The Neapolitan pastiera is a dessert that is rarely missing from Neapolitan tables at Easter. A symbol of spring, it has two ingredients that make it unmistakable: orange blossom water and cooked wheat. All enclosed in a crisp shortcrust pastry.
There are two versions of the Neapolitan pastiera; one includes pastry cream in the filling — today I show you the one I have been making for years and that my mother taught me, the Neapolitan pastiera without pastry cream.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter Monday, Easter
- Energy 736.01 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 109.15 (g) of which sugars 64.62 (g)
- Proteins 16.42 (g)
- Fat 28.70 (g) of which saturated 17.29 (g)of which unsaturated 11.08 (g)
- Fibers 7.81 (g)
- Sodium 202.19 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients – Neapolitan Pastiera
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 7 oz butter (or lard (about 1 3/4 US sticks / 7/8 cup))
- 3 eggs
- 1 zest of 1 orange (and 1 lemon, grated)
- 14 oz ricotta (about 1 2/3 cups (400 g))
- 2.5 cups cooked wheat for pastiera (about 18 oz (500 g) cooked wheat (grano cotto))
- 3/4 cup milk (about 7 fl oz (200 ml))
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar (for the filling)
- 5 eggs
- 1 packet vanillina (vanillin powder)
- 2 vials orange blossom aroma
- 1 zest of 1 lemon
Tools
- Aluminum pans
Steps – Neapolitan Pastiera
First prepare the shortcrust pastry:
In a food processor, place the flour and the butter or lard straight from the fridge.Pulse everything until you obtain a sandy mixture.
Add the sugar.Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and form the classic well.
In the center, break the eggs and add the grated zest of the orange and lemon.Work the eggs first and then knead everything to form a homogeneous, compact dough.
Wrap the shortcrust pastry in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.Prepare the filling (you can also let it rest in the fridge overnight).
Pour the cooked wheat, the milk, the butter or lard and the grated zest of 1 lemon and the orange into a saucepan; cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often until it becomes creamy.Turn off the heat and let it cool.
In a separate bowl whisk the ricotta, the sugar, the eggs, one packet of vanillin, the aromas and a pinch of cinnamon (optional).
Work everything until the mixture is very smooth.Combine everything with the wheat once it is cold.
Take the shortcrust pastry and roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 in (0.2 in) with a rolling pin and line a previously buttered round pan, trim the excess, roll it out again and cut strips from it.Pour the mixture into the pan, level it, fold the edges of the pastry inward and decorate with strips to form a lattice.
Bake at 356°F (conventional oven) for one hour until the pastiera takes on an amber color;
let it cool and, before serving, dust with powdered sugar.
The pastiera can be stored for 4-5 days and it gets even better!
If you prefer, you can add candied fruit to the filling.
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