Ricotta Pesto

Made in a few quick minutes, this homemade creamy ricotta pesto is a delicious spin on a classic. Perfect for tossing over pasta, proteins, grains, roasted vegetables, and more! You’ll love how easily this comes together.

Pesto always comes in clutch in my kitchen. Need a boost of flavor? Add a tablespoon of pesto! This ricotta pesto is a delicious spin on the classic basil pesto that you’ll want to make on repeat!

 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• I’m one of those people who buy way more ingredients than needed when making something. Also, when recipe testing, I always need extra on hand, just in case. So when making recipes like my easy stuffed shells, individual lasagnas, or low carb chicken lasagna, I tend to have ricotta left over in the fridge. This ricotta pesto is a great way to use up that random cup of ricotta hanging out in the fridge.
• It takes 5 minutes to come together. The hardest part is probably washing the food processor or zesting the lemon!
• You can easily customize homemade pesto. Add more lemon if you like it more tangy, load up on the garlic if you’re a garlic lover, or add more basil! This is one of the reasons I love going the homemade route.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• ricotta — I usually have whole milk ricotta on hand as I love the creaminess, richness, and flavor of it. I highly recommend sticking with whole milk ricotta! Try this lemon ricotta pasta if you have extra!
• basil — feel free to add as much basil as you’d like!! I use 1½ to 2 cups of loosely packed basil, but you can use more or less. I usually freeze any extra basil I have on hand, especially if I have a plant in the summer, because frozen basil actually makes for a tastier pesto!
• almonds — while traditional basil pesto is made with pine nuts, I don’t always use it because it is pricier and I don’t always have it on hand. However, I always have a Costco bag of almonds in my pantry, so I made this ricotta pesto with almonds! Feel free to swap for any other nuts or seeds such as walnuts (like I do in my cottage cheese pesto) or sunflower seeds.
• garlic — fresh garlic is ideal. If you’re a garlicky person like myself, feel free to add extra.
• parmesan — freshly grated parmesan is ideal. I always have a giant block in the fridge from Costco. I do not recommend using shelf stabled powdered parmesan from a bottle.
• olive oil — like for most pestos and dips, use the best quality olive oil you’re able to get. Good quality olive oil adds a rich and fruity flavor and it also contains high levels of antioxidants and healthy fats.
• lemon — fresh lemon juice and lemon zest is mandatory! It adds such a lovely bright flavor.
• salt & pepper — to taste.

How to Make Ricotta Pesto

• To a food processor (or high speed blender), add the ricotta, basil, almonds, garlic cloves, parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

• Blend until well combined. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Not just for pasta or grains (try adding pesto to rice!), you can serve this cottage cheese pesto with crusty bread, pita bread, pita chips, toast, bagel (air fryer bagel chips), crackers, or spread it in a sandwich (like my pesto chicken sandwich or pesto turkey sandwich). It also pairs well with avocado toast or hummus toast. You can also spread it over protein such as grilled chicken, shrimp, salmon, or turkey.
• Serve it with some vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and celery, like you would a dip.
• This recipe makes around 1½ cup, depending if you add more or less oil and basil.
• This is the food process that I use.
• Fresh lemon juice is key. I don’t recommend using bottled lemon juice as the flavor is not as fresh and bright. Plus, you need the lemon zest, so you’ll have a lemon on hand to juice!
• Taste as you go! You can adjust everything to your liking. You might prefer yours with more garlic or more salt & pepper.

Make Ahead Tips

• Meal prep: transfer leftover ricotta basil pesto to an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. If the pesto has thickened too much in the fridge for your liking, you can thin it out by adding olive oil to it.
• Freezer: I like to freeze pesto in single serving portions so I can thaw just the amount I need. After freezing, you can pop them out of the molds, and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll keep for 1 to 2 months.

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Cottage Cheese Ricotta
• Whipped Feta Dip
• Tuna Dip
• Roasted Garlic Aioli
• White Bean Hummus

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