Crostata with Berries
by Sommer Collier — on Jun 18, 2025 
This surprisingly simple Berry Crostata recipe includes an easy homemade pie crust, a bounty of fresh mixed berries, and a luscious ricotta cream to dollop on top. It’s the perfect rustic dessert or sweet brunch dish to share and enjoy all summer long!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
I love dinner parties and food-centered celebrations of all kinds (as you might have noticed). But while I can snap together a fantastic cocktail, apps ,and main dish menu with super short notice, honestly, the one thing about last-minute gatherings that gets me in a slight panic is usually dessert.
We all know the saying *easy as pie* but, well… What if you don’t have a pie pan or plenty of time? No problem! Today I’m sharing with you my favorite tried-and-true Berry Crostata recipe, a showstopper of a dessert that’s impressively simple to make on a sheet pan in only about 30 minutes.
Why You’ll Love This Crostata Recipe
- Easier than Pie – Crostata is basically a free-form pie recipe that plays by its own rules, and bakes for half as long as a traditional fruit pie.
- Berry Season Celebration – This baked treat is brimming with fresh summer strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Use your favorite combination to achieve the perfect berry-to-fruit ratio you love!
- Ricotta Cream – We’re balancing the bright sweetness of the berries with a cool, smooth, and delicious blended ricotta cheese cream. It’s quick and easy to whip up in mere minutes with just 3 simple ingredients!
This berry crostata is easy and elegant, and perfect to serve as a summery dessert at any seasonal celebration or casual gathering!
Ingredients and Tips
- Homemade crust – Easily make the best pie crust from scratch with just flour, salt, sugar, and water. You’ll also need an egg for an egg wash to brush the crust before baking.
- Berry filling – We’re using a combo of blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, with a hint of lemon zest. For dry ingredients, you need flour, sugar, and salt.
- Ricotta cream – A simple combination of heavy cream, soft ricotta, and honey (or sugar) makes the most luxurious cream to complement the berry crostata.
Protein Pointer – If you want protein in your dessert, you can up the protein on ricotta cream by adding 1 cup of drained cottage cheese to the ricotta cheese before pureeing.
Recipe Variations
- Pie crust – Homemade pie dough is easy to make. But in a pinch, you can totally use a store-bought refrigerated pie crust.
- Berries – Swap out strawberries or blackberries for raspberries, blueberries, or other berries you like!
- Gluten-free – Use your favorite GF pie dough and flour alternative for dusting the berries.
How to Make a Berry Crostata
Tip for Success – To make a beautiful crostata with ease, gently fold the edges up over the fruit, ensuring that the fruit does not poke through the dough. It looks best when you go around the circle in one direction while folding.
Find the full Crostata recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – The taste and texture are best when enjoyed freshly baked, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezing – This dessert is great to freeze either before or after baking. You can flash freeze the whole thing for an hour before baking, or bake and then cool to room temperature. When ready to store, first wrap the crostata in a layer of plastic wrap before placing it in an airtight bag, and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking per the recipe instructions.
Serving Suggestions
Serve slices of crostata warm, accompanied by a generous spoonful of creamy, oh-so dreamy homemade ricotta cream on the side, for the ultimate Italian dessert.
Or top slices with a pillow of fluffy whipped cream, or a scoop of perfectly cold and decadent vanilla ice cream. It’s a fabulous combo for those super hot summer nights!
Crostata Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Crust –
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 stick of unsalted butter cold (8 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons ice cold water
For the Filling –
- 12 ounces blackberries or 6oz black + 6oz blueberries
- 16 ounces strawberries trimmed and cut into halves and quarters
- Zest of 2 lemons divided
- 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon Turbinado sugar or regular sugar
For the Ricotta Cream –
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup soft ricotta cheese
- 3 tablespoons honey or granulated sugar
Instructions
- For the crust: Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a food processor. Pulse once or twice to mix. Chop the cold stick of butter into cubes. Add the butter to the processor and pulse until the butter clumps are the size of peas. Add 3 tablespoons of very cold water to the processor. Pulse it a few more times, until the dough comes together. Dump the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form the dough into a round disk and wrap well. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- For the ricotta cream: Pour ¾ cup of cream into a clean food processor. Process for about 1 minute—until a stiff cream forms. Add the ricotta, honey and the remaining three-quarters of the lemon zest. Process another 30 seconds, or so, until well combined. Chill until ready to use.
- For the berry filling: Place the blackberries, blueberries, and cut strawberries in a medium bowl. Add one-quarter of the lemon zest, along with 2 ½ tablespoons flour, 2 ½ tablespoons sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Toss well.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Once cold, roll the dough into a 12 inch free-form circle. Fold half the dough over the rolling pin and move it to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Pour the fruit mixture in the center of the dough and spread out, leaving a 1 ½ – 2 inch rim around the edges. Gently fold the edges up over the fruit, making sure not to let the fruit poke through the dough. It looks best when you go around the circle in one direction while folding.
- Mix 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the egg wash over the exposed dough. Sprinkle the dough edges with Turbinado sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Serve a large dollop of ricotta cream with the Crostata.
Notes
-
- Storing Leftovers – The taste and texture are best when enjoyed freshly baked, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
-
- Freezing – This dessert is great to freeze either before or after baking. You can flash freeze the whole thing for an hour before baking, or bake and then cool to room temperature. When ready to store, first wrap the crostata in a layer of plastic wrap before placing in an airtight bag, and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking per the recipe instructions.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Not much… In fact, a crostata is just an Italian version of a French galette, and vice versa. Both rustic dishes are made with a pastry dough wrapped around a sweet or savory filling.
Yes, you can bake with frozen fruit. However, the trick is to keep the fruit frozen and not thaw it first; otherwise, the berries will become overly soft and mushy.
The ricotta cream is a very loose cream due to the addition of honey. I personally love it this way. If you prefer a stiffer version, consider using whipped honey or substituting sugar.
Loved how simple this dessert is. I used a mix of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries – amazing flavor and texture!
I served this Berry Crostata at a summer dinner party and everyone raved about it. It looks fancy but takes no time at all to put together!
This was so easy to make and absolutely delicious! The crust turned out perfectly golden and crisp, and the berries were sweet and jammy.