These whipped ricotta crostini are a fun and very cute appetizer that everyone will love! Super simple to make, they are full of flavour and perfect for entertaining.
These fun little crostini with ricotta combine creamy fresh cheese with honey, lots of herbs and a little apple cider vinegar for a bit of a tang. These couldn't be more simple to make, and will definitely impress guests when entertaining!
For a holiday themed idea, my cranberry cream cheese toasts are so good too!
This recipe was inspired by my whipped ricotta dip with honey and herbs. While you can enjoy the dip with crudites and crackers, having a version of that dip to spread on crostini is a touch more elegant as a vegetarian appetizer (or a snack if you're feeling fancy!).
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Why this recipe is so good
The perfect balance of creamy and sweet. We add honey and a little apple juice to the fresh cheese, which makes it so delightfully rich. Herbs add that fragrant touch to complement it.
Cute and fun. Appetizers need to have a touch of fun in my opinion, and these ricotta crostini can be topped with herbs, vegetables or fruit of your choice for a cute finger food idea.
Super simple to make. With just a little cook time, and a bit of a blend in the food processor, these crostini come together very quickly.
Ingredients
All the ingredients for these whipped ricotta crostini, as well as their quantities, are in the recipe card below. A few pointers on some of them:
- Ricotta - I suggest buying plain rather than a pre-flavoured version, and of course, as fresh as possible.
- Honey - the runny liquid honey rather than set honey.
- Herbs - I suggest rosemary and thyme, but basil, coriander and parsley are all good too!
- Apple juice - this may seem a little odd, but it gives a nice hint of sweetness.
- Apple cider vinegar - optional, but does add a tang to balance out the creamy cheese.
- Olive oil - I suggest using extra virgin olive oil for a better depth of flavour.
Swaps and variations
Swap baguette for rice cakes. Ok, so it means they aren't crostini as such, but I know some of my readers aren't able to tolerate bread. You can still enjoy the whipped ricotta on rice cakes with other fun toppings!
Swap apple cider vinegar for lemon juice. If it is suitable for you (perhaps not my low histamine readers), then you can use lemon juice in place of the vinegar. Alternatively, leave out both altogether.
Choose fresh herbs of your choice. I like rosemary and thyme as I think they work so well with the honey, but choose those you like best!
Step by step instructions
With very little 'hands on' time, these whipped ricotta toasts come together very easily! Just a few steps:
Step 1
Slice your baguette into pieces approximately ½ inch thick, on a slight diagonal if you like (image 1).
Step 2
Place the baguette slices on a lined baking tray and then brush each slice, both sides, with a little olive oil (image 2).
Recipe tip: using a pastry brush works great to brush the baguette in olive oil!
Step 3
Combine the ricotta, honey, olive oil, herbs, apple juice, apple cider vinegar (if using) salt and black pepper in a food processor. Blend until it has a 'whipped' consistency (image 3).
Recipe tip: dice the herbs a little before adding to the food processor, particularly rosemary. I find that it has a bit of trouble blending them when whole leaves.
Step 4
Allow the baguette slices to cool, then spoon on the whipped ricotta and add any toppings you fancy!
Recipe tips and notes
Slice the baguette fairly finely. I suggest about ½ inch thick, so they are more a delicate toast rather than a big sandwich!
Dice the herbs before blending. Perhaps it is my older food processor, but it has a hard time dicing more woody herbs such as rosemary so it is better to dice before adding.
Get creative with toppings! Have fun deciding which to choose, or perhaps the kids would like to help as well!
Suggested toppings
Most fruits, vegetables and herbs would work well, including radish and cucumber, as in the pictures. Fresh fruit such as sliced blueberries would also be delicious!
Equipment needed
Food processor - to blend the ricotta.
Sharp knife - to slice the baguette.
Pastry brush - to brush olive oil onto the baguette.
More appetizers
From warm appetizers such as my ginger Brussels sprouts and herb cream cheese stuffed mini peppers, to dips such as my cauliflower hummus, there are many to choose from here on the blog! Some recent recipes:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating if you have tried the recipe!
Recipe
Whipped ricotta crostini
Equipment
- Food processor
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
For the baguette slices
- 1 half-sized French baguette sliced into ½ inch slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the whipped ricotta topping
- ¾ cup ricotta
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon fresh herbs (I suggest using rosemary and thyme)
- 1 tablespoon apple juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar optional, or lemon juice if suitable
- ½ garlic clove
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 180C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Slice the baguette into thin slices (about ½ inch thick).
- Place the baguette slices on the baking tray and brush with olive oil each side. Grill for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway if you can.
- Add the ricotta, honey, herbs, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt and black pepper to a food processor and blend until it becomes 'whipped' in texture. Takes around a minute.
- Once cooled, spoon the whipped ricotta onto the baguette slices and top with fruits, vegetables or herbs of your choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Slice the bread to around ½ inch thick so it is a small serving suitable as an appetizer.
- Using a pastry brush works well to brush the baguette with olive oil.
- I suggest dicing the herbs a little before adding to the food processing to ease the blending process.
- If bread doesn't work for you, then rice cakes is an alternative!
- bread, for which wheat scores 1. Bread is debated in terms of histamine, particularly given other ingredients present.
- apple cider vinegar, which scores 1.
- garlic, which scores 1.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
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