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What to do with Leftover Ricotta Cheese – Sweet & Savoury Recipes

by Jolina 66 Comments [This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Terms of Use for more information.]

Ever wondered what to do with leftover ricotta cheese? Here are 27 delicious ideas! From desserts to mains to sides, these recipes will make you want to have leftover ricotta cheese all the time.

What to do with Leftover Ricotta Cheese


Last week when I shared my recipe for Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake, I realized I’m always searching for ways to use up leftover ingredients from other recipes.

So thought I’d do a series of round-ups myself! Starting with these recipes that help you decide what to do with leftover ricotta cheese.

What to do with leftover ricotta cheese? Bake something fruity

Ricotta cheese is more widely known for savoury dishes but it also shines in baked goods. It makes cakes, bars and cookies soft, most and just delightful!

Lemon and ricotta is a popular combination, like my pound cake and these Lemon Ricotta Muffins.

What to do with Leftover Ricotta Cheese

But lemon is not the only fruit you can pair it with. It also goes well with plums (just look at this beautiful Plum Tart with Ricotta Cheese and Greek Yogurt from Happy Foods Tube)…

What to do with Leftover Ricotta Cheese

…and blueberries (check out my super easy-to-make Fresh Blueberry Ricotta Bars).

What to do with Leftover Ricotta Cheese

This Strawberry Ricotta Cake is pretty fantastic too!

Strawberry Ricotta Cake

Strawberry Ricotta Cake

Want something really fruity and amazing? Make this Grapefruit Roasted Pears with Ricotta and Pistachios from Mommy’s Home Cooking.

What to do with Leftover Ricotta Cheese

Or bake something chocolatey

If you’re not in the mood for fruit, ricotta is friends with chocolate too! Try this chocolatey Chocolate Ricotta Muffins.

What to do with Leftover Ricotta Cheese

If you really want to go for it, Cake Whiz made these Ricotta Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies that’s just to-die for.

What to do with Leftover Ricotta Cheese

(Up next – don’t feel like dessert? Make savoury ricotta dishes!)

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Filed Under: Recipe Round-ups, Recipes

Previous Post: « How to Make Fresh Lemon Ginger Tea
Next Post: White Chocolate Pistachio Cookies (step-by-step photos) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Adele says

    March 3, 2018 at 10:57 am

    I bookmarked this a long time ago since I always have ricotta leftover but since then I never had any ha! Now I do and I don’t know what to make first. Maybe I will bake some muffins and scones this weekend.

    Reply
  2. Leslee says

    January 19, 2018 at 6:52 pm

    I am so happy I found your blog. I have a lots of ricotta cheese that I don’t know what to do with! This is definitly a great list. Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Ruthie Davis says

    January 16, 2018 at 3:45 am

    This is excellent and so useful. We consume ricotta cheese on a regular basis.

    Reply
  4. Eileen Kelly says

    March 7, 2017 at 1:53 am

    I had to pin this because I always have leftover ricotta. It ends up getting thrown out and one of my goals is to stop wasting food and better use. These are fantastic ideas.

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      March 7, 2017 at 8:50 pm

      I hate throwing out extra ingredients too. Not a very practical way to go about things. Hope you find something in here you like!

      Reply
  5. Sasha says

    March 6, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    This is a really cool idea! Love ideas that reduce waste 🙂

    Reply
  6. Claire says

    March 5, 2017 at 8:23 pm

    I love this! Ricotta is one of those things I don’t use often, and when I do, I always seem to have some leftover that I don’t know what to do with.

    Reply
  7. Anvita says

    March 2, 2017 at 4:18 pm

    This is a lovely collection of recipes. I often use ricotta cheese , too bad I barely have any left overs.

    Reply
  8. Aarika says

    March 2, 2017 at 1:55 pm

    I love this post! There are so many incredible ways to use ricotta. The plum tart is calling my name! =)

    Reply
  9. Dominique says

    March 2, 2017 at 12:11 pm

    So many great ideas here! Thanks for posting…. ricotta is the best!

    Reply
  10. Krysten says

    March 1, 2017 at 2:29 pm

    I always buy ricotta for one recipe and then have nothing to do with it afterwards. This is a great list of recipes!

    Reply
  11. Denisse says

    March 1, 2017 at 1:10 pm

    SUCH great ideas! Seems like I can never go through an entire container of ricotta so I’ll definitely have to try out some of these recipes

    Reply
  12. Tiffany VanSickle says

    March 1, 2017 at 12:56 pm

    I don’t know that i’ve ever used a recipe that didn’t call for the whole tub, but now I am inspired to try some of these! They look so good!

    Reply
  13. Maggie Unzueta says

    March 1, 2017 at 11:49 am

    I need to buy ricotta just to have the leftovers. 🙂 Thanks for the recipes.

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      March 2, 2017 at 10:11 pm

      LOL I think that’s a great idea 🙂

      Reply
  14. JoAn says

    March 1, 2017 at 11:33 am

    Um, can I try all of these please?! LOL. I love anything with ricotta in it. Those pears are on my weekend list!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      March 2, 2017 at 10:12 pm

      It’s all so overwhelming isn’t it?? So many delicious recipes! I say let’s try them all! 🙂

      Reply
  15. Jenny says

    March 1, 2017 at 11:14 am

    I love this round up! I often make ricotta at home for something specific, and there is extra. Now I have lots of recipes to try 🙂

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      March 2, 2017 at 10:13 pm

      Nice! I need to learn to make homemade ricotta 🙂 Hope you find recipe inspiration here Jenny!

      Reply
  16. Bonnie says

    March 1, 2017 at 9:50 am

    These are great ideas, I hate wasting stuff like that!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      March 2, 2017 at 10:17 pm

      Thanks! And me too, they are not exactly cheap! So we try to use every last bit of it 🙂

      Reply
  17. Natanja says

    March 1, 2017 at 9:40 am

    What a beautiful collection!
    I’ve never tried ricotta in sweet recipes but now I’m motivated to do so 🙂

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      March 2, 2017 at 10:19 pm

      Hi Natanja! So very happy to hear from you my friend 🙂 And you know me and my sweet tooth haha. Ricotta is lovely with baked goods. Hope you get to try it one day soon!

      Reply
  18. Pamela says

    March 1, 2017 at 8:45 am

    Really rather special recipes – gotta try that plum tart!

    Reply
  19. Cait Weingartner says

    March 1, 2017 at 7:15 am

    Thanks for sharing these great ideas. All these years I’ve been just eating the leftover ricotta with a spoon!
    Now I’ll actually use it to make something delicious.

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      March 2, 2017 at 10:20 pm

      LOL I’ve done that (still do!). And it is a perfectly acceptable way to using leftover ricotta IMO 🙂

      Reply
  20. shannon says

    February 28, 2017 at 6:31 pm

    I never would have thought to use the leftovers for baking!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:27 pm

      I love ricotta as a baking ingredient. Makes for delightful baked goods! Hope you get to try it someday soon Shannon!

      Reply
  21. Karyl says

    February 28, 2017 at 3:47 pm

    I always hate buying an ingredient I don’t normally use just for one recipe, because I never know what to do with the rest. These are some great tips of what to do with leftover ricotta cheese. I’ll have to give a few of these a try.

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:28 pm

      Me too. I hate wasting food! We’ve gotten creative and I hope this helps inspire you to create amazing ricotta dishes! 🙂

      Reply
  22. Kimberly says

    February 28, 2017 at 1:18 pm

    There are so many tasty looking recipes on this list. I think the pasta group is probably my favorite. You can never go wrong with warm, cheesy, gooey pasta. They all sound fabulous!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:30 pm

      I knew you’d like the pasta round-up Kimberly 🙂 And I agree, so many incredible choices! Where to start, right?? 🙂 (a.k.a. happy problem)

      Reply
  23. Betty Davies says

    February 28, 2017 at 5:15 am

    A great roundup! I always seem to have left over ricotta cheese in my fridge so will definitely be popping back here for some inspiration!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:39 pm

      Thanks Betty! Hope you find a recipe you like 🙂

      Reply
  24. Julia says

    February 28, 2017 at 4:17 am

    So many delicious ideas! That Grapefruit roasted pears with ricotta and pistachios sounds so interesting. Thanks for including me!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:40 pm

      My pleasure! Your plum tart looks fantastic 🙂

      Reply
  25. Umberta says

    February 28, 2017 at 3:25 am

    I wanna try these ricotta cookies!

    Reply
  26. Mini says

    February 27, 2017 at 11:25 pm

    Great recipes and awesome photography. Really the photos look so nice.

    Reply
  27. Ursula says

    February 27, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    Fresh blueberry ricotta bars for me please. I think I remember my family loved blueberry ricotta bars first time I made it.

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:46 pm

      Absolutely! I’m delighted to hear you and your family liked it. Hope you get to try the other recipes in the roundup!

      Reply
  28. Vicki says

    February 27, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    Love these ideas! I hate when I have extra ricotta left over and nothing to do with it! Thank you for giving me some ideas!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:46 pm

      Thanks Vicki! I hate that too, for any ingredient. Food waste is horrible. Hope you find inspiration here 🙂

      Reply
  29. Jeanine says

    February 27, 2017 at 9:28 pm

    Wow so many options! I will have to give a lot of these a try! So good, especially the savoury dishes. Oh my tummy!

    Reply
  30. Jessica says

    February 27, 2017 at 8:17 pm

    Those are great ideas! I always have leftover ricotta!

    Reply
  31. Divya says

    February 27, 2017 at 7:34 pm

    I had no idea you could make all these treats with ricotta! I never want to buy ricotta because it comes in such a big tub, but I LOVE these ideas!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:25 pm

      That tub’s massive isn’t it? HAHA! So it’s not just me then lol. Thanks Divya!

      Reply
  32. CourtneyLynne says

    February 27, 2017 at 7:30 pm

    Ooo so much yumminess!!! ricotta cheese is definitely one thing o never know what to do with besides lasagna so I will have to keep these recipes in mind

    Reply
  33. Annemarie LeBlanc says

    February 27, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    Everything looks so good! I wish I could grab one of those goodies off of my computer screen. I’d probably try to make the Lemon Ricotta Muffins and Grapefruit Roasted Pears with Ricotta and Pistachios. They look absolutely divine!

    Reply
  34. Ada says

    February 27, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    Wow all those cakes looks fantastic! Now I wanna go to shop and get some cheese to bake this cakes !! 🙂 especially this is my favourite cheese 🙂 thank you for sharing those!

    Reply
  35. Neely Moldovan says

    February 27, 2017 at 4:37 pm

    My husband loes Ricotta! He puts it on everything. He would love this!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:22 pm

      Nice! Hope you guys find a recipe here you like 🙂

      Reply
  36. Elle says

    February 27, 2017 at 4:13 pm

    Excellent round-up! Those Grapefruit Roasted Pears with Ricotta and Pistachios look to die for!

    Reply
  37. Jenny says

    February 27, 2017 at 4:04 pm

    WOW… yum yum yum! I’m all over this. Thanks for sharing this tip, I’m going to have to try some of these myself, especially the Grapefruit Roasted Pears with Ricotta and Pistachios!!!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:20 pm

      Oh yeah those Grapefruit Roasted Pears look especially delicious! And grapefruits are in season so yay 🙂

      Reply
  38. carlos says

    February 27, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    Excellent post and perfect for me because I have asked this question before in (Google). I will save this post for the next time I have the same question. Thanks

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:19 pm

      Hi Carlos! Hahaha yeah me too, Google is my friend 🙂 Thanks for saving! Hope it inspires you next time you have extra ricotta laying around 🙂

      Reply
  39. lisa says

    February 27, 2017 at 3:17 pm

    Oh my yumminess I’m drooling over here! Who knew there was so much deliciousness to be made with leftover ricotta!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:17 pm

      I know! A whole world of ricotta opened up 🙂 And I’m already a huge fan so I’m a happy camper. Hope you find a recipe you like Lisa! I’d love to hear about how it goes.

      Reply
  40. Chastity says

    February 27, 2017 at 1:26 pm

    I have to make the chocolate ricotta muffins! And I think I have all the ingredients to make today:)

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:14 pm

      Nice! I’m excited for you 🙂 Hope you guys like it! I would love to hear how it goes.

      Reply
  41. maria Long says

    February 27, 2017 at 1:13 pm

    OMg I have half a container leftover right now. Thanks for the great tips. we make cannolis sometimes.

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:13 pm

      Awesome! Hope you find a recipe you can make and love 🙂 Cannolis sound wonderful!

      Reply
  42. Sarah says

    February 27, 2017 at 12:43 pm

    This is fabulous!!! I never use up the whole container with one recipe!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:13 pm

      Right? I almost never have the exact ratio of ingredient to recipe haha. Thanks Sarah! Hope you find something in here you like!

      Reply
  43. Dawn says

    February 27, 2017 at 8:10 am

    Or you could always drizzle some honey on there and dip and spoon in and way to go, lol 😀 Seriously, though, all these recipes sounds fabulous! I love ricotta in baking; it certainly adds a lovely moist factor, ya know? That grapefruit roasted pear looks deadly….and so does those blueberry ricotta bars. Totally getting hungry now!! Happy Monday, Jolina!

    Reply
    • Jolina says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:12 pm

      Oh yeah, we’ve totally done that too! It’s hard to stop haha. And I agree it is such a great ingredient in baking. I’d put it on everything I bake if I could. Thanks Dawn! Hope you’re having a lovely week!

      Reply

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