If you love cheesecake but are intimidated to make it at home, you have to try my recipe for Melopita, the honey and cheese pie from the Greek island of Sifnos. This traditional Greek recipe is essentially a crustless cheesecake, but without all the fuss - there's no water bath or fancy equipment required, not even a stand mixer!
Table of Contents
Why you'll love this
- It's simple. Melopita (pronounced meh-LOW-pita) is a delightful regional specialty of Sifnos, one of the most beautiful Greek isles, in an island group known as the Cyclades. Comprised of two words, meli which means "honey," and pita which means "pie," this simple dessert is easy to make and a real treat to eat.
- It has cheese! While the name suggests that this dessert is primarily made from honey, it actually reminds me more of a crustless cheesecake. The original recipe calls for "anthotyro" which is a soft and mild fresh cheese. Melopita can also be substituted with another Greek cheese known as "myzithra." I didn't have either of those on hand so I used ricotta, and it worked wonders!
- It's crustless. Dancing somewhere between a custard and a baked cheesecake, this honey "pie" is a real keeper. Unlike other pies that are made with pastry crusts, melopita is actually crustless and naturally gluten free. That said, you can feel free to bake the custard in a pie shell of your choosing - I'm not here to judge.
- It has only 5 ingredients. Made with just 5 ingredients plus the most basic kitchen equipment - namely a whisk, mixing bowl and cake pan - melopita is the perfect cheesecake recipe for a novice home cook. Just whisk, bake, cool, drizzle with honey, dust with cinnamon and eat. How easy is that?!?
- Melopita is the perfect light dessert. Fresh, light, and with just the right amount of sweetness, this traditional Greek dessert recipe is just begging to be on your holiday table. Now let's get to it, shall we?
Related: Try my galatopita (Greek custard pie) for more creamy goodness!
What goes into this recipe
All you need to make this creamy, dreamy traditional honey pie is five (5!!!) ingredients. Here's what you'll need:
- Ricotta Cheese - As with most things, fresh ricotta is best here. You can feel free to make your own ricotta cheese with milk and lemon juice or vinegar, or choose a high quality brand from the grocery store. Obviously you can feel free to substitute either anthotyro cheese or a soft mizythra cheese if you're lucky enough to have access!
- Honey - Since this is a primary flavoring agent of melopita (remember it means "honey pie"), be sure to choose a high quality product here. Local wildflower honey is a favorite of mine not only because of the flavor, but also because it supports local pollinators, but any good honey will work here. Feel free to experiment with infused honeys, but be picky about what flavors you use.
- Eggs - For easy whisking, be sure your eggs are at room temperature. If you forgot to pull them out of the fridge ahead of time, place them in a bowl of warm (not boiling) water for 5-10 minutes.
- Corn Flour - Also known as corn starch, this is the thickening agent of choice for this gluten free cheesecake. If you don't have any on hand, you can substitute 2x as much rice flour or potato starch instead.
- Vanilla Extract - Vanilla is a lovely way to add depth of flavor without overpowering the honey. You can also use vanilla paste or powder, or feel free to experiment with other extracts like lemon or almond if you're feeling daring.
Tools
- Springform Pan (Amazon affiliate link)
How to make this recipe
This melopita recipe is seriously as simple as baking gets.
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- Steps 1-4: Add the ricotta, honey, eggs and vanilla into a large mixing bowl.
- Step 5: Add corn flour to bowl with other ingredients.
- Step 6 : Whisk until the batter is smooth and uniform.
- Step 7: Pour into baking pan and cook for 45-50 mins until the top has browned and the centre of the melopita no longer wobbles.
- Step 8: Once cooked allow to cool in the pan for 5 mins. Remove the melopita and allow it to cool completely, then drizzle with remaining honey and top with cinnamon. Enjoy!
Expert tips
This easy recipe for Greek honey pie is about as straightforward as it gets. That said, I've learned a few things along the way that'll make for a chef-worthy melopita:
- Make sure your eggs are room temperature. The primary reason for this is that room temp egg yolks break more easily and will mix into the batter more evenly. Cold eggs can result in lumpy batter, longer bake times and a stodgy cheesecake.
- Get high quality ricotta cheese. Be sure to use a fresh, whole milk ricotta from a good cheesemonger and avoid the watery stuff found in the big hypermarkets. If you accidentally buy a package that seems watery or thin, all is not lost - simple take the time to strain it using a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.
- Preheat your oven. Make sure your oven is at temperature before placing the baking tin inside. For the most accurate results, I recommend investing in an oven thermometer, as oven temps can vary widely.
- Add extra flavour. Adding a little grated lemon zest adds a hint of zing and freshness to the melopita.
FAQS
Traditionally speaking, melopita would be made using a soft Greek cheese like anthotyro or mizythra. I have substituted fresh, high quality cow's milk ricotta because it is easier to find in my area. If you have goat or sheep's milk ricotta, those should also work well.
If you don't have any ricotta on hand, you have a few options. First, you can try your hand at making homemade ricotta cheese using cow's milk and an acid like white vinegar, lemon juice or buttermilk.
Second, while I haven't tried them myself, there are some swaps that *should* work here: farmer's cheese, fromage blanc, cream cheese or mascarpone. If you have cottage cheese on hand, you can also try blending it to make smaller curds before swapping it in.
Since melopita is essentially a cheesecake, making it without dairy is a bit of a risk. I'd suggest opting for a lactose-free ricotta cheese first. However, you can try substituting silken tofu for the ricotta instead. If you do, let me know how it turns out in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Melopita - Crustless Greek Honey & Cheese Pie
Video
Conversions
Ingredients
- 600 grams ricotta cheese, fresh
- 100 ml honey
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon corn starch, (corn flour)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
To drizzle:
- 60 ml honey
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 deg C and grease a 20cm (8 inch) springform baking pan.
- Whisk all the ingredients in a large bowl, until smooth and free of any lumps.
- Pour into baking pan and cook for 45-50 mins until the top has browned and the centre of the melopita no longer wobbles.
- Once cooked allow to cool in the pan for 5 mins. Remove and allow it to cool completely.
- Once cooled drizzle with an extra ¼ cup honey and dust with cinnamon.
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Peter's Tips →
- Make sure your eggs are room temperature. The primary reason for this is that room temp egg yolks break more easily and will mix into the batter more evenly. Cold eggs can result in lumpy batter, longer bake times and a stodgy cheesecake.
- Get high quality ricotta cheese. Be sure to use a fresh ricotta from a good cheesemonger and avoid the watery stuff found in the big hypermarkets. If you accidentally buy a package that seems watery or thin, all is not lost - simple take the time to strain it using a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.
- Preheat your oven. Make sure your oven is at temperature before placing the baking tin inside. For the most accurate results, I recommend investing in an oven thermometer, as oven temps can vary widely.
- Add extra flavour. Adding a little grated lemon zest adds a hint of zing and freshness to the melopita.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Souvlaki For the Soul
Made this recipe?
Rate and Comment below!This post was originally published in September 2013, but was republished with new content and pictures in November 2021.
savannah says
i made this recipe for a school assignment and my teacher loved it, I garnished it with some pear and made a pistachio brittle (which didn't turn out the best because i didn't leave it on heat for long enough) and everyone said it looked amazing. i highly recommend this recipe
Clare Bantock says
Looks fab so simple. Took longer to cook 1 hour for me
Jana says
First time I made this was for a harmony day function at work. Post covid I divided the batter in cupcake sizing and it worked out great. Everyone was asking where the recipe was from and loved the flavour and lucky enough won first place in the best tasting dish. Definitely will keep this recipe close to my heart it’s a winner !
Anastasia says
How long did you make it in cupcake pans?
Alyssa says
This looks delicious and I would love to make it, but I don't know if I should use corn starch or corn flour - they are not the same thing. Corn flour is a flour whereas corn starch is a thickener. Please let me know which one you mean. Thank you! 🙂
Peter G says
Corn flour is the Australian word for corn starch. They're the same. Thank you.
Karen says
I'm preparing to make this but I have a bit of a dilemma. The recipe calls for a 20cm springform pan, I have either a 6 inch or a 9 inch pan to choose from. Anyone have an opinion on which I should use?
Peter G says
Use the 9 inch and bake for 10 mins extra - HOWEVER always check to make sure it doesn't overcook.
Emily says
If you double the recipe, it requires a bigger pan. I doubled and used a 10 inch spring form. How long should a doubled-recipe cook?
Peter G says
If you double it and bake it in a 10" pan I would add another 10-15 mins. Please keep checking it and ensure it sets in the middle. Also, if you find it's browning too quickly - cover it in foil to prevent browning. Cheers.
Bonnie Girvan says
thank you, I will return
Bianca says
delicious! my husband is dairy sensitive so we used kite hill dairy free ricotta - for anyone needing a dairy free version, it worked great with this recipe. I think this will indeed be a good one to bring to potlucks etc - thank you for sharing!
Peter G says
Thank you Bianca! Your feedback is much appreciated!
Alison Lewis says
Loved it. I took some advice from below and added the grated rind of 1 lemon. Next time I might do 2 lemons. I baked it in a cupcake tray so I could have individual serves. I served it with cream whipped with some honey and a drizzle of honey over the top. Will definitely make this again. It’s a great dessert and not too sweet. Thanks for sharing.
Ben says
So lovely! I had only a 10" springform so mine was quite thin and I baked it for 65 min (checking at 50, 55, 60). Was a lovely contribution for a friend's Greek Easter dinner.
Peter G says
Thank you!
Mikey says
We got ourselves yet another winner, right out of the Greek islands again. And it was such a piece of cake (this time, the pun *is* intended) that I would easily make it again. Such a simple and delectable morsel, that I feel backwards into liking at a food court in the Gold Coast - and before I knew it, I had this recipe right in front of me to recreate.
Hey, not all our memorable food experiences equate to an Instagram travel log.
Nevertheless, this recipe came about when I had my Thursday free to create something for my weekly ministry meeting. Over the past number of months, I had cooked a few different desserts for the post-meeting fika; so far, I had managed to find a new country each time, in addition to a different flavour as well. I ensured that both trends would continue, and after scrolling through several possibilities - this one was too easy not to. Honey-flavoured was going to be the star this time around.
It is an example of beauty in simplicity, and a dessert that wasn't too sweet either. Much like the first time several months ago, the texture is initially a little strange but you get used to it. The honey seeped through wasn't overpowering, the small hints of cinnamon complimented it well; if this is the first time I knowingly have had a honey and cinnamon combination, it surprises me that I had not done it before.
Heck, at the meeting one or two people even commented it was like a cheesecake. With honey being a natural, healing product, I have a good "cheesecake" recipe to pull out without feeling like I am fooling anyone. That makes it an unsung winner in my book.
All up, this is another notch in success.