Pastiera di Riso is a sweet Italian rice pie served at Easter. It's similar to a pastiera napoletana, but some would say it tastes even better!
Italian Easter Rice Pie (Pastiera di Riso) always makes an appearance at Easter. The rice and ricotta blend beautifully with the orange and cinnamon flavors to make a beautiful Easter pie. This rice pie is very similar to another Easter classic dessert, pastiera napoletana, but the cooked wheat in the filling is replaced with rice.
Deciding between pastiera napoletana and pastiera di riso is a matter of personal preference. I say try both and see which one you like better! (but they're both so delicious, it would be so hard to choose!)
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What is Pastiera di Riso?
It's a sweet Italian pie that is served at Easter time. It's filled with sweet cooked rice and ricotta, and has flavors of orange and cinnamon in it. A shortcrust pastry (Italian pie dough) holds the beautiful filling together.
How to make Pastiera di Riso (Italian Easter Rice Pie) - Step by Step
Make the crust:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, and baking powder (photo 1)
Add eggs, egg yolks and butter (photo 2). Mix on medium speed until large, moist crumbs start to form - about 2-3 minutes (photo 3)
Remove dough from the bowl and with your hands on a smooth surface, gently form the dough into a ball.
Wrap the dough in saran wrap and place in the fridge for approximately 1 hour (photo 4)
Make the Rice Filling:
Add the rice and water to a pot (photo 5 &6), and over medium heat, let them come to a boil.
Once rice and water have started to boil, cook for 8 minutes, stirring often (photo 7)
At this point, add the milk, sugar, orange peel and cinnamon sticks (photo 8)
Still on medium heat, cook the rice mixture for 30 minutes, stirring often so that the rice doesn't stick to the pot, until the rice is cooked and most of the liquid has absorbed (photo 9)
At this point, remove the orange peel. Add butter to the rice (photo 10)
Turn heat to low, and cook for 7-10 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed and the mixture is dense in consistency.
Add the rice to a shallow square dish, level it out, and cover with saran wrap. Let it cool (photo 11)
If your ricotta is very moist and has a lot of liquid in it, drain it with a colander.
In a big bowl, add ricotta, beaten eggs, fior d'arancio, and cinnamon (photo 12)
Mix with a wooden spoon or whisk until all ingredients are combined (photo 13)
Once the rice mixture has cooled completely, add it to the ricotta mixture, slowly, a few spoons at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon until the rice is fully incorporated into the mixture (photo 14) Set the filling aside.
Roll out the dough and finish the pastiera:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease your pie dish with butter, and then coat with a thin layer of flour.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough a few times to soften it. Then roll it out until it's about ½ cm thick (photo 15)
Transfer the dough to the pie dish (photo 16), and cut off any hanging edges (photo 17)
Fill the pastiera with the filling (photo 18)
Decorate the top of the pastiera with a lattice design. The lattices should sit gently on top of the dough (photo 19)
Bake the pastiera for approximately 60 minutes, or until edges are golden. Let the pastiera cool and come to room temperature, top with powdered sugar if desired and enjoy! (photo 20)
Extra Tips for Making this Pastiera with Rice
Extra Tips for Making this Pastiera with Rice- Arborio rice is the best rice to use for this type of pie, since it is creamy and will give a great consistency to the pie
- When peeling the orange, try to keep the peels as large as possible, since you will be removing the peels from the rice mixture. They will be easier to remove this way.
- When mixing in the rice with the ricotta, it's important to add the rice in slowly (a few spoonfuls at a time) - this will make it easier to mix it in and ensure it gets incorporated evenly.
- Pasta frolla (the crust used in this recipe), is a very crumbly dough. The best way to transfer it to the baking dish is to roll it on to the rolling pin, and roll it out over the baking dish, as shown in the process photos. If it breaks in spots once transferred to the pie dish, just patch the spots up with extra dough.
- This recipe was made in a 9 inch springform pan, so the filling amounts are suited to a pan of this size.
- I used quite a deep springform pan to make the pastiera, but if the pan used isn't that deep, there's a chance that the filling can overflow when baking. To mitigate this you can put the pan on a baking sheet to catch the filling, just in case it spills over.
- It's best to use a metal pan when making a pastiera - you will get the best result this way!
Storing and freezing
You can store the pastiera in the fridge for up to one week, although it tastes better the sooner its consumed!
You can also freeze it (I wrap it in cling wrap, then in tin foil in individual sized pieces). Then when ready to eat, thaw it and let it come to room temperature and enjoy! It will keep nicely in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Other Italian Holiday Recipes You Might Like
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Recipe
Pastiera di Riso (Italian Easter Rice Pie)
Ingredients
For the Dough (Pasta Frolla):
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 ¼ cup cubed butter at room temperature
For the Filling:
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- peel of one orange large pieces
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon fior d'arancio (orange blossom water)
- 4 eggs
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
Make the crust (pasta frolla):
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, and baking powder.
- Add eggs, egg yolks and butter. Mix on medium speed until large, moist crumbs start to form (about 2-3 minutes).
- Remove dough from the bowl and with your hands on a smooth surface, gently form the dough into a ball.
- Wrap the dough in saran wrap and place in the fridge for approximately 1 hour.
Make the Rice Filling:
- Add the rice and water to a pot, and over medium heat, let them come to a boil.
- Once rice and water have started to boil, cook for 8 minutes, stirring often.
- At this point, add the milk, sugar, orange peel and cinnamon sticks.
- Still on medium heat, cook the rice mixture for 30 minutes, stirring often so that the rice doesn't stick to the pot, until the rice is cooked and most of the liquid has absorbed. If rice is cooking too quickly, turn the heat down slightly.
- At this point, remove the orange peel and cinnamon sticks.
- Turn heat down to low, add butter to the rice, and cook for 7-10 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed and the mixture is dense in consistency.
- Add the rice to a shallow square dish, level it out, and cover with saran wrap. Let it cool.
- If your ricotta is very moist and has a lot of liquid in it, drain it with a colander.
- In a big bowl, add ricotta, beaten eggs, fior d'arancio, and cinnamon. Mix with a wooden spoon or whisk until all ingredients are combined.
- Once the rice mixture has cooled completely, add it to the ricotta mixture, slowly, a few spoons at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon until the rice is fully incorporated into the mixture. Set the filling aside.
Roll out the dough and finish the pastiera:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease your pie dish with butter, and then coat with a thin layer of flour.
- On a floured surface, roll out the dough a few times to soften it. Then roll it out until it's about ½ cm thick.
- Transfer the dough to the pie dish, and cut off any hanging edges. Fill with the filling.
- Decorate the top of the pastiera with a lattice design. The lattices should sit gently on top of the dough.
- Bake the pastiera for approximately 60 minutes, or until edges are golden. Let the pastiera cool and come to room temperature, top with powdered sugar if desired, and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Arborio rice is the best rice to use for this type of pie, since it is creamy and will give a great consistency to the pie
- When peeling the orange, try to keep the peels as large as possible, since you will be removing the peels from the rice mixture. They will be easier to remove this way.
- When cooking the rice, make sure stir often so it doesn't stick to the pot.
- When mixing in the rice with the ricotta, it's important to add the rice in slowly (a few spoonfuls at a time) - this will make it easier to mix it in and ensure it gets incorporated evenly.
- This pastiera tastes best once it has cooled and come to room temperature.
- This recipe was made in a 9 inch springform metal pan, so the filling amounts are suited to a dish of this size.
- I used quite a deep springform pan to make the pastiera, but if the pan used isn't that deep, there's a chance that the filling can overflow when baking. To mitigate this you can put the pan on a baking sheet to catch the filling, just in case it spills over.
Ruth J. says
Hello,
I want to make this for my family's Easter dinner, but I'm having difficulty locating fior d'arancio (orange blossom water). Would orange extract be a good substitute?
Thank you!
Pina says
Hi Ruth! I haven't used orange extract in this dessert, so I would just omit the orange blossom water entirely and not replace with anything. You'll get a bit of the orange flavor from the orange peel that cooked with the rice.
Jo Kukuka says
I grate a little orange zest into the ricotta mixture.
Lou says
Hi Ruth,
King Arthur Baking sells Fiori di Sicilia, which is just about the same thing and works beautifully in this recipe!
https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/fiori-di-sicilia-1-oz
Debra Watson says
Hello Ruth, , There are many variations to Pasteria. My family recipe actually calls for a tsp of pure lemon extract and a tsp of cinnamon. Orange water sounds lovely, but probably hard to find, but quite easy to make your own. In our recipe the ricotta is another recipe than the usual pasteria . Some pasteria has pineapple, sometimes ricotta pies do. There are many variations to these recipes. You can't ruin it by making your own.
gina says
I use cinnamon sticks in rice while cooking discard and lemon and orange zest to milk mixture lovely rice pudding flavoured pisteria
Pina says
Gina, that sounds delicious!
xo, Piina
Andrea says
Hello,
This is the closest recipe I could find to my late mother-in-law’s Pastiera. She was from southern Italy and, if my memory serves me correctly, she made her pies with just rice, no ricotta. She added bits of dark chocolate to some pies for the grandkids and drained pineapple to others. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe for Easter, but will add chocolate to surprise my kids. Buona Pasqua!
Pina says
Hi Andrea! That makes me very happy! I love the addition of chocolate. I have found that there are so many versions of pastiera and it's cool that you're making it your own! Please let me know how it turns out! Buona Pasqua!
-Pina
Teresa says
Morning, I’ve made to much filling, can I freeze it for another time? Buona pasqua.
Pina says
Hi Teresa! I've never tried freezing it, but I don't see why not. I think it would freeze quite well!
Regina says
Thank you for this recipe! I love the details! It turned out perfect! Great video too. It helped when I had a question about the consistency after the second boil.
Pina says
Thank you Regina! I'm so glad you liked it.
And I'm glad the video helped.
-Pina
Michele R Lombardo says
I made this last week and it turned out perfect. It was much easier to make than I anticipated. I do wonder if adding some orange zest in addition to the orange water would give it a stronger flavor.
Pina says
Hi Michele I am so glad you liked it! Yes! You can definitely add orange zest in the filling to give it that stronger orange flavor. Happy baking!
-Pina
Jill says
I was wondering if you could make two thin pies what adjustments should be made
Maria Tatarian says
Thank you for the recipe! If I don’t have a springform pan can I use a deep metal pie dish? Would I be able to turn it upside down to take the pie out? I was thinking to make these for gifts for Easter for family and friends
Pina says
Hi Maria! A metal pie dish would work just fine! Yes you will be able to get the pie out by turning it upside down. Just to be extra cautious, you can line the pan with parchment and grease it. Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any other questions.
Pina
Ann Melendez says
I made this recipe the other day and followed directions the only thing I didn’t have was the orange blossom water so my question is when it was all done I cooled it totally then put it inside a plastic container with a tight seal and refrigerated it the next morning the pie was somewhat moist in texture
Is that how it is supposed to be or should it be more with less moisture more solid it has a wet taste
Pina says
Hi Ann, the final result should definitely not be dry, but somewhat moist. With that being said, it should not be completely wet, it may need to bake more if it is too wet. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any more questions!
-Pina
Brian Ablett says
Is this recipe available in metric measurements please?
Catherine Ursini says
I am trying out your recipe for the first time, so I don't have any comments quite yet. I do, however, have a question or two.
#1) Can I use lemon rind and juice instead of the orange or will it affect the pie?
#2) Since this is my first time using your recipe, I followed it to the letter. The pie crust seems quite soft and was ripping a bit. Did I do something wrong, or is that the way it is supposed to be?
I just KNOW that once I'm done tonight (Holy Saturday evening), I will have another question or two for you - at least one or two! I can't wait to taste test this pie - unfortunately, it will HAVE to wait until tomorrow! Oh, I know, do you have a recipe for friselle? I've been using my Grandmother's recipe for many many years, since we also use it for the pie crust for apizzagaine. I am so looking forward to reading and trying out more of your recipes! I am a newly retired Nonna of two boys; and they and their parents LIVE how I'm spending all my new-found spare time - baking! Happy Easter to you and yours, and I look forward to all the new taste testing that we all will be doing! ❤️
Pina says
Hello Catherine. Yes you can use lemon rind instead of orange rind. If you do use lemon juice, use it very sparingly or it may overpower the pie. You can also leave the lemon juice out.
If the dough is ripping, try rolling it out again with a bit more flour. That should help!
Sounds like you are enjoying retirement! That makes me so happy. Enjoy your time baking!
-Pina
Ann says
Hi could I add drained crushed pineapple my mom added it but I don’t have her recipe/ will it ruin the recipe thanks
Pina says
Hi Ann, I think adding the pineapple would be fine. Let me know how it turns out!
-Pina
Felicia says
My mom always made this for Easter! She recently passed away.
I wanted to keep tradition and make it since our family always looked forward to it every Easter.
I made it for the very first time and it was delicious! First Easter celebrating without my mom and having this brought back special memories! It was just like my mom made it! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Pina says
Thank you so much Felicia!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Saying it's exactly like your mom like it is the biggest compliment to me.
-Pina
Anthony says
Am I getting the lattice pieces from the single dough in the recipe?
Pina Bresciani says
Hi Anthony, yes! The lattices will be cut from the extra dough you have left over. Hope this helps!
-Pina