Easter Rice Pie (Pastiera di Riso)

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!)

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: 

On a smooth surface, with your hands, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking powder, salt and butter until well incorporated (photo 1 & 2)

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the eggs (photo 3)

Continue kneading with your hands a smooth dough is obtained (photo 4)

Wrap the dough with saran wrap and place in the fridge for half an hour (photo 5)

Make the Rice Filling: 

Add the rice and water to a pot, and over medium heat, let them come to a boil (photo 6)

Once rice and water have started to boil, cook for 8 minutes, stirring often (photo 7)

At this point, add the milk, sugar and orange peel (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.

At this point, remove the orange peel. Add butter to the rice (photo 9)

Turn heat to low, and cook for 7-10 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed and the mixture is dense in consistency (photo 10)

Add the rice to a shallow square dish, level it out, and cover with saran wrap. Let it cool (photo 11)

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 (photo 12)

Once the rice mixture has cooled completely, add it to the ricotta mixture, slowly, a few spoons at a time (photo 13)

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 340°F. Grease your pie dish with butter, and then coat with a thin layer of flour.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it’s about 1/2 cm thick (photo 15)

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 9.5 inch Pyrex glass pie dish, so the filling amounts are suited to a dish of this size.

Other Italian Holiday Recipes You Might Like:

• Pastiera Napoletana
• Strawberry Crostata
• The Best Struffoli

If you’ve tried making this Pastiera di Riso, or any other recipe on the blog please let me know what you thought of it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’ve been up to.

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Pastiera di Riso (Italian Easter Rice Pie)

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!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian Easter rice pie, pasitera di riso

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Servings 12 people

Calories 387 kcal

Author Pina Bresciani

Ingredients

For the Dough (Pasta Frolla):

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup cubed butter cold
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk

For the Filling:

• 1 cup arborio rice
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• peel of one orange large pieces
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp fior d'arancio
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Make the crust (pasta frolla):

1. On a smooth surface, with your hands, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking powder, salt and butter until well incorporated. 

2. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the eggs. Continue kneading with your hands a smooth dough is obtained. 

3. Wrap the dough with saran wrap and place in the fridge for half an hour. 

Make the Rice Filling:

1. Add the rice and water to a pot, and over medium heat, let them come to a boil. 

2. Once rice and water have started to boil, cook for 8 minutes, stirring often. 

3. At this point, add the milk, sugar and orange peel. 

4. 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. 

5. At this point, remove the orange peel. 

6. 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. 

7. Add the rice to a shallow square dish, level it out, and cover with saran wrap. Let it cool. 

8. If your ricotta is very moist and has a lot of liquid in it, drain it with a colander. 

9. 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. 

10. 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:

1. Preheat oven to 340°F. Grease your pie dish with butter, and then coat with a thin layer of flour. 

2. On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it's about 1/2 cm thick. 

3. Transfer the dough to the pie dish, and cut off any hanging edges. Fill with the filling. 

4. Decorate the top of the pastiera with a lattice design. Fold down the edges of the dough. 

5. Bake the pastiera for approximately 70 minutes, or until edges are golden. Let the pastiera cool and come to room temperature, and enjoy!

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 9.5 inch Pyrex glass pie dish, so the filling amounts are suited to a dish of this size.

Nutrition Facts

Pastiera di Riso (Italian Easter Rice Pie)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 387 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12g 18%

Saturated Fat 7g 35%

Cholesterol 117mg 39%

Sodium 119mg 5%

Potassium 230mg 7%

Total Carbohydrates 57g 19%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 27g

Protein 10g 20%

Vitamin A 9.6%

Calcium 16.4%

Iron 12.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.