It’s the final push! Christmas is nearly here, with New Year’s hot on its heels. Whether you’ve checked your list once, twice, or are reading this and thinking, “List? What list?” today’s Honey Ricotta Dip with Pistachio and Apricot is here to be your appetizer bestie. It’s sweet, creamy, and qualifies as my favorite kind of party recipe: one that looks and tastes impressive but is secretly a total snap to prepare.
This sweet ricotta cream cheese dip recipe came to be in the 15 minutes of panic I have before every party I host.
In the moments leading up to my guests’ arrival, I am seized with a single, nagging fear: what if, despite all my preparations, potluck assignments, and counting/recounting of the guests, we run out of food. The horror!
The party in question was Friendsgiving, and despite the fact that I’d roasted a 21-pound turkey and had 14 friends bringing sides, I was worried about the appetizers. I only had a cheeseboard planned and (gasp!), we didn’t even have a dip.
No self-respecting party should be without dip.
In a moment of inspiration fueled by desperation, I turned to my refrigerator and spied cream cheese and ricotta sitting innocently on the top shelf. I mixed the two together with a bit of honey, folded in some dried apricots I had lurking in the pantry, and then drizzled more honey on top.
It was good, but it lacked crunch.
The toasted pistachios I’d set aside for the cheeseboard were the answer. I sprinkled a handful on top, tried a bite, and…
HEAVEN.
This creamy honey ricotta dip is one of the most unique, delicious appetizers I’ve served at a party.
In the end, we had far too much food, but no one regretted spoiling a little of their appetites on the dip, least of all the hostess.
How to Serve This Ricotta Dip
- Ricotta Dip with Crackers. I’ve made this ricotta honey appetizer recipe a few times since, and after thorough testing with different varieties of crackers, my friends and I agreed that simple thin, buttery crackers like many of these taste best.
- Because their flavor is mild, butter crackers allow the flavor of the cream cheese, honey, and apricots to shine. I wouldn’t recommend a wheaty or nutty cracker. Though those are my favorites for cheeseboards, this cold ricotta dip fares better paired with something lighter.
- Ricotta Dip with Baguette Slices. I haven’t tested it yet, but in addition to being served as a cream cheese dip with crackers, I also think this recipe would be outstanding spread on thinly toasted baguette slices, similar to a ricotta and honey bruschetta.
- Ricotta Dip with Honey on Toast. If you have any ricotta dip leftover, it would also make an excellent upgrade to the classic Italian combo of ricotta cheese and honey on toast. Post holiday breakfast perhaps?
Make Ahead Tips
- To Make Ahead. Prepare dip base up to 2 days in advance. Top with pistachios and final drizzle of honey just before serving.
More Easy, Elegant Appetizer Recipes
This will be my last recipe post before Christmas. No matter what holiday you celebrate, I hope it’s warm and wonderful. Wishing you many blessings and special time with family and friends. <3
Honey Ricotta Dip with Pistachio and Apricot
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 8 ounces part-skim ricotta at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons honey divided
- Pinch kosher salt
- ½ cup dried apricot halves finely diced
- ¼ cup shelled roasted, and salted pistachios, chopped
- Buttery entertainment-style crackers for serving
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, ricotta, 2 tablespoons honey, and salt until smooth. Taste and add additional salt or honey as desired. Gently stir in the apricots.
- Transfer to a serving dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle with pistachios and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon honey. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Make-ahead tip: Prepare dip base up to 2 days in advance. Top with pistachios and final drizzle of honey just before serving.
Nutrition
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This looks fabulous!! I love ricotta, and the combo with apricot, honey, and pistachios is one of the best. Awesome recipe! Sometimes the best ones come from our throw-together experiments, huh?
That’s right, Kori! Thank you so much!
I don’t host parties and don’t eat dips, BUT this recipe is one I’m saving, because it a) sounds really delicious and b) it would make a great snack. It’s less “fluffy” than straight carb snacks. I think the hard part would be to eat only a reasonable amount… I wish you and Ben a wonderful holiday season.
That always is the hard part, Susan! I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season too!
I make a very simple honey ricotta dip, but never with the additional accouterments you have included. Can’t wait to test out this version!! Have a very merry Christmas/Holiday!!
I hope you love it, Danielle! Happy holidays to you too!
OH MY GOODNESS! This dip sounds heavenly
Hope you had a wonderful holiday. We had the celebration here and I made 4 different kinds of soup and also a variety of breads, etc. Your Irish Soda Bread Muffins were a HUGE hit. This is my new go-to muffin recipe! Happy New Year – stay safe and warm (it was 2 here today – yikes!).
Chris, I’m so glad to hear the muffins were a hit! Happy New Year!
I made this dip for Christmas Eve with my family (we do an assortment of appetizers instead of dinner). It was a hit and several people asked for the recipe! I did end up subbing out pecans for the pistachios (the grocery store was out, and of course I waited until the last minute), but the flavor was still top-notch. Thanks for another great recipe!
Bailey, I’m thrilled to hear the recipe was a hit for your family on Christmas Eve! Thanks so much for giving it a try and for taking the time to share how it went!
I made this recipe for something different for a holiday party. It was a hit!! I made it exactly as written and it was delicious. Will definitely make this again! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Whooo hooo Ashle! I’m so happy to hear this. Thanks for trying the recipe and taking time to leave this wonderful review!
Have you ever tried serving this warm?
Hi Pat, I have not served this warm and am not sure if I’d recommend it. Ricotta doesn’t get melty and gooey the way other cheeses do, so I think this one really would be best enjoyed cold.
This was super easy and delicious! I added the zest of one lemon and it was a beautiful combination of sweet, aromatic, and salty. Highly recommend!
YAY! Thank you for taking the time to leave this kind review, Valerie! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Great alone or if you add some apricot preserves as well!
So glad to hear you love this dip too Melissa. Thank you so much for sharing!
My family hates apricots, is there something else i can substitute?
Laura, you can swap a different dried fruit. Figs would be delicious!
I used the figs, magnificent! I had ricotta to use up after making lane signs…and figs from a socially distanced cocktail gathering. I toasted the pistachios in the oven to give them a little bit of smokiness, really lovely.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Melba! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Made this dip as our appetizer for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a hit! Wonderful combo of sweet and salty!
Hi Jamie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Love it! We are having a Covid positive party of 2 this year for New Years unfortunately but the appetizers must go on!!! I can’t (morally) go to the store for the apricots and pistachio, so I dug through my cabinets and found some dried cherries from kings orchard and some cashews! Although I was sad to change up the ingredients it was great!!!! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Allison! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review! Hope you get better soon!
So easy to make! Everyone loved it and it makes a nice change from the savory appetizers. I added a little more honey but taste it before adding anything so you will know it is made to your preference. I also made it one time by changing the apricot to dried cranberries and it was just as delicious as the original. I think the basic recipe will be a great base just waiting for whatever dried fruit you might want to try. Can’t wait to try other ingredients!
I paired it with Ritz’s crackers and for Thanksgiving I intend to also put out ginger snaps cookies.
Hi Connie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review and feedback!
It looks like a great recipe. It is a shame that you can’t just print it, but instead you have to print the 22 pages.
Hi Patti! I think that you are trying to hit print from your browser, which would make you print the entire blog post. The recipe only prints in one page. If you hit the “jump to recipe” button it will take you to the instructions. Then you will hit the big green print button. Hope this helps!
Made this for Christmas Eve and everyone loved it. The only issue is that I didn’t have a low wide bowl as the amount of drizzled honey and chopped pistachios was too much for a smaller diameter but deeper bowl. Didn’t matter to the guests as they didn’t know and the rest of it is just as tasty as the top.
Kerrie, I’m so glad your guests enjoyed it, thanks for sharing!
I love whipped ricotta and get it often at restaurants. I thought it was weird there was cream cheese in the recipe but went along with it anyway. I was going to bring this to a Christmas party today but in stead it went in the trash. It was totally disgusting and I would have been embarrassed to bring it. I don’t think the creator had ever had whipped ricotta. They should try it sometime and fix this recipe.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this dip, Bethany. Because this is made with cream cheese and ricotta it will be slightly different than probably what you are used to, but we love the mixture of both cheeses in this recipe and gives it an added creaminess to the texture. I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it does not turn out for you.
Took this to the January meeting of my garden group and they demolished it!! Very light and fresh to start the New Year. . . I did add extra honey (to taste) to the base. Shared the recipe with several gardeners!!
Love to hear that, CGW! Thank you!