What Goes With Ricotta? 30 Best Flavour Pairings

Ricotta goes best with lemon, honey, basil, spinach, nutmeg and nuts like pistachio and walnut, in sweet and savoury dishes alike. Its mild, milky sweetness needs bright acid, salt, herbs or sugar to come alive, so think of it as a creamy canvas rather than a star.

Herbs

• Basil — fresh, peppery aroma brings mild, creamy ricotta to life on pasta and toast.
• Sage — sage fried crisp in butter is the classic sauce for ricotta-filled ravioli and gnudi.
• Thyme — earthy, woody notes lift baked ricotta and savoury tarts.
• Rosemary — piney resin gives warm baked ricotta a savoury, aromatic edge.
• Mint — cool mint and ricotta brighten spring pasta with peas.

Spices

• Nutmeg — a grating of warm spice is traditional in ricotta and spinach fillings.
• Saffron — a few threads tint ricotta golden and perfume Sicilian-style desserts.
• Za'atar — tangy herbs and sesame over ricotta and olive oil make an easy dip or toast.

Aromatics

• Garlic — a little grated garlic turns plain ricotta into a savoury spread or filling.
• Shallot — mild, sweet shallot softened in butter folds neatly into ricotta fillings.
• Scallion — fresh, green bite lifts ricotta in dips and savoury pancakes.

Vegetables & Sides

• Spinach — earthy greens and soft cheese are the classic ravioli and cannelloni filling.
• Peas — sweet spring peas balance ricotta's cream in pasta and on toast.
• Pumpkin — ricotta tempers roasted pumpkin's sweetness in tortelli and lasagne.
• Zucchini — ricotta stuffs zucchini and its flowers and softens the grassy flavour.
• Tomato — juicy acid cuts through dollops of ricotta on pizza and pasta.
• Sweet potato — sweet, soft flesh and ricotta make tender gnocchi and fillings.
• Poblano — roasted poblanos stuffed with ricotta get creamy relief from their gentle heat.

Fruit

• Lemon — zest and juice add the brightness ricotta needs, sweet or savoury.
• Peach — juicy, ripe peach against cool ricotta is pure summer.
• Strawberry — floral, tart berries cut through ricotta's creaminess on toast and tarts.
• Fig — honeyed figs and ricotta make a simple late-summer dessert or starter.

Sweet Things

• Honey — a drizzle of honey amplifies ricotta's gentle milky sweetness.
• Sugar — sweetened ricotta is the base of cannoli cream and Italian cheesecake.
• Vanilla — floral, sweet vanilla perfumes ricotta desserts and pancakes.

Grains & Starches

• Pasta — ricotta coats pasta in a quick sauce and fills ravioli, shells and lasagne.
• Bread — crisp toast and soft ricotta, ready for any topping.

Nuts & Seeds

• Pistachio — crunchy, green and sweet, the signature cannoli garnish.
• Walnut — rich, slightly bitter crunch contrasts ricotta's mild cream.
• Pine nut — buttery toasted pine nuts add crunch to ricotta pasta and tarts.

Classic combos

• Ricotta + spinach + nutmeg — the timeless filling for ravioli, cannelloni and stuffed shells.
• Ricotta + sugar + pistachio + orange zest — Sicilian cannoli cream.
• Ricotta + sage + butter — ricotta gnudi or ravioli in crisp sage brown butter.
• Ricotta + honey + walnut on toast — a two-minute breakfast or snack.
• Ricotta + lemon + peas + mint — a bright spring pasta.
• Ricotta + tomato + mozzarella + parmesan — the layers of a classic baked lasagne.

Pairings to avoid

• Paneer — both are fresh, mild milk curds, so together they add little to each other. Pair ricotta with something bold instead.
• Watery vegetables without draining — wet spinach, zucchini or undrained ricotta make fillings and lasagne soggy. Squeeze the veg and drain the ricotta first.
• Very strong, salty flavours in large amounts — heaps of blue cheese, anchovy or smoked fish simply swamp ricotta; use them as accents.

Chef Fizz's pairing tip

Ricotta is mostly water and soft whey protein, so it tastes of whatever you season it with. Salt it like you mean it, add a squeeze of lemon, and taste before it goes into a filling.