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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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 12 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
- 2 pounds (32 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup honey, plus additional honey for serving
- 1/4-1/2 cup granulated sugar (optional* please see note)
- 4 whole eggs + 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, preferably Meyer lemon
- powder sugar and fresh berries, for serving
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.
How many days could you make this in advance?
Did you line the base with baking paper ?? Before doing the fillo pastry ??
Hi Sally,
I did not line the pan with baking paper, just be sure it is well buttered:) I hope you love this cheesecake, let me know how it turns out for you! xx
Phenomenal cheesecake – instead of drizzling honey – used leftover Bonne Maman Wild Blueberry jam leftover from making a Half Baked Harvest blueberry muffin recipe and highly recommend that alternate method along with fresh blueberries. Recipe definitely does not need sugar – the honey added the right amount of sweetness.
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Have a great week! xT
I always trust your site and will continue to do so, but this recipe won’t be on repeat. I followed directions exactly. First, I’d recommend using a mixer rather than a food processor. I have a full-size, standard-issue Cuisinart and the filling overflowed, which was wasteful and annoying. I’m not sure how the crust will be since it’s still in the cooling stage. It’s def not as pretty as yours. 🙂 The worst though is the top has a gaping crack and is absolutely weepy with wetness. I’ve been blotting with a paper towel as it cools. I tasted a bit from the center and the texture is grainy and weird – another reason I’d suggest using a mixer instead of food processor to ensure it’s nicely whipped. While this cheesecake was a Christmas fail for me, I appreciate all you do and how wonderful your recipes usually are.
Hi Billie,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear this was not enjoyed. The food processor really helps to prevent any graininess which is why I choose that for this recipe. Again, sorry for the trouble! xT
Hello! This looks amazing and I plan to make it Thursday morning for my husband and my anniversary. I was reading some of the reviews about the crust and I saw your comment about baking the crust for 8-10 minutes beforehand to avoid it getting soggy. I will try this, but I’m also wondering about how to store it. Not that dessert last long around me 🙂 does it need to be stored in the refrigerator or can I skip refrigerating all together?
Thank you!
Hillary Veazey
Hey Hillary,
I would store this in an airtight container in the fridge:) I hope you love the recipe and happy anniversary!! xTieghan
Hi. I tried to read through other review and not sure how jiggly or liquiddy the center supposed to be after 1 hour of baking. To me it looked liked it needed another 30 mins of baking and was super jiggly, a bit thinker than melted ice cream. Can you described how it supposed to look after 1 hours of baking and then after 30 mins of resting and then after chilling. Thanks
Hi Marina,
Thanks for trying the recipe, please refer to all of the photos above as to how the cheesecake should look. The cheesecake needs to bake for 1 hour and then sit in the oven for 30 minutes. It then needs to chill in the fridge for 2 hours. That being said, you really should not be seeing the final result of the cheesecake after just the 1 hour of baking. I hope this makes sense! xTieghan
Tried this with a normal biscuit crust which turned out to be the best part. I had struggles with the texture as our food processor was not working and had to make due with a whisk so it is not as smooth as I’d like my cheesecake to be. Also, I’ve come to realize that I like a sweeter cheesecake more, but my dad who loves lemony, less-sweet cheesecake loves the taste of this one (which is why it is in my approved list). Other than that, the instructions were easy to follow and I’m chuffed that my first cheesecake was a success seeing that I am no baker. Gave me a confidence boost for sure!
Hey Christine,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback! xTieghan
It’s in the oven as we speak, I can’t wait to see how it tastes. I am not much of a phylo pastry person, so I made a graham cracker crust, have you done this before?
Hi Martine,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! I haven’t, but let me know how it turns out. xxTieghan
Came out good! I used 8 tablespoons of butter for brushing the dough.
Also, I still don’t understand why it says 12 sheets of phyllo in the ingredients but only 8 in the recipe 🙂 or what am I confusing?)
Hey there,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Just incase you have some issues it’s always nice to have extra:) ?? xTieghan
Hi, is the center supposed to be jiggly? I followed your exact directions and when I went to take it out of the oven after the hour bake and 30 minute cool and the center is super jiggly. Does it solidify as it cools?
It angels amazing.
Thanks
Hey Gina,
Yes, the center should be jiggly! I hope you enjoyed the recipe, please let me know how it turned out! xTieghan
Wow, this looks wonderful. I’m planning to make this but use lemon curd instead of honey and lemon juice, do you think this will influence the consistency of the cheesecake?
Hey Sanne,
I have never tested this so I can’t quite say. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Hi! I made this cheesecake. First let me say that I am not much of a baker. That being said, two things that would have helped me better:
1) I’ve never worked with phlyo dough, maybe thats something I should have researched before jumping into making this recipe, but that’s just not my style. Haha. What would have helped me before making it was to know how much to butter the phylo. I used a ton of butter; which I believe is why my crust was a bit soggy. Not to mention, what was leaking out of my pan during baking.
2) I’m not sure I cooked it enough. A tip of what the batter is suppose to look like before and after baking would have been helpful. After an hour of cooking the batter still seemed too liquid. I followed the recipe exactly, so the end result after chilling, left me with a smooth creamy cheesecake with almost a loose pudding like texture. Since it was a baked cake I expected it to be a more like other baked cheesecakes I’ve had, and have a texture a bit more solid. So, not knowing how it’s supposed to be…I don’t know if I did it right.
So that was the 2 things that would have helped me during prepping & cooking process. As for the cake, it was good, definitely not the typical cream cheese cheesecakes I’m accustomed to. But was a nice change. I think once I learn how to properly work with phylo I could perfect the crust. It’s nice to have another option vs Graham cracker crust.
Me and my girls have tried several of your recipes and have only one of your cook books…so far. We all fans of your recipes and cooking style and appreciate you sharing!
Thanks Robin
Hey Robin,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Thanks so much for your feedback. Happy Friday! xTieghan
Came out perfect. Used 10 sheets of phyllo. How about a variation using orange zest/juice and almond extract in place of the lemon and vanilla?
Hey Anthony,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a go! I am thrilled it was enjoyed. That sounds great! xTieghan
Hey! I don’t have ricotta on me although I have a lot of tubs of cream cheese, was wondering if that would work as a substitute?
Can’t wait to try!
Hey Aparna,
Sure that would work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I love cheesecake and lemon, so this seemed like a slam dunk. I gave it a try last night and the phyllo crust became soggy pretty quickly. 🙁 It was so beautiful and it tasted great at first, but as soon as it is refrigerated or stored – the crust became super soggy. Like some of the reviews said, at first it had a custard-y texture, but after cooling and refrigerating it, the cake part became more dense and firm as the photo shows. However, the refrigeration caused the crust to be wet and soggy in exchange. (I removed the cheesecake from the pan before placing into fridge as well).
Any suggestions for making this recipe with a different type of crust and also tips on how to store it to avoid sogginess? Otherwise, I LOVE all of your recipes and usually they turn out beautiful AND delicious!! This one was a little trickier … so bummed.
Hey Megan! So sorry you had some trouble with this one. For a different crust what about trying a traditional graham cracker crust? If using a graham cracker crust, you should be able to store in the fridge with out any sogginess. I think that should be delicious and work really well!
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you this has helped! Thank you! And Happy Holidays!! Tieghan ?