan of cold food, so I personally found it delicious. But of course, it’s a little creamier once it’s fully chilled and set.

My tip…bake this cheesecake up today or tomorrow. This will give it proper time to chill before Thursday night (which is v-day). Then enjoy as a special after dinner treat. Bonus? This also makes a great brunch item for the weekend…just a thought.

Whipped Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with 2 slices stacked one on top of the other

If you make this lemon ricotta cheesecake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Whipped Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 1258 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch spring form pan.
    2. Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a clean counter and brush with melted butter. Repeat, layering 1 more time, placing the sheets of dough over top of each other. Carefully transfer the buttered phyllo to the prepared pan, gently pressing it to fit inside. Repeat, over lapping each layer 3 more times until you have completely covered the bottom and sides of the pan to create the crust (see above photo) and have used 8 sheets of dough. Don't stress about making this perfect, just cover the pan with phyllo and all will be good.
    3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ricotta and cream. Pulse until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the honey, sugar, if using, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon juice, pulse until combined and no streaks of yellow egg remain, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
    4. Transfer to the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit in the oven another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Transfer to the fridge to chill completely, at least 2 hours or serve at room temperature. We prefer room temp. 
    5. Release the cake from the mold. Serve with fresh berries, a drizzle of honey, and a dusting of powdered sugar, if desired. 

Notes

*This is not meant to be a sweet cheesecake and we do prefer this with only 1/2 cup of honey and no additional sugar. That said, if you like a sweeter cake, 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup granulated sugar can be added with the honey. 
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horizontal photo of Whipped Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

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Comments

  1. 4 stars
    Recipe is beautiful. Mine overcooked, I’m sure it will end up tasting delicious. Two questions: could I cook at a lower temp longer to prevent the browning? And I think I used too much butter on the phyllo…how “wet” did you make the phyllo when brushing with butter?

    Reply

    1. Hi Jennifer! Try cooking at 325 and if it still browns, just cover the cake with foil. I just lightly brush the phyllo with butter, it should be damp, but not soaked. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply

  2. 1 star
    A friend asked me to make this for her she copied recipe day you posted, I explained to her why would not work and she would not like it, so I made it per your instructions (to prove a point). Not sweet enough, soggy crust. Now I see you have added sugar, optional. Remove from pan now you tell some one, so it does not become soggy. Yet you tell one poster that you did not have issues with phyllo becoming soggy. Maybe a little more testing before you post would be a benefit, or have someone else make it to see what results they get. All was well and friend was happy because I presented her with her favorite cheesecake that I have been making for a long time, in a water bath, which is a benefit.

    Reply

    1. Hi Henry! I am really sorry this did not work well for you. When I made the recipe, it worked perfectly for me. I added different directions per other peoples suggestions, that is why there are different ways to do it. Thank you for your comment. xTieghan

      Reply

  3. It was delicious,
    My mistake was it got over cooked because I used convection ( I think that’s why). The outsde edges were over done. I cut the center out and it was fine.

    Reply

  5. 3 stars
    Your recipes started to be shared with me by my nephew via Facebook and just the description is enough to make me run to the store and get the ingredients on the same day I see something interesting. I thought this cheesecake was nice and light but I think a bit of a stronger lemon flavour would make it even better. I followed the recipe and for those lemon lovers amongst us, I probably would put in some organic meyer lemon flavouring next time as well. Also, as I’m not a keen fan of phyllo pastry, I opted for the standard crumb base. However, with a twist. McVities ginger nuts mixed with McVities Hobnobs adds a superb flavour. I prepared a mixed berry coulis and it was delicious. Will definitely try again but with more lemon next time. (I used Manuka honey and didn’t add extra sugar as it definitely doesn’t need it)

    Reply

    1. Hi Lisa! That is so amazing that he shares my recipes! I hope this turns out better for you with some more lemon added. Also, I would love to try that base! Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Hi! I’m a little confused about the instructions for the phyllo crust. Aren’t the sheets larger than the circumference of the pan? Do they need to be cut or folded in half?

    Reply

    1. HI! Yes, they are larger, but the sheets will bend and go up the sides of the pan, so there is no need to fold them. Does that make sense? Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    Hi Teigan! I’m making 2 of these for a bachelorette party! My question is, would it be worth making one with the added granulated sugar and one without?

    Also, how early should I be making the cheesecakes so they don’t come out soggy? Day before and refrigerate over night or make it the morning of? Party starts at 4pm so what do you suggest in making sure they get there as fresh as possible?

    Reply

    1. Hey Milly! I would make one with granulated and one without. This way everyone can enjoy what they like! I would bake morning of! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Pam! That will be great! Just make sure the ricotta is drained of excess moisture. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply

  10. Hello, in reading the comments, do you think I should remove from the springform pan as after a little cooling before chilling in the refrigerator? Thank you and mine is in the over as I write! I’ll let you know how it comes out! and if my husband likes it!!

    Reply

    1. HI! You can remove the spring form pan to help prevent the crust from getting soggy. I would ransfer it to a serving plate at that point. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. 5 stars
    Teigan the cheesecake turned out phenomenal! Thank you for yet another creative and delicious recipe! I halfed the recipe cause I had a smaller springform pan and it was perfect, like a little piece of art!
    Thank you for yet another winner recipe!

    Reply

  13. Followed your original directions exactly as you posted, I believe the soggy crust was caused because you say cool slightly then cool completely in fridge, I believe residual heat while cooling in fridge while still in pan causes this. Cheesecakes are usually removed from pan before refrigeration, so residual heat can escape. You misread what I suggested about additional sugar, I said I had altered a ricotta pie recipe that originally called for 2 cups down to 1, with still enough sweetness and thought an addition of 1/2 to 3/4 cup would benefit yours. I see you now give an optional addition of sugar for those of us with a sweet tooth. Maybe I will try it again with a few changes, what size eggs do you generally use when testing recipes, the standard usually is large. Thank you for your concern you want us all to love everything you make and I think take it to heart when we don’t.

    Reply

    1. Hi Sue! I use the eggs I get from my chickens and they are about a large size, yes. I hope you do try this again and it turns out much better for you. Please let me know! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. They are extra sheets incase you have any that tear. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan

      Reply

  15. I’m a big fan of all cheesecakes and this one sounds fab! One of my favorite cheesecake recipes uses goat cheese. I agree that the water bath method is so not worth it. I hope to make this over the weekend for a friend’s birthday dinner. Thanks for sharing all your lovely recipes. Your food photography is the best!

    Reply