Cheese Pie

This dessert may resemble a cheesecake, but it’s much more unique. Cheese pie has a fluffy, creamy filling made with both cream cheese and ricotta cheese. Adding ricotta makes the texture lighter and slightly more textured than regular cheesecake recipes.

Cheese pie has roots in Ukrainian cuisine. Similar baked dessert cakes, like syrnyk and zapekanka, are made with cottage cheese or farmer’s cheese blended with eggs and sugar. In our cheese pie recipe, you bake the lightly sweet ricotta and cream cheese filling in a cinnamon-coated pie shell.

Slices of cheese pie are lovely on their own, but you can also serve them topped with fruit sauces, honey or caramel for a more decadent treat. A cinch to assemble, cheese pie is an easy dessert idea when you want to surprise family or friends.

What’s the difference between cheese pie and cheesecake?

The fillings of these two desserts share several ingredients, like eggs, cream cheese and sugar. Cheese pie is unique because its filling also includes ricotta cheese, but it’s not a ricotta cheesecake. The latter doesn’t include cream cheese in its fluffy filling.

Cheese pie and cheesecake also have different crusts. Many traditional cheesecakes have a graham cracker or cookie-crumb bottom crust pressed into a round springform pan; some, like Basque cheesecake, have no crust. Our recipe for cheese pie is baked in a pie plate with a pie pastry crust on the bottom and the top.

Cheese pie might also bring another cheese and egg-baked dish to mind—quiche. They’re quite different, though, since quiches are typically made with a lot of eggs, plus meats, veggies and savory cheeses. Cheese pie is a dessert made with creamy sweet cheeses, sugar and cinnamon.

Ingredients for Cheese Pie

• Ricotta cheese: For the richest texture, choose whole milk ricotta cheese. Our cheese pie recipe calls for a 12-ounce container of the cheese.
• Cream cheese: Cream cheese also makes cheese pie rich and creamy. Soften cream cheese in advance or in the microwave to ensure it blends smoothly into the filling.
• Eggs: Large, whole eggs are used in the recipe for cheese pie. Eggs help bind the filling together and give the dessert more flavor; egg whites are brushed on the pie crust to seal it and give it shine.
• Cinnamon: Dust the pie crust with your favorite type of cinnamon, such as mild Ceylon or bold-flavored Vietnamese.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Because cheese pie is a lightly sweet dessert, you need only 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar for the filling. It’s always a smart move to sift dry ingredients with a whisk or strainer to remove lumps before adding them to the other ingredients.
• Cornstarch: This common ingredient prevents cracking in cheesecake-like desserts. It also helps the filling hold together during baking and after it’s cooled.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds a hint of flavor to the cheese filling. You can use store-bought or homemade vanilla extract.
• Salt: A key ingredient in sweet dishes like this one, just a little salt lifts the flavor of the pie and enhances the other ingredients.
• Pie pastry: This recipe for cheese pie requires only one sheet of pie pastry, which is divided in half and used for the top and bottom crusts. Most packages of store-bought pie crust have two sheets of pastry, but you can save the leftover pastry for another recipe, like our pie crust cookies.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Separate one egg. Pour the egg white into a small bowl and beat it lightly. Then, pour the egg yolk into a separate small bowl. Crack the second egg into the bowl with the yolk and whisk them together.

Editor’s Tip: Mix both the egg white and the egg yolk mixture with a fork or a whisk.

Step 2: Prepare the pie crust

Lightly flour a work surface and unroll the sheet of pie pastry. Cut the pastry in half. Roll half the pastry into an 8-inch circle. Transfer the dough circle to a 7-inch pie plate; press it into the plate and then trim the pastry to be even with the edge of the dish. Brush the beaten egg white over the pastry, then sprinkle it with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Editor’s Tip: Save some of the beaten egg white to brush on the top crust after assembling the pie.

Step 3: Make the filling

In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, salt and egg yolk mixture until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell.

Step 4: Add the top crust

Roll out the other half of the pie pastry into a circle large enough to fit the top of the pie. Place it over the filling, then trim, tightly seal and flute the edge. Cut slits in the center of the pastry (to vent steam), then brush egg white over the surface. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon over the top crust.

Step 5: Bake and cool

Slide the pie into the preheated oven and bake it for 45 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Move the pie to a wire cooling rack, and allow it to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Cheese Pie Variations

• Add lemon: Stir the zest and juice of a small lemon into the filling ingredients for a citrusy zing in the finished pie.
• Stir in some chopped nuts: Try varieties like almonds, pistachios or walnuts—toast the nuts to bring out the deepest flavor. Fold chopped nuts into the filling or sprinkle them over the bottom crust before adding the filling.
• Make a raisin cheese pie: Regular or golden raisins can be folded into the cheese filling before baking. You can also make the pie with other dried fruits such as cherries or blueberries.
• Include chocolate chips: Put a little chocolate in each bite of this cheese pie recipe by folding mini chocolate chips into the filling before baking.

How to Store Cheese Pie

Once the pie has cooled completely, cover it tightly with storage wrap and store it in the refrigerator. Slices of cheese pie can also be individually wrapped and stashed in the fridge—this makes it easy for your family member to grab a slice for a snack. Presliced, chilled pieces are just one example of easy overnight desserts that you can make for your next dinner party.

How long does cheese pie last?

Cheese pie will last for three to four days. Since this cheese pie recipe is made with eggs and cheese, it’s important to keep the pie chilled in the fridge until serving time.

Can you freeze cheese pie?

Yes, once it’s baked and cooled, you can freeze cheese pie. Wrap the pie well in freezer-proof food wrap or a resealable bag. Store the pie in the freezer for up to three months. To thaw it, place the wrapped frozen pie in the fridge overnight before slicing and serving.

Cheese Pie Tips

What can you serve with cheese pie?

While slices of cheese pie are quite delicious on their own, you’ll love how they taste with a drizzle of a sweet sauce like chocolate, honey or homemade caramel sauce. Serve pieces with fresh berries and whipped cream. Our recipe for cheese pie gets a big boost when served with pie filling—just spoon canned cherry or blueberry pie filling over the slices.

Is cheese pie the same as cream cheese pie?

Though both are made with cream cheese, cheese pie and cream cheese pie are much different. Cream cheese pie is a type of no-bake dessert with a filling of cream cheese blended with sugar or sweetened condensed milk and flavorings (like our no-bake key lime pie). After assembling, it’s chilled until firm. Our recipe for cheese pie has a filling made with cream cheese but also eggs, so the pie must be baked first and then cooled.