We’re rounding out the holiday season and getting ready to ring in the new year! Let’s do it with an easy, absolutely delicious appetizer you’ll want to make over and over again.
I shared these ricotta and pear crostini last year and absolutely fell in love. They’re topped with savory prosciutto and a sweet & salty nut and seed crunch mixture that will have your tastebuds dancing. Add a little freshness with zippy arugula, and don’t forget a drizzle of honey to top it all off!
The team and I were obsessed with this recipe when we tested it for the holidays last year. The ricotta mixture alone is so creamy and bright, I highly recommend making a double batch to put on your morning toast. In fact, let’s petition to start eating these crostini for breakfast because they’re just so damn good.
I’ve included super easy ways to customize these pear ricotta crostini so you can really go wild! Serve them up for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or just a fun date night in this season.
What you’ll need to make these ricotta pear crostini
These easy pear and ricotta crostini seriously have an explosion of flavors and textures that you’ll fall in love with. Plus, they’re easy to customize! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Bread: I recommend using a French baguette because it’s easy to top and toasts up nicely. You’ll need a little olive oil for baking them.
- For the ricotta mixture: you’ll mix whole milk ricotta with lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. So easy and so delicious.
- Pears: feel free to slice red or green pears for the top.
- Prosciutto: I love the savory, salty element that prosciutto adds to each crostini.
- Arugula: you’ll also add some arugula for freshness.
- For the nut crunch: we’re toasting up pistachios and pumpkin seeds with a little maple syrup and sea salt for a sweet, salty and crunchy bite.
- To top: I also like to drizzle with honey and top with a sprinkle of sea salt. YUM.
Easy ways to customize
This ricotta pear crostini is super easy to customize to your taste preferences!
- Swap your fruit: feel free to use sliced apples or even grapes.
- Choose your cheese: this crostini would also be delicious with a melty cheese like brie, gruyere or fontina.
- Greens or no greens: I love the freshness that arugula adds to every bite, but you can omit it if you don’t have any.
Looking to spice things up?
Feel free to add a little heat to these pear and ricotta crostini by sprinkling a little cayenne pepper in with the nut crunch mixture, or by drizzling them with hot honey! To make hot honey you’ll simply mix 2 tablespoons of honey with 1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Simple swaps for any diet type
If you’re feeding friends or family that have dietary restrictions, there are super easy ways to accommodate:
- To make vegetarian: simply omit the prosciutto.
- To make gluten free: use your favorite gluten free baguette or loaf.
- To make nut free: omit the pistachios and just use pumpkin seeds in the crunchy mixture.
Pear and ricotta crostini in 4 easy steps
- Toast your baguette. Place your baguette slices on a prepared baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake them until they’re a little toasted on the edges.
- Make the nut crunch. Next, toast the pistachios and pumpkin seeds in a skillet until they’re slightly golden and fragrant, then turn off the heat and stir in maple syrup and sea salt. Set them on a plate or parchment paper to cool.
- Mix the ricotta. Finally, mix the ricotta with lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper.
- Assemble & serve. Spoon a little ricotta mixture onto each crostini, then top with prosciutto, a slice of pear, and a little bit of the nut crunch mixture. Drizzle with a little honey, add a few leaves of arugula, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve!
Make them ahead of time
I wouldn’t recommend fully making the ricotta and pear crostini ahead of time, but you can slice your baguette, mix together the ricotta mixture, and make the nut crunch a day or two ahead so that they’re a breeze to assemble! Simply store the ricotta mixture in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble.
Storing tips
These pear and ricotta crostini are best when enjoyed day-of, so if you’re only feeding a handful of people I’d recommend only assembling ones that will be eaten. Feel free to store any leftover ricotta mixture in the refrigerator to make more crostini the next day!
More fun appetizers to try
- White Cheddar Brussels Sprouts & Pistachio Crostini with Hot Honey
- Scallion Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Mushrooms
- How to Make Super Creamy Hummus (+5 different flavor variations!)
- Apple & Brie Crostini with Hot Honey
- St. Nick’s Drop It Like It’s Hot Party Nuts
Get all of our amazing appetizer recipes here!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Ricotta and Pear Crostini with Salty Pumpkin Seed Pistachio Crunch
Ingredients
- 1 french baguette, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch slices
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- 8 ounces whole milk ricotta
- ½ lemon, juiced
- Zest from 1 lemon
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 ripe red or green pears, thinly sliced
- 2 ounces prosciutto, cut into 18-20 pieces and rolled
- 1 cup arugula
- For the nut crunch mixture:
- ¼ cup shelled pistachios
- ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
- Sea salt
- Honey, for drizzling
- Sea salt for sprinkle
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place baguette slices on top of a large baking sheet and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. If you can’t fit them all, you’ll need to use two baking sheets. Bake for 7-10 minutes until crostini is somewhat toasted along the edges.
- Make your nut crunch mixture: place pistachios and pumpkin seeds in a skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until they turn slightly golden brown and fragrant, then turn off heat and immediately add in maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Stir for 30 more seconds to coat, then transfer to a plate or piece of parchment paper to cool for a few minutes. Some of the nuts will slightly stick together but this is what we want for the ‘nut crunch’. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Add about a tablespoon of ricotta mixture on top, then top with prosciutto, a sliced pear and a little bit of the nut crunch mixture. Drizzle with a tiny bit of honey and add a few leaves of arugula on top. Sprinkle with freshly ground salt and pepper. Makes approximately 18-22 crostini.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on December 13th, 2021, and republished on December 22nd, 2022.
Sooo yummy! The textures and flavors were perfect.
Such a fun app!!
I have been very impressed with all your recipes, so when I needed to make an appetizer for a dinner party I came to your website. This crostini recipe was a huge hit! I used a lovely red pear, and made the recipe as written. The pumpkin seed and and pistachio crunch was such a fantastic flavor and texture add! This is a very easy recipe that packs lots of flavor, from the sweet pear, the refreshing lemony ricotta, to the salty prosciutto and peppery arugula. I used a high quality honey for the finishing touch (well worth it). I highly recommend this recipe!
Amazing! So glad you loved it!
what a lovely appetizer for the next time I have friends over!
I made this exactly as outlined and it turned out great! It’s perfect to bring as an appetizer to a holiday party.
Yay! Happy to hear it came out great 🙂
If you are going to host a party, you must make these. They are simple to make but look incredibly beautiful and taste delicious! It was the star of my appetizer spread at my most recent party. I would suggest making extra pistachios because they are so good as a snack too.
I’m SO happy you all loved these!! And yes definitely make the extra pistachios 😊
This crostini recipe is so easy to prepare and the flavors are a perfect combination. Impressive app to bring somewhere that’s looks much more involved than it is.
SO happy you loved this one, Maria! Aren’t they pretty?!
yummy recipe
I absolutely loved this one! I made it almost exactly the same except I omitted the arugula & used pre-chopped cubes of prosciutto. Not only was my entire family commenting how unique the flavors are and how well they went together, they were fighting over who got to eat the last one. An absolute hit and I will definitely make the next time I host a party at my house. It was a great healthy-ish appetizer to share. Loved it!! Also, I accidentally made too much of the crunch topping and it was delish over some pancakes the next day. Great overall!
I’m so happy you all loved these — yay!! And ooh the nut crunch on pancakes sounds AMAZING 🙂
Made these, but with apples — absolutely delicious!!