Savoury herbed ricotta cheese fritters are pan fried until golden brown on the outside and soft and cheesy on the inside, enjoy as an easy and delicious antipasto or snack.
These simple ricotta cheese fritters, or frittatine, come together in minutes (aside from the time it takes to drain the ricotta) to create a soft cheesy fritter with a golden exterior.
Whether you serve ricotta fritters as an appetizer or enjoy as a quick snack, you won't be able to stop after only one!
This recipe is perfect if you have some ricotta hanging around in the fridge and need to use it up! Or of course, you can also impress everyone by whipping up a batch of my easy homemade ricotta recipe to make these Italian fritters.
I also plan on testing this recipe with my dairy free ricotta recipe, but if you give it a try before I do, please let me know how they turn out!
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Ricotta Cheese Fritters Ingredient List
- Ricotta cheese: preferably from whole milk, drained in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or even over night.
- Grated cheese: I use a combination of Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano cheeses but you can stick to only one type if you prefer.
- Freshly chopped parsley: or herb of your choice including oregano, thyme or basil.
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
Savoury Ricotta Cheese Fritters
- Place the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve, place over a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until well drained.
- Place the drained ricotta in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients (except for the olive oil). Stir well to combine.
- Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your pan (about 3 tbsps.) over medium heat. Use two spoons to drop a heaping tablespoonful of ricotta mixture in the hot pan. Use the back of the spoon to flatten the fritters slightly. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook 3-4 at a time.
- Cook for 3 minutes, until golden, flip and cook the opposite side for 3 additional minutes. If the pan is dry add more olive oil before frying the next batch of fritters.
Top Tips
- If your first batch of fritters falls apart when you try to flip them over, add an extra tablespoon of flour to your mixture. It may be too that your ricotta is too watery.
- Do not make them too big or they will be difficult to flip over.
- Do not flatten the mixture too much, if the fritters are too thin they will be difficult to flip and may fall apart.
- Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil. If not serving immediately place the fritters on a baking sheet in a 200 degrees F preheated oven to keep warm.
- Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. When hot right out of the pan they are more delicate when handled.
Recipe FAQs
-Add other herbs in place of parsley such as fresh basil, oregano or thyme.
-A small amount of freshly grated lemon zest (about 1 tsp.) gives these fritters a lovely fresh flavor!
Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven before serving.
Due to the delicate nature of these fritters and the tendency for frozen ricotta to become watery, I do not recommend freezing ricotta fritters.
-Your ricotta may not have drained long enough. Add an additional tbsp. or 2 of flour as needed.
-Keep them small (use about 1 heaping tablespoonful per fritter). They will be easier to flip.
-Don't over flatten your fritters. If they are too thin they may breadk apart when flipped.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how much you enjoyed it in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
More delicious Italian ricotta recipes!
Savoury Ricotta Cheese Fritters
Ingredients
- 475 grams whole milk ricotta cheese about 2 cups
- ½ cup Parmigiano and Pecorino Romano cheeses combined grated
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsps. freshly chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
- 5 tbsps. all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsps. olive oil for frying, plus extra as needed
Instructions
- Place the ricotta in a fine mesh sieve, place over a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or even over night) until well drained.
- Place the drained ricotta in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients (except for the olive oil). Stir well to combine.
- Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your pan over medium heat (I used 3 tbsps.) Use two spoons to drop a heaping tablespoonful of ricotta mixture in the hot pan. Use the back of the spoon to flatten the fritters slightly (about ¾ cm thickness. Do not overcrowd the pan, fry 3-4 at a time.
- Tip: If your first batch of fritters falls apart when you try to flip them over, add an extra tablespoon of flour to your mixture. It may be too that your ricotta is too watery.
- Cook for 3 minutes, until golden, flip and cook the opposite side for 3 additional minutes. If the pan is dry add more olive oil before frying the next batch of fritters.
- Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil. If not serving immediately place the fritters on a baking sheet in a 200 degrees F preheated oven to keep warm.
- Let sit for about 5 minutes befores serving. When hot right out of the pan they are more delicate when handled.
Notes
-A small amount of freshly grated lemon zest (about 1 tsp.) gives these fritters a lovely fresh flavor! Storage: Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven before serving.
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