If my crostini isn’t crispy cheese crusted, I simply do not want it. These gorgeous cheese crusted crostini, piled high with creamy pesto ricotta, crispy prosciutto, and drizzled with hot honey sauce, are the definition of boujee, but easy. Every bite hits a different note – crunchy, creamy, salty, sweet – and that’s exactly why they’re such a popular party appetizer.
Cheese Crusted Pesto Ricotta Crostini, at a Glance
- ⏰ Time: 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Makes: 20 crostini
- 🛒 Key Ingredients: Baguette, ricotta, pesto, prosciutto
- 💃 Perfect For: Holiday spreads, dinner parties, festive Christmas nibbles, any kind of entertaining.
These lovely crostini look elegant, colorful, and party-ready, but the effort involved? Basically zero.
It’s really one of those recipes that feels so much fancier than it is – making it ideal for relaxed hosting, festive entertaining, or honestly, just any time you want a nibble that looks impressive without having to spend hours in the kitchen.
And, each element can be prepped in advance and then just assembled when you’re ready to go.
This one is a twist on my popular cheesy crusted crostini with jammy roasted tomatoes, so if you love that one, I think you’ll enjoy this too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Baguette. I prefer a baguette because you end up with lovely, uniform, bite-sized slices, but you can use whatever bread you have. Just slice it into smaller pieces.
- Ricotta. The mild creaminess of ricotta is perfect when paired with herby, zesty pesto, but you could use feta (try using this creamy whipped feta as a base, or even pesto whipped feta), creamy labneh or Greek yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, or whipped cottage cheese.
- Pesto. Go for fresh basil pesto if you can, for the best flavor. Or better yet, make your own basil pesto.
- Cheese. I’m using sharp cheddar cheese – I find it melts and crisps up well, and has a lovely, strong flavor. Similar hard cheeses, like Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, work equally well. Make sure you grate the cheese on the fine side of your box grater or use a microplane for the best lacy, crispy texture.
- Prosciutto. This completes the kind of crispy sandwich texture these crostini have going on. It provides a deep, salty savoriness that pairs wonderfully with the pesto ricotta. You could use bacon, chorizo, sausage meat, or salami for a similar result.
Step-by-Step: How to Make the Cheesy Crostini
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the crostini – the full recipe with ingredient quantities and instructions is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Scatter your grated cheese onto a lined baking sheet. Slice your baguette, then arrange the slices on top of the grated cheese. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake until the cheese and crostini are gorgeously golden and crispy.
- While the crostini cooks, mix the ricotta with your pesto, and a little salt and pepper.
- At the same time, cook your crispy prosciutto – either in the oven with the crostini, or in the air fryer.
- Pipe, or spoon, your herby pesto ricotta mixture onto the crispy, cheesy side of each crostini.
- Break your crispy prosciutto into smaller shards, then arrange them on top of the pesto ricotta mixture.
- Drizzle the crostini with the hot honey, scatter with basil and chives, then serve while gorgeously crispy.
Pesto Ricotta Crostini FAQs
You can make the individual elements ahead of time – but I recommend assembling them when you’re ready to serve for the best crispy texture:
➡️ The crostini base: Can be made 24 hours in advance if needed – crisp them back up in the oven or air fryer for a few minutes just for the best texture.
➡️ The pesto ricotta: Can be made 3 days ahead of time, then just stored in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble.
➡️ The crispy prosciutto: Can be made 24 hours in advance and kept at room temperature. Let it cool competely before storing in an airtight container.
They won’t! That’s the beauty of the cheesy crust – it acts as a barrier between the bread and the ricotta topping to prevent any sogginess.
Ricotta is great because it’s creamy, but still mild, but you can swap it out for sure. Any of these options work well:
➡️ Whipped cottage cheese
➡️ Cream cheese, or Boursin
➡️ Sour cream
➡️ Whipped feta dip (or use this pesto whipped feta).
The crostini are best enjoyed the day they’re assembled, but they’re absolutely fine eaten the next day.
If I’m serving them to guests I would still assemble them the same day I’m planning to serve them – but leftovers for your family to enjoy are absolutely fine. You don’t need to reheat them.
Like this recipe? Try these easy appetizer ideas next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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Cheese Crusted Crostini with Pesto Ricotta and Crispy Prosciutto
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 20 crostini 1x
Description
If my crostini isn’t crispy cheese crusted, I simply do not want it. These gorgeous cheese crusted crostini, piled high with creamy pesto ricotta, crispy prosciutto, and drizzled with hot honey sauce, are the definition of boujee, but easy. Every bite hits a different note – crunchy, creamy, salty, sweet – and that’s exactly why they’re such a popular party appetizer.
Ingredients
For the cheesy crusted crostini –
- 1 baguette
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the creamy pesto ricotta –
- 1 cup (roughly 250g) ricotta
- 4 tablespoons basil pesto
- Black pepper, to taste
- Salt, to taste
For the topping –
- 6 slices of prosciutto (or bacon, chorizo, salami)
- A handful of fresh basil leaves, finely sliced
- A handful of fresh chives, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of hot honey sauce (or sweet chili jam, or regular honey)
Instructions
- Make the cheesy crostini. Heat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Slice your baguette into thin slices. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (you may need two), then scatter the grated cheddar cheese all over the pan. Place the baguette slices right on top of the grated cheese, pressing down to set them in place. Drizzle them with olive oil, bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is super crispy and the bread is golden.
- Make the crispy prosciutto. You can do this at the same time as the crostini. Line a separate baking pan with parchment paper and arrange the prosciutto slices on it. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, or until dark and crispy. You can also do this in the air fryer: place the prosciutto slices in your air fryer basket (ideally on one layer) and air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 3 – 4 minutes, or until crispy and darkened. Let them cool before breaking into shards, and they’ll crisp up more as they cool.
- Make the pesto ricotta topping. In a bowl, mix your ricotta, 4 tablespoons of pesto, and a good grind of black pepper. Taste, then add a little salt if it needs it (this will depend on how salty your pesto is). You can transfer it to a piping bag at this point for easy assembly if you like.
- Assemble the crostini. Leave the cheesy crostini to cool slightly as they come out of the oven – this will give the cheese a chance to properly crisp up and remain in place. Carefully turn the crostini over, so the cheesy side is on top. Arrange on a serving platter, then either pipe, or spoon a good dollop of the pesto ricotta onto the crostini. Place a crispy prosciutto shard on top, then drizzle with hot honey, and scatter with the basil and chives. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
PREP AHEAD: While the crostini as a whole are best enjoyed the day they’re assembled, the individual elements can be made in advance. The pesto ricotta will keep well for up to 3 days stored in the fridge, and the prosciutto can be crisped up 24 hours in advance, then stored at room temperature (let it cool completely before storing it). The crostini themselves can be made 24 hours in advance – I recommend crisping them up quickly in the oven or air fryer before serving for the best crispy texture.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Swap the ricotta for whipped cottage cheese, creamy whipped feta, cream cheese, or Boursin, creamy labneh, or thick sour cream. Use bacon, chorizo, sausage meat, or chopped olives instead of prosciutto. I love the hot honey drizzle for a sweet contrast to the salty cheese and prosciutto, but you could use regular honey, or sweet chili jam instead.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: appetizers
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 crostini
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
