Whipped Ricotta Dip With Lemon and Fresh Herbs

Meet the easiest, quickest appetizer you'll want to serve at all your parties -- this whipped ricotta dip with lemon and fresh herbs! Every creamy bite is delicate and airy with bright citrus notes for a perfectly light dip, and you can whip it up in just under five minutes. This whipped ricotta dip is sure to be a new favorite party snack.

Jump to:

• Why You Need to Make This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Recipe FAQs
• Expert Tips
• Perfect Pairing
• Looking for More Party Appetizers?
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Why You Need to Make This Recipe

I’m officially calling this whipped ricotta dip the appetizer of the summer. Honestly, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve made a batch — it’s the perfect go-to dip.

• Tastes like a citrusy, herby dream. With whole milk ricotta as the base, it’s a decadent dip, but the fresh lemon and herbs give it almost a light touch.
• Makes entertaining a breeze. I truly can’t think of a quicker or easier appetizer to prepare. Even a kitchen newbie can make a gourmet-tasting dip.
• Versatile for any occasion. Keep this recipe in your back pocket because you’ll come back to it over and over again. Need an appetizer for a fancy holiday or dinner party? Or maybe you’re just hosting a casual backyard gathering. This ricotta dip is perfect for both.
• Budget friendly. With just three ingredients plus salt, this whipped cheese dip is easy on the wallet.

Bonus: If you're interested in more easy dip recipes, try my baked green chile dip!

Ingredients

As you can see, I wasn't joking about the easy ingredient list. These are straightforward ingredients.

That said, my biggest recommendation is to make sure you use whole milk ricotta of the highest quality you can find. Whole milk ricotta is much more flavorful and less watery than part skim or fat free. Considering that we only rely on a few ingredients, we want to make sure they're the best we can find.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Now let's show you how truly simple this dip is to prepare. I like to serve this dip with grilled bread, so we'll first walk through that process and then get to our herbed whipped ricotta dip.

Step 1: To prepare our bread, we cut a baguette into ½-inch slices and brush each side with olive oil (photo 1). Now we place the bread on a hot grill and cook until the slices are nice and toasty (photo 2).

Step 2: Just like that, we're ready for our whipped ricotta dip. We add our whole milk ricotta, herbs, lemon juice and zest, and a touch of salt to a food processor (photo 3).

Step 3: Now we give the food processor a whirl until the ricotta is smooth and creamy like so (photo 4). I find a good minute takes care of the job, but you can go longer for an even airier texture. This comes down to personal preference.

And that's it! Told you it was easy. Now grab that grilled bread and treat yourself to a big scoop of the best whipped ricotta dip you'll ever try.

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

• Don’t have a food processor? No problem. You can use a hand mixer to whip the ricotta or even manually whisk the ricotta. If you go the manual route, it may take a little more time to get that whipped consistency, but keep whisking and you’ll get there.
• To grate the lemon zest, I recommend using a microplane grater. It’s quicker and easier than a zester while also producing a finer peel.
• I used just basil for the herbs because it's going wild in our garden, but you are more than welcome to get creative here. Start with the basil and then add a tablespoon or two to taste of mint, parsley, chives, tarragon, dill, thyme, cilantro or even a combination of your favorite herbs.
• You can make this dip even more decadent with a splash of heavy cream. It's not necessary, but it does add an even more luscious touch.
• Want to add additional flavors? Feel free to toss in some freshly grated or roasted garlic. Or blend the ricotta with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers or even Hatch green chiles for a spicy kick. This whipped ricotta dip is delicious as is, but it also works as a blank canvas if you’d like to create your own unique recipe.

Perfect Pairing

For a beer, we want something light and bubbly, like a wheat ale. Given the light texture of this dip, we don’t want a beer that’s too heavy bodied, and you’ll love how the wheat ale’s citrus notes complement the dip.

With the fresh herbs, I’m a big fan of a sauvignon blanc, which comes with its own herbal quality as well as citrusy notes with a crisp, acidic finish to cut through the ricotta’s whole milk. That said, this dip is versatile with other white wines — Chablis, Champagne and pinot grigio all pair nicely.

Love a cocktail? You won’t mind sipping on this strawberry-basil limoncello martini. The cocktail’s flavors match perfectly to our lemony whipped ricotta dip. You'll also love my garden gin and tonic with its medley of freshly muddled herbs.

For an easy, crowd-please appetizer, I hope you try this easy whipped ricotta dip with lemon and fresh herbs. It’s sure to be a new party favorite.

Cheers!

Looking for More Party Appetizers?

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