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Home » Recipes » Dessert: Cakes

Pastiera Napoletana Recipe (Easter Ricotta Pie)

Published: Mar 20, 2021 · Modified: Aug 6, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Recipe Jump to Video
Pastiera Napoletana is a ricotta pie typically baked for Easter. The filling is made with wheat mixed with ricotta and has a distinctive flavor of the flower orange water and lemon zest.
Pastiera Napoletana is a ricotta pie typically baked for Easter. The filling is made with wheat mixed with ricotta and has a distinctive flavor of the flower orange water and lemon zest.
Pastiera Napoletana is a ricotta pie typically baked for Easter. The filling is made with wheat mixed with ricotta and has a distinctive flavor of the flower orange water and lemon zest.

Pastiera Napoletana is a ricotta pie typically eaten on Easter Sunday in most Italian southern regions. The creamy filling is a wheat berry (grano cotto) mixed with ricotta cheese and eggs flavored with orange blossom water, cinnamon, and lemon zest. This authentic Neapolitan Pastiera recipe uses pasta frolla, a flaky, light, sweet shortcrust pastry made with baking powder, a perfect delicate pastry to nest the fluffy and creamy ricotta filling.

slice of pastiera Napoletana
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Top tips
  • Storing Pastiera
  • Ricotta for Italian desserts
  • Savoury Pie Ideas
  • 📋Pastiera Napoletana Recipe (Easter Ricotta Pie)
  • Origin of this recipe

If you have Southern Italian descendants, I am sure you are familiar with this traditional Italian Easter cake.

Pastiera is a traditional Eastern Italian dessert in many Southern Italian regions where ricotta is often used in pastries like Cannoli Siciliani or Sfogliatelle Napoletane.

You can find different authentic versions of Pastiera, this one is my favorite for the following reasons:

The filling is not too sweet, and it is fluffier and creamier than other Pastiera versions, as the egg whites are whisked separately and then added to the rest of the mixture.

The pie crust is delicate and flaky as baking powder is added to the dough.

When I make this Easter pie, I skip the fruit candies, which I would rather replace with dark chocolate chips.

Note: if you plan to make this Pastiera for Easter, you can start 2 to 3 days before Easter and bake it the day before. The flavor is better the next day.

There are a lot of eggs in this Pastiera, 8 in total, which is typical for an Easter dinner. Other Easter Italian desserts made with lots of eggs are Italian Easter cookies cuzzuppe or cudduraci, or Colomba Pasquale similar to Panettone, a dessert typical from the North of Italy.

Another classic Easter Italian recipe with plenty of eggs is Italian cheese bread with Parmesan and Pecorino.

fork cutting a piece of the slice of the Pastiera

Ingredients

The Ricotta pearl barley filling

To make this ricotta pie, specific ingredients are found only in specialized Italian food shops or on Amazon (affiliate links).

  • Grano cotto: pre-cooked wheat berries are specially prepared for this type of pie and give the filling a texture similar to a creamy rice pudding. You cannot use any other type of wheat.
  • Orange flower water
  • Ricotta cheese: traditionally, sheep's milk ricotta is used in desserts. As it is not easy to find outside Italy, you can use cow milk ricotta cheese
wheat and orange blossom water

To prepare the wheat

Once you buy the wheat, mix it with other ingredients and let it rest overnight.

You can prepare the cooked grain the day before you bake the pie.

To prepare the wheat you need:

  • sugar
  • whole milk
  • butter
  • lemon zest
Ingredients for preparing the wheat of the pastiera

For the ricotta mixture

Once the wheat is ready, you need the following ingredients to finalize the fillings

  • The wheat you prepared the day before
  • Ricotta cheese: usually half cow ricotta and half sheep ricotta. If you cannot find sheep ricotta you can use cow ricotta only
  • Sugar
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 4 egg whites
  • Orange flower water
  • Cinnamon
  • Candied orange peel, candied fruit or chocolate chips (optional)
Ingredients for the ricotta filling

Short pastry Pasta Frolla

The ingredients for the sweet shortcrust pastry are:

  • sugar
  • flour
  • baking powder
  • butter at room temperature
  • eggs

Pasta frolla can be sweet or savory. To find out more, you can read the recipe: savory and sweet pasta frolla

Ingredient for pasta frolla

Instructions

 Preparing the Wheat

Prepare the wheat the day before:

  1. Bring to boil the wheat with sugar, butter, and the milk
  2. Simmer at low heat for 10 minutes
  3. Move it into a bowl and let it cool down at room temperature
the wheat mix in the pot

Making the pasta frolla dough

This quantity of pastry dough is enough for a 9 in - 22 cm D / 2.8 in - 7 cm H baking pan with removable bottom.

  1. First, mix all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, and baking powder
  2. Then add all the wet ingredients and mix in a food processor until the dough is formed
  3. Put the dough on a well-floured surface and cut ⅓
  4. Keep ⅓ of the pastry aside for the top
  5. Roll the remaining dough to make the base of the pie
  6. Butter and flour the baking pan
Prepare the pastry dough

Preparing the base

  1. Lay the base of the pie on the baking pan
  2. Trim the edges
  3. Pierce the pastry with a fork
  4. Store in the fridge until the filling is ready
Making the base for the pastiera

Preparing the top of the pastiera

  1. Cut the remaining pastry into 8 parts
  2. Remove the two ends
  3. Make 6 strips with each part. Make 2 long strips for the middle
  4. Keep the rest of the dough aside
making the strips for the top of the pastiera

Making the filling

  1. Add all the ingredients for the filling to the wheat (not the egg whites) in a large bowl
  2. Stir until it is all blended
  3. Whisk the egg whites until firm
  4. Gradually and gently add the egg whites to the filling mixture
Making the ricotta filling

Finishing up the pie

  1. Pour the filling over the pastry base
  2. Cover with the criss-cross diamond pattern of strips, and trim the edges
  3. With the excess dough, make a long strip
  4. Place it all around the top of the pie
  5. With a fork, seal the edge of the pastry
finishing the pie

Baking and serving

  1. Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180C for 1 hour
  2. Let it cool down completely before removing it from the pan
  3. Dust with Icing sugar and serve
  4. It is even better the next day
Baked ricotta pie

Top tips

  • Buy the right ingredients, do not substitute the wheat or try to make it yourself; it will not be the same thing
  • Get a good fresh ricotta brand
  • Keep the pastry cold before you put it into the oven; it will make a nice crunchy crust.
  • As the pastry has baking powder you need to bake the pie as soon as possible. The pastry cannot rest for hours.
  • Let it cool down completely before removing it from the pan
  • You can also bake and serve it in a pie dish without removing it. Pastiera is very fragile and can easily collapse

Storing Pastiera

Pastiera should be stored in the fridge. It will last for 3 to 4 days

cutting a slice off the pastiera pie

Ricotta for Italian desserts

Ricotta is a cheese made by re-cooking (ri-cotta in Italian) the serum, called whey, that is left over after the milk has been curdled to make cheese.

Therefore ricotta is a cheese with low-fat content. Usually made from cow's milk, it can also be made from sheep or goat's milk.

In the South of Italy, sheep's milk ricotta is often used to make desserts in substitution of butter or cream.

Delicious ricotta desserts are Cannoli Siciliani, Ricotta loaf cake without butter but also Sfogliatella Napoletana, and this traditional Easter Pie Pastiera Napoletana.

Cow milk ricotta is the most common ricotta you find in supermarkets, it is lighter and perfect for making desserts as it has a milder flavor.

However, the classic Sicilian desserts are made with sheep's milk ricotta, which is not as easy to find outside Italy.

Goat's ricotta is much stronger in flavor and has a higher fat content. It is not a good choice for desserts.

If you can find sheep ricotta use half sheep and half cow ricotta. If you cannot find it you can use cow ricotta only.

Ricotta with the sugar

Savoury Pie Ideas

If you also want to make some savory pies for Easter, here are some ideas:

  • Beef Pie With Marsala Sauce And Mushrooms
  • Chicken and Mushroom Pie Recipe
  • Chelsea Market Heidi Pie With French Chevre
  • Zucchini Mushroom Quiche Recipe
  • Caramelized Squash Spinach Bacon Quiche
The Chelsea Market Heidi Pie

If you are making this Pastiera Napoletana Recipe, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.

Pastiera Ricotta pie

📋Pastiera Napoletana Recipe (Easter Ricotta Pie)

Pastiera Napoletana is a ricotta pie typically baked for Easter. The filling is made with wheat mixed with ricotta and has a distinctive flavor of the flower orange water and lemon zest.
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
⏲️Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 10 people
Print Rate SaveSaved!
Author: Laura Tobin

Ingredients
 
 

Shortcrust pastry

  • ⅔ cup butter at room temperature
  • 4 cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 fresh eggs
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder

Preaparing the Wheat

  • 20.5 oz wheat for pastiera read the article above
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 lemon zest

For the filling

  • 1 lb ricotta
  • ¾ cup caster sugar
  • 5 egg yolk
  • 4 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • candied fruits or chocolate chips
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Equipment

  • Mini Measuring Set
  • Measuring mugs
  • Silicone Pastry Mat
  • All-clad small pot
  • Baking Utensil Set
  • KitchenAid Mixer
  • Rolling pin
  • Cake Pan with RB 9 in - 24 cm
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Instructions

Preparing the Wheat

  • Bring to boil the wheat with sugar, butter, the milk and the lemon zest
    20.5 oz wheat for pastiera, 1 tablespoon caster sugar, 2 tablespoon butter, ½ cup milk, 1 lemon zest
  • Simmer for 10 minutes
  • Move it into a bowl and let it cool down at room temperature

Preparing the pastry

  • First mix all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, and baking powder
    4 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • Then add all the wet ingredients and mix until the dough is formed
    ⅔ cup butter, 3 fresh eggs
  • Put the dough on a well-floured surface and cut ⅓. Keep ⅓ of the pastry aside for the top
  • Roll the rest of the pastry to make the base of the pie
  • Butter and flour the baking pan

Preparing the base

  • Lay the base of the pie on the baking pan
  • Trim the edges
  • Pierce the pastry with a fork
  • Store in the fridge until the filling is ready

Preparing the top of the pie

  • Cut the remaining pastry into 8 parts
  • Remove the two ends
  • Make 6 strips with each part. The 2 strips in the middle should be slightly longer
  • Keep the rest of the dough aside

Finishing the filling

  • Add all the ingredients for the filling to the wheat (not the egg whites)
    1 lb ricotta, ¾ cup caster sugar, 5 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon orange blossom water, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, candied fruits
  • Stir until it is all blended
  • Whisk the egg whites until firm
    4 egg white
  • Gradually and gently add the egg whites to the filling mixture

Finishing up the pie

  • Pour the filling over the pastry base
  • Cover with the crisscrossing pattern of strips, trim the edges
  • With the remaining dough make a long strip
  • Place it all around the top of the pie
  • With a fork seal the edges
  • Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180C for 1 hour
  • Let it cool down completely before removing it from the pan and serve it
  • Serve at room temperature or cold. Store in the fridge

Video

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Notes

  • Buy the right ingredients, do not substitute the wheat, and do not try to make it yourself, it will not be the same thing
  • Get a good fresh ricotta brand
  • If you cannot find sheep ricotta you can use all cow ricotta
  • Keep the pastry cold before you put it into the oven, it will make a nice crunchy crust.
  • As the pastry has baking powder you need to bake the pie as soon as possible. The pastry cannot rest for hours.
  • Let it cool down completely before removing it from the pan and serving it
  • Store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days

Nutrition

Calories: 802kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 210mg | Sodium: 223mg | Potassium: 771mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 872IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 7mg
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Origin of this recipe

This recipe is from my Uncle's wife Pina, who makes the best desserts I have ever tasted.

She makes various desserts, mostly typical from the South of Italy. A fresh homemade flavor but is never too sweet.

Often pastries from Southern Italian bakeries tend to be way too sweet for me, like for example the Sicilian Cassata or the Marzapane fruits.

Zia Pina

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Claudia Lamascolo

    March 27, 2018 at 1:07 pm

    5 stars
    I love your page.. I am Claudia from Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine .. this is so close to how how family makes it I am going to try it today.. nice to meet you

    Reply
    • Laura

      March 27, 2018 at 1:12 pm

      Nice to meet you Claudia. Thank you for your comment. I will check out your blog, I love to find similar cooks

      Reply
  2. Beth

    March 28, 2018 at 6:27 pm

    5 stars
    Gosh, I wish I still had time to get the wheat and the orange water! My boys would love this! I guess I totally could make it after Easter, though. Couldn't I? Thanks for the inspiration , Laura! This looks so delicious!

    Reply
    • Laura

      March 29, 2018 at 9:48 am

      Do make it for your boys, they will love it. Even if after Easter

      Reply
  3. Elaine @ Dishes Delish

    March 28, 2018 at 6:37 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so delicious! My mom and grandmother made something similar! I'm not going to make it for Easter because I need the special ingredients, but I am going to make it!

    Reply
    • Laura

      March 29, 2018 at 9:49 am

      Thank you Elaine. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same recipe. It is such a classic in Italy

      Reply
  4. Jennifer

    April 20, 2019 at 11:49 pm

    Hi, I have the same 20.5 oz jar of wheat berries that you linked in the recipe. It just says "can" though. You added the whole jar? Thanks

    Reply
    • Laura

      April 21, 2019 at 4:58 am

      Yes, I do. I will put in the measurements

      Reply

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