These Lemon Ricotta Cookies are soft, cakey bites finished with a tart lemon glaze, and the lemon zest gets rubbed right into the sugar so the flavor comes through bright and clear. The dough takes about 20 minutes to make and has a 30-minute chill, and it bakes into tender, domed cookies that look like they came from an Italian bakery. If you love a soft ricotta cookie on the holiday tray, these belong right next to my Ricotta Cannoli Cookies with Orange Zest.
Lemon Ricotta Cookies At A Glance
- 🕐 Total Time: 20 min prep + 30 min chill + bake per batch, plus 30 min for the glaze to set
- 🍽️ Yields: About 45 cookies (1 tablespoon each)
- 🫒 Cuisine Type: Mediterranean-inspired, Italian-style dessert
- 🍋 Flavor Profile: Bright and lemony with a tender, cake-like crumb from whole milk ricotta, finished with a tart glaze and fresh zest
- 🥛 Dietary Info: Vegetarian; contains dairy (ricotta, butter), egg, and gluten (all-purpose flour)
- 📦 Storage Notes: Airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days, layered with parchment; freeze unglazed for up to 2 months
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: A soft lemon cookie with a glaze that sets glossy so they stack, travel, and look bakery-made
Ricotta is one of my favorite ways to keep a bake soft without making it heavy. It's the same idea behind my Pistachio Cake, where whole milk ricotta gives the crumb a light, creamy texture. If lemon is your thing, these sit nicely next to my Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies and Lemon Blueberry Cookies for a cookie plate that tastes like sunshine.
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A good cookie tray needs contrast. Pair them with something chewy like my Italian Almond Cookies, add a little chocolate with Pistachio Cookies, and tuck a few Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Cookies into the corners. It looks like you spent all week baking. You didn't, and nobody needs to know.
Key Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this cookie recipe with ricotta cheese:
- Whole Milk Ricotta: Ricotta is a fresh Italian cheese and a classic in Italian desserts. In this recipe, I found that it does the heavy lifting for texture. The moisture and fat give these cookies their soft, cake-like crumb, and because the ricotta is mild, the lemon stays front and center. I used whole milk ricotta, since the fat is what keeps the crumb tender, and I let it come to room temperature so it blends smoothly. I found that low-fat ricotta created drier cookies. If your ricotta has liquid pooled on top, drain it in a fine mesh strainer for a few minutes before using. Most tubs hold more than the 1 cup you need here, so put the rest towards my Whipped Ricotta appetizer.
- Fresh Lemons: Lemon shows up in three ways: zest in the dough, juice in both the dough and the glaze, and fresh zest on top. That layering makes these taste lemony rather than vaguely citrusy. I use fresh lemons in this recipe. Bottled juice didn't give the same bright flavor I was looking for, and you need the peel anyway for the zest. You'll use the zest of 3 lemons and 6 tablespoons of juice in total, so buy 3 or 4 to be safe.
- Lemon Sugar (Granulated Sugar With Lemon): The sugar does more than sweeten the cookie. Rubbing the zest into the sugar with your fingertips releases the lemon oils, so the flavor spreads through the whole dough instead of sitting in little flecks. This dough uses 1 cup of sugar, which keeps the sweetness in check and gives the tart glaze room to shine.
See the recipe card for quantities.
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Variations
- Orange or Meyer Lemon: Swap in orange zest and juice for a softer, warmer citrus flavor, or use Meyer lemons. Meyer lemons are similar to a lemon-orange hybrid. They are sweeter and less acidic than regular lemons, and winter is their peak season.
- Almond Glaze: Add a drop of almond extract to the glaze for a classic Italian bakery flavor.
- Pistachio Finish: Scatter finely chopped pistachios over the wet glaze along with the zest. It adds color, crunch, and a little Mediterranean flair.
- Holiday Sprinkles: Top the wet glaze with nonpareils or colored sugar for Christmas, Hanukkah, or a birthday tray.
How To Make Lemon Ricotta Cookies: Step-By-Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with the exact ingredients are in the printable recipe card:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Step 2: Add the lemon zest to the sugar and rub them together. Then beat the butter with the lemon sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, ricotta, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low just until combined. Chill for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Scoop tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the bottoms are barely golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4: In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together. Spoon about a teaspoon of the glaze over the cookies. Top with fresh lemon zest while the glaze is still wet, then let them sit for at least 30 minutes to set before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Start with room temperature ricotta. Cold ricotta can make the dough look lumpy and split. Room temperature ricotta blends in evenly for a smoother dough.
- Don't flatten the scoops. These cookies puff and spread on their own. Pressing them down gives you flat, dense cookies instead of soft domes.
- Cool completely before glazing. Warm cookies melt the glaze and it slides right off. Patience here is what gets you that glossy, set top.
Gwen's Pro Tip
Pull them early. The tops should stay pale and the edges should look just set. Ricotta cookies dry out quickly in the oven, and there's no fixing an overbaked batch, so when in doubt, take them out.
Lemon Ricotta Cookies FAQ's
That's completely normal at this stage. The acid in the lemon juice and the moisture in the ricotta can make the butter mixture look broken. Once you add the flour, it comes back together into a soft, sticky dough.
Only if it needs it. If you open the tub and see liquid pooled on top, drain it in a fine mesh strainer for a few minutes. Extra moisture makes the dough looser and the cookies more likely to spread.
Yes. Thirty minutes is enough to make the dough scoopable and help the cookies hold their shape, but you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. That makes these a smart choice when you're baking for a crowd.
A 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend is the most likely swap. This version hasn't been tested, so expect some difference in texture.
Other Delicious Desserts
Let me know your thoughts on these Lemon Ricotta Cookies by leaving a star rating below or by sharing it on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Thank you!
Gwen
Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze (Soft and Cakey)
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Equipment
- 3 bowls
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 lemons zested
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta room temperature
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice preferably fresh squeezed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice preferably fresh squeezed
- 1 lemon zested, for topping
Instructions
Cookies
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large bowl, add the lemon zest to the sugar and rub them together with your fingertips until the mixture looks damp and smells strongly of lemon. This step releases the oils and makes a real difference in flavor.1 cup granulated sugar, 2 lemons
- Beat the butter into the lemon-flavored sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter
- Then beat the egg, ricotta, lemon juice, and vanilla with the butter mixture. The mixture may look slightly curdled at this point, and that's completely normal; the flour will bring it back together.1 large egg, 1 cup whole milk ricotta, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients that you set aside to the wet mixture, and mix on low just until combined. The dough will be soft and sticky, closer to a thick batter than a traditional cookie dough.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes. This makes it much easier to scoop and helps the cookies hold their shape in the oven.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons onto the prepared pans, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Leave them mounded and don't flatten them; they'll spread and puff on their own.
- Bake one pan at a time for 13-15 minutes, until the edges are just set and the bottoms are barely golden. The tops should stay pale. Ricotta cookies dry out quickly when overbaked, so pull them early if you're unsure.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. They need to be fully cool before glazing, otherwise the glaze will slide right off.
Lemon Glaze
- Whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl until smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon. If it's too stiff, add lemon juice half a teaspoon at a time until you get the right consistency.1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Spoon about a teaspoon of glaze over each cookie and spread it gently with the back of the spoon. Top with fresh lemon zest while the glaze is still wet, then let them sit for at least 30 minutes to set before serving.1 lemon
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