These little pesto ricotta puff pastry cups are the kind of party snack I return to again and again. They look and feel boujee, but are so simple – think just five ingredients and less than 30 minutes to make. Perfect for grazing boards, they’re the snack everyone reaches for first.
There’s nothing I love more than a cute little bite-sized party snack, and these very vibrant pesto ricotta puff pastry cups tick every single box.
Flaky, buttery pastry, a creamy (but not heavy) filling, and a colorful, crunchy garnish on top – they’re super simple, but deliver SO much flavor and look fabulous on a grazing board.
They use only five easy-to-find ingredients (plus a couple of optional extras to garnish), come together in minutes, and are the perfect one-handed canapé for parties.
If you love a one-bite party snack as much as I do, try these caramelized onion, bacon, and Gruyere phyllo cups, crispy mini dumpling cups, or loaded antipasti salami cups next.
I also use them as part of my Wicked themed grazing board (where I call them Emerald City Bites), and they use a very similar festive sprinkle as these bacon-wrapped tater tots if you want to complete your party spread.
Why You’ll Love the Cups
- A dreamy mix of textures – crispy buttery pastry, soft creamy ricotta filling, plus a crunchy garnish.
- They’re truly bite-sized and easy to eat with one hand (with a cocktail or glass of fizz in another!)
- The flavor combination is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
- And, they’re SUPER quick (30 minutes, tops) and easy to prep in advance.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Puff pastry. Try to find an all-butter puff pastry for the best flavor, rather than one made with vegetable oil. You could also use savory shortcrust pastry if you prefer, wonton wrappers, or phyllo (filo).
- Pesto. For the best, vibrant, fresh flavor, I recommend making your own pesto (this better-than-store-bought basil pesto is excellent and only takes 10 minutes); otherwise, if possible, fresh pesto (the kind you’ll find in the refrigerated section at the grocery store) is better than jarred. You could also use sun-dried tomato pesto for a slightly different flavor profile.
- Ricotta. I love ricotta here because it’s mild, but still creamy, so it lets the pesto take center-stage. You could swap it for whipped cottage cheese, sour cream, Boursin, creamy whipped feta, or crumbled feta.
- Bacon. This is optional, but it provides a lovely salty flavor and an extra crispy texture to the filling.
- Pistachios. Adds a lovely fresh green element and extra texture as a garnish after baking, but you can skip them if you like.
You’ll also need a mini muffin pan for this recipe – I use this pan I picked up from Amazon.
How to Make the Puff Pastry Cups
- Mix the pesto, ricotta, crispy bacon, and pepper.
- Slice your puff pastry into small squares.
- Gently press the pastry squares into a mini muffin pan.
- Spoon your pesto ricotta filling into each cup and brush with the egg wash.
- Bake until the pastry is golden and crispy.
- Arrange the bites on a serving platter, sprinkle over the pistachio crumb, and serve.
Puff Pastry Cups FAQs
There are two ways to do this:
– You can assemble the cups in your mini muffin pan, then tightly cover, and pop into the fridge for 24 hours. Then, just bake them whenever you’re ready to serve.
– Or, bake the cups, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven (350°F or 180°C for about 6 minutes) or in the air fryer (350°F or 180°C for about 3 minutes)when you’re ready to serve.
I like using basil pesto, but sun-dried tomato pesto is great too. For the best, vibrant, fresh flavor, I really recommend making your own basil pesto (it literally takes 10 minutes and is well worth it). If you’re using store-bought pesto, try to use the best quality brand you can.
Yes! It works wonderfully scaled up. Just double, or triple, the ingredients in the recipe below and you’re good to go.
Like this recipe? Try these bite-sized 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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Mini Pesto Ricotta Puff Pastry Cups
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 30 cups 1x
Description
These little pesto ricotta puff pastry cups are the kind of party snack I return to again and again. They look and feel boujee, but are so simple – think just five ingredients and less than 30 minutes to make. Perfect for grazing boards, they’re the snack everyone reaches for first.
Ingredients
For the puff pastry cups –
- Butter or olive oil, for greasing
- 1 cup (roughly 250g) ricotta
- 4 tablespoons basil pesto
- 3 slices of bacon
- Black pepper, to taste
- Salt, to taste
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten (for the egg wash)
To serve –
- 3 tablespoons toasted pistachios, finely chopped or crushed
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated (or make Parmesan crisps for an extra crunchy element)
- 2 slices of bacon
- A handful of chives
You’ll need a mini muffin pan for this recipe – I use this pan I picked up from Amazon.
Instructions
- Heat your oven. Set your oven to 400°F (200°C fan) and lightly grease your mini muffin pan.
- Cook the bacon. If you’re using it, cook your bacon (for the filling and the garnish) in a pan until super crispy. You can also air fry your bacon – I find 6 minutes at 400°F (200°C) works well to make it lovely and crispy. Once cooked, finely chop it.
- Make the pesto ricotta filling. In a bowl, mix your ricotta, 4 tablespoons of pesto, three-quarters of the chopped bacon, 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).
- Prepare the pastry. Roll out your pastry onto a wooden board, then slice it into small squares (roughly 2 to 2.5 inches). I like to cut a test square first, to make sure it fits in my mini muffin pan. Gently press the puff pastry squares into your prepared pan.
- Fill the cups. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the filling into your pastry cups, then brush the edges with the egg wash.
- Bake the cups. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes – I like to check after 10 minutes and rotate the pan if one side is browning more quickly than the other. Once the cups look gorgeously golden and are beginning to brown on top, remove them from the oven.
- Garnish and serve. Carefully remove the cups from the pan (they should pop out easily), then transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the crushed pistachios, grated Parmesan, chives, and extra crispy bacon if you’re using it. Serve while hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Notes
PREP AHEAD: There are a couple of ways you can do this. Assemble the cups in your mini muffin pan, then tightly cover and pop into the fridge for 24 hours. Then, you can bake them whenever you’re ready to serve. Or, bake the cups, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven (350°F or 180°C for about 6 minutes) or in the air fryer (350°F or 180°C for about 3 minutes) when you’re ready to serve.
INGREDIENT NOTES: I like using basil pesto for the cups, but sun-dried tomato pesto is great too. For the best, vibrant, fresh flavor, I really recommend making your own basil pesto (it takes 10 minutes and is worth it). Store-bought pesto is absolutely fine though. If possible, opt for the fresh pesto found in the refrigerator section, rather than the jarred variety. You could swap the ricotta for whipped cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, or even crumbled feta.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: appetizers
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 cups
- Calories: 252
- Sugar: 1.4g
- Sodium: 240mg
- Fat: 17.9g
- Saturated Fat: 6.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 15.8g
- Fiber: 0.8g
- Protein: 8.6g
- Cholesterol: 38mg
