This Italian lemon ricotta bruschetta is made with a creamy ricotta cheese with the flavors of lemon, honey, and fresh basil. It’s fresh, bright and a lovely spring and summer appetizer, perfect for any party! It’s a pretty presentation and a super easy recipe to make.

EASY Ricotta Lemon Basil Honey Bruschetta

The sweet-honey, salty, and savory flavors combined with the a smooth texture on crispy baguettes, makes this a delicious gourmet appetizer. Savory lemon appetizers are the best, and so fresh for summer with basil.

Lemon Ricotta Bruschetta

This Lemon Ricotta Bruschetta with basil and honey has now become one of our favorite appetizers to serve, mostly in spring and summer (hello, lemon and fresh basil). Honestly, it’s great throughout the year, too! This recipe was inspired by Food52, and a recipe by Martha Stewart Living in 2010. Yes, way back then.

Read more: Lemon Ricotta Bruschetta
Ricotta Lemon Basil Honey Bruschetta

Why I love this recipe

  • It’s perfect for summer.
  • Light and fresh and easy to assemble (make the crostini ahead).
  • Screams summer with the fresh basil, and optional to add a little lemon zest!
BEST Ricotta Lemon Basil Honey Bruschetta

What is bruschetta?

Typically, to make bruschetta you need 4 basic ingredients: bread, garlic, salt, and olive oil.

Bruschetta (pronounced broo-skeh-tah, not broo-shedda) is a toasted Italian bread drenched in a good olive oil, either in small slices (above), or you can cut a loaf of bread in half and toast it that way, too.

Originally it was served with garlic or tomatoes–pretty basic (and delicious if you’ve ever been to Italy). It can also be served with chopped olives, vegetables, beans, cheese or cured meats (think charcuterie).

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Ricotta Lemon Basil Honey Bruschetta - how to ricotta

Gather these ingredients 

What makes this recipe so excellent is using quality ingredeints. 

  • Baguette bread, sliced and toasted
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh ricotta cheese
  • Lemon
  • Basil leaves (fresh)
  • Honey
Ricotta Lemon Basil Honey Bruschetta - crostini

How to Lemon Ricotta Bruschetta

  1. Preheat oven to broil; lightly toast one side of the baguette toasts for about a minute. Turn over, drizzle with olive oil. Toast again until lightly brown.
  2. Mix fresh ricotta with lemon zest, and spread onto toasts.
  3. Add a few basil leaves; drizzle with honey. Serve!
Ricotta Lemon Basil Honey Bruschetta - how to make crostini

Tips and substitutions:

  • Look for a premier sweet and creamy ricotta cheese, is what my friend Judy told me. When shopping, if you don’t know, ask someone for help! 
  • Lemon zest is everything in this recipe … so light and delicate and fresh!
  • For this recipe, we are leaving out the garlic (the traditional way to make bruschetta), for a sweeter spin on the appetizer!
  • Optional to use a sprinkle of dried basil, but it won’t taste quite as fresh.
Ricotta Lemon Basil Honey Bruschetta - spreading ricotta

Honey adds a nice touch and doesn’t overpower the basil or ricotta. 

Tasty Ricotta Lemon Basil Honey Bruschetta

Summer dinner party

We served buffet style inside, and enjoyed our meal at sunset. It was a beautiful night, with a magical summer light peeking through the trees. [Our backyard a few years ago in southern Oregon.] I loved setting out a platter of these Italian Lemon Ricotta Bruschetta bites!

For more appetizers, try our Whipped Lemon Ricotta DIp, and serve with grilled chicken thighs, a summer pasta salad, and a loaf of dill bread. Delish!

Ricotta with Lemon, Basil, and Honey Bruschetta - Mackenzie-Childs

More ricotta lemon recipes to try:

Ricotta with Lemon, Basil, and Honey Bruschetta
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Get the Recipe:

Lemon Ricotta Bruschetta

Sandy Coughlin
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 loaf baguette bread, sliced and toasted
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
  • 1 lemon, zest
  • 2 Tbsp. basil leaves
  • Honey, for drizzling

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to broil; lightly toast one side of the baguette toasts for about a minute. Turn over, drizzle with olive oil. Toast again until lightly brown.
  • Mix fresh ricotta with lemon zest, and spread onto toasts.
  • Add a few basil leaves; drizzle with honey. Serve!

Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart. Originally posted on RE July 2014.
Cuisine: Italian
Course: Appetizer
Calories: 190kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 331mg, Potassium: 135mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 457IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 144mg, Iron: 2mg
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