Authentic Sicilian ricotta pie with a buttery pasta frolla crust and creamy ricotta filling with chocolate chips, espresso & lemon zest.
Don't miss our classic Pastiera Napoletana (Neapolitan Easter Pie) and these family-favorite Italian Ricotta Cookies - both are staples on our Easter table.
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Jump To
- What Is Sicilian Ricotta Pie?
- Why You'll Love This Sicilian Ricotta Pie Recipe
- Ingredients for Sicilian Ricotta Pie
- How to Make Sicilian Ricotta Pie (Step-by-Step)
- Variations: Chocolate Chips vs. Candied Fruit
- How to Store and Freeze Ricotta Pie
- Sicilian Ricotta Pie vs. Italian Ricotta Pie: What's the Difference?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Italian Easter Recipes You'll Love
- Tips for the Best Sicilian Ricotta Pie
- Sicilian Ricotta Pie
This Sicilian ricotta pie is everything I love about Italian baking in one slice - a buttery pasta frolla crust wrapped around a creamy ricotta filling studded with chocolate chips, warm espresso, and bright lemon zest. It's my mother-in-law Teresa's recipe, passed down the way the best Italian recipes always are: written in grams, guarded closely, and tasting better every Easter.
My father was Sicilian, and this is the kind of pie that pulls him right back into the kitchen with me. If you've ever had a cannoli filling you couldn't stop thinking about, that's exactly what lives inside this Italian ricotta pie. Whether you're baking it for Easter, a Sunday lunch, or just because you need something sweet with your espresso - this is the one.
What Is Sicilian Ricotta Pie?
Sicilian ricotta pie - sometimes called crostata di ricotta - is a traditional Italian pie made with two signature elements:
- Pasta frolla: a tender, cookie-like Italian shortcrust that holds its shape without getting tough.
- Sweetened ricotta filling: whipped with egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, espresso, and chocolate chips (the Sicilian way).
It's baked in Sicily for Easter, weddings, and big Sunday lunches. Think of it as a less-fussy cousin to cannoli - same gorgeous ricotta filling, but in pie form.
Why You'll Love This Sicilian Ricotta Pie Recipe
- Authentic Sicilian recipe straight from my mother-in-law's handwritten notes.
- Make-ahead friendly - actually tastes better the next day.
- Not too sweet - the ricotta keeps it light, the espresso keeps it grown-up.
- Beautiful to serve - the lattice top makes it look like an Italian bakery pie.
- Freezes beautifully (more on that below).
Ingredients for Sicilian Ricotta Pie
For the pasta frolla crust:
- Pastry flour (measure in grams - trust me)
- Unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Pinch of salt
- Lemon zest
For the Sicilian ricotta filling:
- Whole-milk ricotta (drained overnight - this is the secret)
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs, separated
- Pure vanilla extract
- Finely ground espresso
- Lemon zest
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips (or candied fruit for the classic Sicilian version)
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
How to Make Sicilian Ricotta Pie (Step-by-Step)
- Make the pasta frolla. Pulse flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and lemon zest in a food processor until the dough just comes together.
- Chill the dough. Divide into two discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Drain the ricotta. Let it sit in a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth for at least an hour - overnight is even better.
- Whip the egg yolks with sugar until pale and creamy.
- Beat the egg whites to soft peaks in a separate, spotlessly clean bowl.
- Fold it all together. Combine yolks, ricotta, vanilla, espresso, lemon zest, and chocolate chips, then gently fold in the egg whites.
- Roll the first disc and press into an 11-inch fluted tart pan. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Fill the crust with the ricotta mixture.
- Lattice the top with strips cut from the second disc.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) until the crust is golden and the filling is just set.
- Cool completely. This is non-negotiable - cutting warm means a soft filling.
Variations: Chocolate Chips vs. Candied Fruit
In Sicily, you'll see this pie two beautiful ways:
- With chocolate chips - modern, crowd-pleasing, what I usually make for the kids.
- With candied fruit (orange peel, citron) - the old-school Sicilian version, the same mix-ins you'd find in a traditional cannoli filling.
Both are authentic. Use whichever you love - or do what my mother-in-law does and sneak in a little of both.
How to Store and Freeze Ricotta Pie
- Fridge: Cover loosely and refrigerate up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: Wrap the fully cooled pie tightly in plastic, then foil. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Make-ahead: The flavor actually deepens on day 2 - bake a day before serving if you can.
Sicilian Ricotta Pie vs. Italian Ricotta Pie: What's the Difference?
- Sicilian ricotta pie: lattice top, pasta frolla crust, chocolate chips or candied fruit, espresso and lemon zest in the filling.
- Italian ricotta pie (Neapolitan-style / Pastiera): cooked wheat berries added to the filling, orange flower water, a more custard-like texture.
Same beautiful family. Different regions. Both absolutely worth making.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes - this is the most important step. Drain whole-milk ricotta in a cheesecloth-lined strainer for at least an hour, ideally overnight. Wet ricotta makes the filling watery and the crust soggy.
Absolutely. It actually tastes better on day 2. Bake up to 2 days ahead and store covered in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Traditional Sicilian recipes use candied citrus peel and citron - the same mix-ins as a classic cannoli filling. You can also do half-and-half.
Overworking the dough develops gluten and turns it tough. Pulse just until it comes together, chill before rolling, and handle it as little as possible.
An 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom works beautifully. A 10-inch pan works too - the pie will just be a little taller.
More Italian Easter Recipes You'll Love
- Pastiera Napoletana (Neapolitan Easter Pie)
- Italian Ricotta Cookies
- Torta della Nonna
- Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua)
- Sicilian Cassata
- Classic Cannoli
- Ricotta Cheesecake
Tips for the Best Sicilian Ricotta Pie
- Weigh your flour. Pasta frolla is unforgiving with volume measurements. A kitchen scale is a game-changer here.
- Drain the ricotta. Wet ricotta equals a soggy pie - the number one reason ricotta pies fail.
- Don't skip the chill. Both the dough and the lined tart pan need fridge time so the butter doesn't ooze in the oven.
- Serve at room temperature. This is how it's done in Sicily - the flavors really open up.
- Don't overwhip the egg whites. Soft peaks fold in easily and keep the filling light without turning it dry.
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Sicilian Ricotta Pie
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 500 grams pastry flour (10.54 ounces)
- 200 grams cold unsalted butter (7.025 ounces)
- 200 grams granulated sugar (3.512 ounces)
- 2 eggs
For the filling:
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs , separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground espresso
- 1 lemon , zested (don't use the juice)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the crust:
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour and sugar and process a few times to mix together.
- Next add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Add the egg and yolk and process a few seconds more until the dough forms (this should be about 5-7 more pulses, no more than that should be necessary).
- Dump out the dough from the food processor bowl onto a lightly floured counter. Form the dough into two disks (one slightly larger than the other) and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Make the filling:
- In a large bowl, mix the ricotta with the two egg yolks and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until nice and fluffy.
- Fold the egg whites, espresso, lemon zest, and vanilla into the ricotta mixture.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
Assemble the pie:
- When dough nicely chilled, remove them from the refrigerator. Roll out the larger disk of dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 13-inch round about ⅛ thick.
- Spray an 11-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom with baking spray. Gently wrap the dough over the rolling pin and place it over the tart pan; release the rolling pin and let the dough fall into the tart pan. Press the dough softly into the bottom of the tart pan. If some of the dough breaks while you press it into the tart pan, not a problem. Simply piece the dough together.
- Press the sides of the dough about ½ inch up the side of the tart pan. The rim of the tart should be lined with a slightly thicker layer of pastry than the bottom (about ¼-inch thick).
- Place this tart pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (or even longer if necessary) to chill.
- When the dough is chilled and ready to fill, remove the tart pan from the refrigerator and prick the pastry bottom with a fork a few times.
- Pour the filling gently into the crostata. Flatten it out with a spoon or a spatula. Roll out the remaining piece of dough to ⅛-inch thickness Cut out 5 strips and place them 1 inch apart on top of the filling.
- Cut out another 5 strips and place them 1 inch apart diagonally across first strips to form a lattice design. Trim edges of all strips flush with edge of shell.
- Carefully place the crostata on top of the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 40-50 minutes at 375 F, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Let cool completely before removing from tart pan. Best eaten the first day but makes a lovely breakfast the next day.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Welcome to Pi(e) Day hosted by Terri from Love and Confections! Pi Day is celebrated every March 14 by math fans around the world - and also bakers and pastry chefs. Pi is an non-repeating, infinite number represented by the Greek letter π, and used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
Today, March 14, 2015, is an extra special Pi Day, because at 9:26:53 AM it creates the "Pi Moment of the Century". The first ten digits of Pi are 3.141592653 (3/14/15, 9:26 AM and 53 seconds). This exact date and time happens once every hundred years - a once in a lifetime moment for most of us. How cool is that?
20 Food Bloggers have gathered today and want to celebrate the fun of Pi by creating their own sweet and savory pies to share with you. Hope you have a delicious day!
Enjoy a slice from the Pi(e) Day Bloggers:
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