Baked Lemon Ricotta Dip with Blackberries + Honey
Baked Lemon Ricotta Dip with Blackberries + Honey marries sweet + savory for an easy and unexpected appetizer. Serve it all summer while blackberries are in season along with a cool, crisp drink!
Baked Lemon Ricotta Dip for Summer Soirées
As far as dips go, cheesy dips are THE BEST! I might be cheese biased.
How can you resist warm, gooey cheese with hints of lemon and garlic? That alone, on a slice of baguette, is heaven. And then…top it with a jammy blackberry and drizzle of honey…and it suddenly goes in another direction and you’re like, what?!
So, imagine a warm summer night with friends, gathered around your patio table, sipping on berry sangria…and you plunk this down with a basket of crackers and bread. Compliments ensue and you reply with ‘Oh, it’s just a little something I whipped up.’ (Quite literally.)
Nice, right?! 😉
What You Need to Make Baked Lemon Ricotta Dip
- The cheese — I know this recipe says ricotta, but we’re actually using a combo of whole milk ricotta and fresh goat cheese, both for their creaminess and for their distinct qualities of sweet vs. tangy.
- Fresh thyme — because I use thyme in everything. OK…not really. But, almost. It’s just lovely, ok? And, compliments all the other flavors.
- Garlic — just one clove for a subtle hint.
- Lemon — zest and juice to brighten the entire dish.
- Blackberries — fresh, ripe blackberries are so delish, but when you bake them, they get jammy and even more sweet and they’re so good.
- Honey — this is a classic with blue cheeses, but it’s so good with both ricotta and goat cheese, too.
- The supporting players — an egg (for a little extra structure), coarse salt (kosher or sea salt) and fresh cracked black pepper.
How Easy Is This To Make?
Very easy.
- Dump everything (except the berries and honey) into a food processor and let it zip for a couple of minutes to get really creamy cheese.
- Pour that into a prepared baking dish and drop the blackberries on top. Bake it for 30 minutes so it gets kind of brown around the edges.
- Drizzle honey all over it, maybe garnish with a few little sprigs of thyme, and serve.
Related video: watch how to make this ricotta dip in this Instagram Reel!
You Might Be Wondering…
My go-to is definitely toasted slices of crusty bread. ALL the crackers are good. Pita chips. Even apple slices or wedges would be delish! Bookend your meal with more lemony goodness with some Lemon Icebox Cookies for dessert!
You can certainly cover tightly and store in the fridge for a couple of days. Warm it gently in the microwave. It won’t be as good as it is fresh out of the oven, but if you need a little afternoon nosh while standing over your kitchen sink, it won’t disappoint.
For sure! Blend the ingredients, pour into a baking dish, top with blackberries, then STOP! Cover and refrigerate. Bake it later, when you’re ready to serve, and finish it with honey + garnish.
Certainly! You can use a handheld electric mixer, or a sturdy whisk or a silicon spatula. The food processor will simply get it the most smooth and creamy.
More Great Appetizers to Share With Friends!
- Baked Hawaiian Roll Sliders with Chorizo + Cheese
- Pesto Bread Wreath with Warm Sun-Dried Tomato Goat Cheese Spread
- Basil + Lemon Burrata with Ciabatta Toasts
- Easy Homemade Hummus (Three Ways!)
- Goat + Gouda Pimento Cheese Spread
- Cranberry Jalapeño Dip
Baked Lemon Ricotta Dip with Blackberries + Honey
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounce whole milk ricotta cheese
- 4 ounce fresh goat cheese, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 6 ounce blackberries
- 2 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Spritz a 9" oval baking dish with cooking spray. (Any shallow baking dish with at least a 3-cup volume will do.)
- Add the ricotta + goat cheeses, egg, all the lemon zest and 1 tsp of lemon juice, thyme, salt and several grinds of black pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Blend for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Pour into the baking dish.
- Distribute the blackberries over the top of the ricotta. Bake for 30 minutes until the blackberries are saucy and the cheese is bubbly.
- Drizzle with honey and garnish with additional thyme and coarse salt. Serve with toasted bread or crackers.
Video
Nutrition
Pin for Later! Baked Lemon Ricotta Dip with Blackberries + Honey
I made this last night and it was sooo good! Can’t wait to warm it up and have some later today too. I think I might try it with blueberries some time and see how that turns out but I loved the blackberries. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you, Suzanne! Blueberry season is up on us…great idea! I would almost be tempted to swap the quantities of goat cheese and ricotta when using blueberries, but that’s a personal thing.
I don’t have fresh blackberries, so I plan to replace it and the honey with dollops of artisanal jam (maybe several different flavors?). I also plan to replace the fresh thyme with dried. Would 1 teaspoon be a good swap?
Great idea, Jasmine! As a general rule, 1 tsp dried herbs : 1 tbsp fresh herbs…so that makes sense! I’d give your dried thyme a sniff and if it’s very strong and woody smelling, consider even less than 1 tsp. Definitely skip it as a garnish. Let me know how the dip turns out with artisanal jam! Sounds yummy!
Can you replace goat cheese with feta, not a fan of goat cheese?
Absolutely! It may alter the texture ever so slightly since it’s not as soft, but it’s a great way to add that tangy cheese element. I would definitely recommend the block style feta (& crumble it yourself); allow it to sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes before using.