Think of these grain free and keto ravioli as pillowy-soft bites from heaven! Filled with spinach, ricotta and toasted pine nuts, they’re then fried in a garlic and thyme-infused brown butter for a killer result.
Spinach & Ricotta Keto Ravioli
Pillowy-Soft!
I looove to fill up these keto ravioli with spinach, ricotta and toasted pine nuts. Simple, yet ridiculously tasty. They’re then cooked in a garlic and thyme-infused butter; which browns as the ravioli cook, yielding a delicious dipping sauce.
Just don’t forget the cherry tomatoes, as they lighten up the dish beautifully!
Fun fact: since the recipe was first published (back in January ’18), many of you have informed me that there’s such a thing as toasted ravioli up in St. Louis (and that these are not far off!). How neat is that?!
p.s. These guys are super awesome for meal-prepping! Simply whip up a large batch, freeze, and cook straight from the freezer as needed.
The Flours
These keto ravioli are a spinoff of my famous Crazy Keto Dough!
Think almost the same ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour and a touch of xanthan gum (minus the baking powder). But slightly wetter, so you’re able to get it nice and thin (think almost translucent).
p.s. click through for specific brands I use personally (i.e. they work best!).
Allergic to nuts? I’ve heard great things about substituting the almond flour with sunflower seed meal or pumpkin seed meal from readers. Color and taste will be different though.
Otherwise, no substituting flours here and the xanthan gum is absolutely necessary. And, if possible, weigh your ingredients for consistent results.
The Method
The real trick here is to get the keto pasta dough nice and thin. This way you’ll end up with pillowy-soft ravioli, as opposed to doughy ones. In the end, you want the filling-to-dough ratio to be much greater.
1. Roll out the dough between parchment paper
This is easiest done using either a tortilla press (cast iron ones are the best) or an actual pasta machine. But a rolling pin (with some patience) will work too. The dough should end up translucent when held up against natural light.
2. Add filling
Heap roughly a tablespoon of filling onto the dough. Drape a second piece over it and press around the edges to seal, removing any air bubbles. The dough will sticky, so no egg wash is needed.
3. Trim
I simply used a cookie cutter here, but feel free to use whatever floats your boat. Just keep in mind that you’ll want to trim the edges close to the filling.
4. Freeze
You’ll want to freeze the ravioli for 15 minutes prior to cooking. And yes, you can go ahead and freeze them too, but thaw them out slightly before cooking. You’ll also want to cook these guys always in a little olive oil or butter, never in water (they’ll just be mushy). But they’re absolutely killer fried.
(Pillowy-Soft!) Spinach & Ricotta Keto Ravioli
Ingredients
For the keto pasta dough
- 96 g almond flour
- 24 g coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt depending on whether sweet or savory
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 3-5 teaspoons water
For the ricotta & spinach filling:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for cooking
- 2 cloves garlic grated or ran through a press
- 400 g spinach
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 40 g Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 30 g pine nuts lightly toasted
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground to taste
- 1 egg yolk
To serve
- 56 g grass-fed butter as needed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic slivered
- 4 thyme springs
- cherry tomatoes to taste
- Parmesan cheese slivered
Instructions
For the keto pasta dough
- Add almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum and salt to food processor. Pulse until thoroughly combined.
- Pour in apple cider vinegar with the food processor running. Once it has distributed evenly, pour in the egg. Add water teaspoon by teaspoon, as needed, until the dough forms into a ball. The dough should be firm, yet sticky to touch and with no creases (which mean the dough is dry and you need to add a little more water).
- Wrap dough in cling film and knead it through the plastic for a couple minutes. Think of it a bit like a stress ball. Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature and place in the fridge for 45 minutes (and up to five days).
For the ricotta & spinach filling:
- Heat up olive oil in a skillet or pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté briefly until golden. Add spinach and turn down the heat. Once wilted, squeeze out excess liquid, transfer it to a board and roughly chop it. Allow to cool.
- Mix spinach with ricotta, grated Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts and freshly grated nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix in egg yolk.
To assemble the keto ravioli
- Roll out the pasta to its thinnest point using a pasta machine or a tortilla press (between parchment paper). You can also use a rolling pin, but it'll take a little longer. The dough should end up translucent when held up against natural light.
- Heap roughly a tablespoon of filling onto the dough (see pictures in post). Drape a second piece over it and press down around the edges to seal, removing any air bubbles. The dough will sticky, so no egg wash is needed. Trim the edges close to the filling using a cookie cutter (or pizza cutter/knife/glass). Place all the ravioli on a baking tray and freeze for 15 minutes prior to cooking.
For the thyme-butter sauce
- Heat up butter and oil in a skillet or pan over low heat. Once warm, add in garlic slivers and thyme. When the garlic begins to brown, add in chilled ravioli.
- Cook ravioli in the butter until golden all over, a minute or two on each side. If the garlic slivers begin to brown too much, you'll want to pull them out (do not discard).
- Serve right away over a bed of cherry tomatoes and topped with slivered parmesan and the crispy garlic slivers (opt out if garlic isn't your thing).
Notes
Nutrition
and some food (for thought) 👁️
a newsletter about functional food to nourish, create and evolve.
(p.s. we don’t talk about fight club 🪄 )
xo! Paola
Paola,
Can you use a this dough with a pasta/ravioli maker or attachment?
Hi Leslie! I’ve only tried in the pasta attachment of my kitchen aid and it does work 😉 xo!
I tried this, but made them in batches and cut into squares so I wouldn’t have to reroll the scraps. Made it easy and really good! Everyone loved it. I filled them with ricotta, parmesan mixtures with basil and parsley and garlic. Very good! Topped with a little marinara and fresh parmesan. Leftovers stored without the sauce and baked to heat up nicely!
when you freeze them, how long do you recommend thawing them before cooking?
You can either cook them straight from the freezer or thaw them out in the fridge overnight xo!
I’d like to know if you could make a “gnocchi” type shape and eat that way after frying in butter …will the middle be too soft ?
Definitely Jennifer! Search the blog for the pasta recipe so you get the deets 😉 xo
Here’s gnom-gnom’s recipe for gnocchi. Looks like the same type dough as the ravioli.
https://www.gnom-gnom.com/gluten-free-keto-ricotta-gnocchi/
I made this last night. Will be making fried noodles with the dough. I was wondering if you fried sheets could you make lasagna with it.
Hi Peggy! In all honesty I think it would disintegrate in a proper lasagna (the filling is too wet)
I have done and cooked the lasagna sheets before using and it did not disintegrate. Since every ingredients in my lasagna was already hot, I only broiled until the cheese on top was golden.
I’m hoping you can help me troubleshoot this. Any time I’ve used this dough, it sticks miserably to everything. I can’t roll it out. I tried my tortilla press, it sticks all over to that. I’ve tried adding coconut flour to dust the surfaces, freezing it, and more. I know the dough itself is delicious when cooked, but I can’t seem to get it to do what the recipe calls for 🙁
I used a little bit of spray oil on my parchment sheets before rolling. It seemed to help A LOT!! Not sure if Paola would recommend, but it did the trick for me. Good luck!
These came out very good. A bit time consuming for me but worth it. I think I’ll spice it up a bit more next time. Thanks for the recipe. To bad I can’t post a pic.
Can gluten free flour be used instead?
Honestly Kenya this recipe was made for grain free keto flours that can’t be boiled, if you can do rice flour and other grains you’re better off finding a recipe meant for your flour xo!
Hi,
I’m new and have a couple of questions. Does it matter if you use fresh or frozen spinach and second do you have recipes for other fillings. I love these recipes they sound great and I can’t wait to make them. I do wish you would put it in us cup measurements. I’m 70 and not so good with going to p,aces to tea safer the measurements.
Thanks
Hi Patti! Welcome to gnom-gnom! First do note that yo can click on US Cups below the ingredients for an instant convertion 🙂 There is one more filling for ravioli on the site at this time. Search for ravioli (upper right of he site) and you’ll get the, xo!
My husband has allergic reactions to apple. Is there a substitute I could use for the apple cider vinegar?
You can do white wine vinegar too!
Your photo of the cone filled with some sort of chocolate dessert has me salivating! I found your cone recipe (I purchased your cookbook) but I have no idea about the chocolate filling. What is it?
Hi Rosalyn! Thank you for purchasing the book! The chocolate filling is an instant ice cream also from the book (it’s the recipe right after the cone in the ice cream section!). xo!
Thank you for your quick reply, Paola. I can’t wait to make both the cone and the ice cream.
Omg !! Was the best meal I had since Keto. Thank you so much for the recipe ❤️
Wow that’s awesome to hear Yuna! Thank you! xo!!
Can I use those as dumpling wrappers🤔
Definitely! Search for dumplings on the site 😉
Can the ravioli be cooked in boiling water or simmered in liquids for a softer texture?
Hi Christine, unfortunately no (as mentioned in post). Remember that the flours aren’t grains so they don’t cook in water and it will just be mushy xo!
Okay, thank you!
Made these tonight. Mine were certainly not as pretty as yours and I only got 10 out of the recipe (I suspect my tortilla press and patience weren’t as pretty as yours either). I also browned them more and dipped in marinara sauce – I swear they tasted just like fried ravioli appetizers in some restaurants. Loved your recipe and will be making this often. Thank you for bringing ravioli back into my life!!!
That’s awesome to hear Noelle! And don’t worry too much about the appearance, it just takes a little practice to get the hang of it 😉
OMG… these are amazing!. I had almost forgot how eating pasta was like… so Paola… GRACIAS.
Un beso desde Montevideo,
Adriana
YAY, mas lectoras latinas! De nada Adriana! Un beso!
My whole family loved these! I filled them with a ricotta, parmesan, herb and egg mixture. My only complaint, though was that I had a hard time keeping them from cracking. I even used a tortilla press to get them super thin. I wonder if I should have added more water? This made them tricky to make and less pretty, but the family didn’t care. I served with a bit of marinara sauce and grated parmesan. Really fantastic.
Yup! Just add a little more water next time, they shouldn’t crack. In the directions it specifies that the dough should be stiff but without cracks, how much extra water you need varies quite a bit also from brand to brand. xo!
Oh, fantastic! I’ll definitely try them as I already have all the ingredients at home. Can’t wait for dinner tonight <3.
Has anyone tried to bake them?
Hi Jessica! I’m sorry to have missed your comment…! I think that if you bake them they’ll just melt xo
I did put them in the oven first and then fried them in butter just to get some color and texture. Baking worked for me. I felt that they didn’t cook completely just frying them.
Hi, I made these a couplenod weeks ago and they are fantastic! With every bite I had to say, “I am so happy!”
I want to make them for a birthday dinner so I will have to cook about 60 raviolis. Do you think these could be deep fried? I love the thyme garlic bitter but 60 raviolis would take too long to cook that way.
Hi Paula! That’s GREAT to hear! Yes, you can def go ahead and deep fry them (just do a test batch to see how long they take to cook to make sure they’re not overcooked!) xo!
Can Arrowroot be used in place of xanthan gum?
Hi Linda, unfortunately no. You need the xanthan gum to bind and provide elasticity. xo
Look amazing! Was wondering if you had the nutritional info for just the dough. Thinking about getting creative with fillings. 🙂
Thank you Tom! Check out the nutrition info for the tortillas (pretty much the same dough). Just multiply it by 8 and you’ll get the total info for the dough https://www.gnom-gnom.com/grain-free-keto-tortillas/
Cool. Thanks!
Hi! This recipe looks fabulous!
I’m wondering, can the scraps of dough be added back in and used again?
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Hi Chrissy! Yes of course! You’ll notice that the dough is very pliable and can be reworked easily- nothing goes to waste here 😉
Hey, is this the same (or similar) recipe to the 15 minute grain free tortilla?
Hi Jasper! Yes, it’s stated in the ‘The Flours’ section. The dough behaves differently without the baking powder and a little extra water though. xo
Sorry, I just read the top of the page – I am known for not reading things through properly. Thanks for the reply though!
Can the dough be frozen, and if so for how long?
Hi Nataly! I haven’t tried freezing the dough itself, but I’ve frozen the ravioli made (and the later works out just fine). Just need to thaw them out before frying. xo P
I was wondering if this “pasta” could be cut into spaghetti, and cooked the same way as you cooked the ravioli?
YES!! though I might suggest you don’t do spaghetti, but maybe some smaller shapes to keep it from tangling and breaking while cooking. Say orecchiette-like shapes?
Thank you! I can’t wait to try this..:)
Made these tonight and WOW WOW WOW!!! I am writing back for all those skeptics! I wasn’t sure how the texture would be after frying, but I can swear that they have the mouthfeel of REAL ravioli! My husband is making cartwheels because he has some form of pasta back in his life! THANK YOU!! This recipe is such a treasure, as is your blog! Have a wonderful weekend
Hi Marge! That’s so awesome, very happy you guys enjoyed them so much and thanks for reporting back! Good weekend to you too! xo!
A-MAZING!!! And I swear my boyfriend has not stopped smiling since dinner! Surprisingly maybe but the dough was quite easy to make and the ravioli ended up coming out quite nice as it was easy to handle . Thank you, these will surely become a staple for us
Enjoyed deep dish pizza to the max, can’t wait to try this! How many ravioli are in a seving? Thank you
Hi Judy! So happy you enjoyed the deep dish pizza! I calculated the nutrition facts per ravioli (1.5g net). I suggest serving size be 4 ravioli (6g net). xo!
Thank you for restoring it Paola!! You are the best can’t wait to make this! Such a GAME CHANGER!!