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This incredible homemade ricotta pizza is creamy and cheesy, starring three cheeses, artichokes, and fresh basil. A favorite!

Ricotta pizza

Here’s a dreamy, creamy pizza that is an absolute must-make: Ricotta Pizza! This three cheese blend knocks it out of the park: creamy ricotta cheese, stretchy mozzarella and salty Parmesan. Then top it off with tangy artichokes, fresh basil and a honey drizzle. The intense savory with the sweet of the honey and the peppery herbs make it out of this world good! Here’s exactly how to replicate this beauty in the comfort of your own home.

Want a side with that? Try one of our 10 Best Sides to Go with Pizza.

How to make ricotta pizza: the breakdown!

This ricotta pizza uses seasoned ricotta as the sauce, so it’s considered a white pizza. The ricotta makes for a creamy texture, and works together with the mozzarella and Parmesan that hold it all together. Here are the basic steps (or go right to the recipe):

  • Make the pizza dough. See below for more on how to do it. Or, you can also do a “cheater” pizza by using this as a topping for Naan Pizza or Flatbread Pizza.
  • Season the ricotta. Mix it with some salt, pepper and minced garlic. This brings big flavor to the ricotta, which can sometimes taste bland on its own.
  • Top with mozzarella and Parmesan. These hold the pizza together and bring just the right texture.
  • Make sure to top with basil after cooking! Put it on before baking, and it turns brown in the oven.

A few more white pizza recipes? Try Spinach Pizza or White Pizza (Pizza Bianca). Or make a white pizza as a Easy Cast Iron Pizza or Focaccia Pizza.

Ricotta pizza

Honey adds just the right compliment

Are you a fan of savory and sweet? It might seem unexpected, but adding just a hint of sweetness to a savory pizza takes it up a notch! Just a drizzle of honey sends it out of this world. It’s optional, but it makes the pizza in our book. If you like spicy food, try it with our hot honey.

All ricotta cheese is different, so season to taste!

There’s a lot of variation in ricotta cheese brands. Some taste delightfully creamy and flavorful as is, some are pretty bland. Take a little taste before you mix together the seasonings for the ricotta pizza. Then adjust your salt content as you go: you may need a little more or less than the recipe calls for.

Have leftover ricotta? Try these Genius Ricotta Cheese Recipes.

Ricotta pizza

Tips on homemade pizza dough

Making homemade pizza dough is the most technique-heavy portion of this ricotta pizza recipe. Once you’ve practiced a few times, you’ll get the hang of it! Again, if you’re nervous about this part, you can also make pizza with naan or flatbread: or you can make a pan pizza in a skillet! Here are a few things to know about making pizza dough:

  • Pick your dough recipe. This Best Pizza Dough is our tried and true crust: it comes out with the absolute perfect texture. Or try this Thin Crust Pizza Dough: it’s easy to roll out into a thinner, crispier crust.
  • The dough requires a 45 minute rise, so plan ahead. Start making the dough about 1 hour before you’d like to eat your pizza.
  • Stretching the dough takes a bit of practice. This part takes a little finesse: it’s not hard, but it takes a little practice. Head to How to Stretch Pizza Dough to learn more.

Equipment you need!

There are a few pizza making tools you’ll need to get the job done! Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Pizza stone: Sure you can bake pizza on a baking sheet. But it’s infinitely better on a pizza stone! A pizza stone is what makes Italian pizza crust crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Here’s the best pizza stone we’ve found, plus care tips.
  • Pizza peel: When you use a pizza stone, it’s easiest to use a pizza peel to transfer the pizza onto the hot pizza stone in the oven. We recommend this Standard pizza peel or this Conveyor pizza peel.
Ricotta pizza

Variations on ricotta pizza

You can use this ricotta pizza as a starting point, and add whatever toppings you’d like! We suggest sticking with the three cheeses, and then building on top of that. Here are a few more toppings that would be tasty:

  • Tomatoes, thinly sliced and salted
  • Red onion or shallot, thinly sliced
  • Truffle oil
  • Fresh herbs: oregano, thyme, dill, etc
  • Sausage (standard or veggie-based), crumbled and cooked
  • Prosciutto

This ricotta pizza is…

Vegetarian.

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Ricotta pizza

Best Ricotta Pizza (3 Cheese!)


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x

Description

This incredible homemade ricotta pizza is creamy and cheesy, starring three cheeses, artichokes, and fresh basil. A favorite!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ball Best Pizza Dough (or Thin Crust Dough)
  • ½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 small garlic clove (¼ teaspoon minced)
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 handful artichoke hearts from a can
  • 1 handful fresh basil leaves
  • 1 teaspoon honey or hot honey

Instructions

  1. Make the pizza dough: Follow the Best Pizza Dough or Thin Crust Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
  2. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).
  3. Prepare the toppings: Mince the garlic. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta with the kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and minced garlic. Pull the leaves off of the artichoke hearts and chop them.
  4. Bake the pizza: When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
  5. Spread the seasoned ricotta onto the dough. Top with the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts, and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
  6. Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven).
  7. Top with torn basil leaves and a drizzle of honey. Slice into pieces and serve immediately.
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Ricotta pizza, Pizza with ricotta cheese

More favorite pizza recipes

Love pizza? Who doesn’t. Here are a few more topping ideas to try:

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you’ll want to make again and again.

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4 Comments

  1. I’m not seeing the honey listed in the directions….does this just get drizzled on top, along with basil?