Last updated on August 9th, 2025
This Roasted Garlic Baked Ricotta with lemon and thyme is deceptively simple to make yet tastes luxuriously rich and flavourful. Roast the garlic in advance and you can have it ready in under 30 minutes!
I just love homemade dips. They’re most often made with fresh, readily available ingredients and/or a handful of pantry staples, and are usually a little healthier than their store-bought counterparts. A game day staple for us all fall and winter long, this baked ricotta with roasted garlic is quick and easy to make with just a handful of ingredients that I always have in my pantry at home.
What is ricotta?
Ricotta is a soft cheese similar to cottage cheese, but with a finer texture. It’s a secondary production cheese made with leftover milk whey after the production of other cheeses, and its texture is ideal for pastries or creamy pasta dishes as a filler like in these Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells. It’s delicious simply spread on toast with fresh or grilled fruit, fresh herbs like thyme or basil and a drizzle of honey. Sooo so good.
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this Roasted Garlic Baked Ricotta
ROASTED GARLIC
- 1 whole head of garlic
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher or fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
BAKED RICOTTA
- 2 cups (475 g) whole milk ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup (30 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup (55 g) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
- 1 tablespoon (4 g) finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) finely chopped fresh rosemary
- Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) kosher or fine sea salt
- Chili flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 crusty baguette, thinly sliced, crostini or warm pita bread for serving
Why roast the garlic?
If you’ve ever tried my Roasted Garlic Hummus or Rosemary & Roasted Garlic Artisan Bread you already know how much we love roasted garlic. Known for its richly sweet flavour profile and wide range of health benefits, in this recipe it is the earthy, sweetly fragrant star of show.
For this recipe I’ve used lots of creamy whole milk ricotta cheese as a base combined with home-roasted garlic, nutty Parmesan, fresh lemon and lots of aromatic rosemary, thyme and lemon zest. All brought together in one bowl then baked until bubbling and golden.
I’ve included tips for making this dip ahead of time as well as home-roasted garlic alternatives in the recipe card. You can also find my recipe for homemade Garlic Confit here!
Equally at home whether served as a game day snack or as part of your next holiday menu, this Roasted Garlic Baked Ricotta dip is seriously cozy, melty, cheesy perfection. It will have everyone begging for your recipe!
Try this Tuscan White Bean Dip or this Roasted Red Pepper Hummus next.
If you make this recipe, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see!
And of course, feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews. This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you!
Roasted Garlic Baked Ricotta
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Small baking dish or skillet
Ingredients
Roasted Garlic
- 1 whole head of garlic
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Baked Ricotta
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more to finish
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- Chili flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 crusty baguette thinly sliced, crostini or warm pita bread for serving
Instructions
- To roast the garlic, first slice the garlic head in half. Drizzle the exposed cloves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and roast on a baking sheet at 400ºF (204ºC) for 40 minutes. Let cool, remove cloves from their skins and set aside.
- Preheat oven to oven to 425ºF (220ºC).
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients until well combined. (Take care not to over mix, you want to see nice bits of roasted garlic throughout!) Transfer to a ½ litre oven-safe baking dish or a small skillet and top with more Parmesan cheese and crushed pepper.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until bubbling and golden. Next, move baking dish to top rack and turn oven to broil then broil for 2-3 minutes until browned, keeping a close eye so as not to over cook.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool. Before serving, drizzle a little more olive oil across the top and garnish with extra thyme leaves and chili flakes. Surround with baguette or crostini and serve immediately while still warm.
Leave a Reply