I’m beyond thrilled to share this recipe with you today, because these Nettle Ricotta Rolls might be my favorite savory bake I’ve ever made. They truly have everything going for them, from the ridiculously soft, tender crumb to the perfect balance of flavors.
The rolls are moist and light, with swirls of tender nettles brightened with fresh lemon zest and pockets of creamy ricotta, all finished with a golden, buttery parmesan crust.
These savory swirls are also super easy to make, but stinging nettles only come around once a year, so you’ve gotta get ‘em while you can! And if you’ve never cooked with nettles before, don’t worry — I’ll walk you through exactly how to handle and prepare them safely.
Recipe highlights
- Super fluffy, tender rolls
- Moist and soft on the inside, lightly crunchy on top
- Perfect balance of flavors with bright lemon, savory greens, & plenty of cheese
- Simple, straightforward dough that comes together quickly
- Glorious for either breakfast or dinner
- A beautiful way to make use of seasonal stinging nettles
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: ~30 mins • Proof: 2-3 hrs • Bake: 30-40 mins • Total: ~4 hrs
🍴 Yield: 9 rolls
💪 Skill level: The dough is beginner-friendly, but working with nettles requires just a little courage!
😋 Flavor notes: Super savory, cheesy, lightly garlicky, rich yet bright.
Pairs well with: Butter, soft cheeses, eggs, breakfast, salads, soups, spring meals.
👉 If you’re looking for something a little different, check out my Nettle Pesto Swirl Bread. It’s easy to make, absolutely gorgeous, and full of wild nettle flavor.
What do nettles taste like?
Stinging nettles have a mild, earthy flavor that’s often compared to spinach, but with a slightly deeper, more mineral-rich taste. Once cooked, they lose their sting completely and become tender and almost silky.
In recipes like these savory rolls, nettles add a subtle green note that pairs perfectly with creamy ricotta, bright lemon, and salty parmesan, bringing fresh, seasonal flair.
🌿 Fun fact: they’re also super good for you! Nettles are rich in vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium, making them as nourishing as they are delicious.
Ingredient notes & substitutions
Yeast: I use active dry yeast for these nettle ricotta rolls, but you could also use instant yeast. If you do, skip right past the “blooming” step where you let the yeast sit with warm milk and sugar for a few minutes, and simply mix all the bread dough ingredients together. Expect your dough to rise a little faster than the estimated times in the recipe card.
Sugar: Yes, you still want a little bit of sugar in your dough even when you’re making savory rolls. Trust me, a little goes a long way, and it really enhances the flavor of the rolls.
Milk: Whole milk works best here, as the fat content provides moisture to the dough. If you want to use a plant-based milk, choose one that’s higher in fat, like soy, hemp, or cashew.
Cheese: Obviously, you’ll need ricotta cheese for these savory rolls! I also use a good amount of parmesan, but things get even more tasty if you combine the parm with some other hard aged cheeses, like asiago, romano, and/or gruyere.
Nettles: The star of the show here is wild stinging nettles, but if you don’t have access to those, you can totally substitute fresh or frozen spinach.
If using fresh, start with about 6 cups roughly chopped spinach and gently wilt it in a saucepan with a little butter or olive oil before using. If using frozen spinach, thaw it first and wring out any excess water.
🌿 Check out my complete guide for more information on harvesting & cooking nettles!
How to make nettle ricotta rolls
Find the full ingredients list and detailed recipe instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview of how to make this recipe:
- Bloom the yeast: Thoroughly combine active dry yeast with warm walk and sugar. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes, until frothy.
- Whisk in egg & butter: Add egg and melted butter, whisking to combine.
- Add dry ingredients & knead: Fold in flour, salt, and parmesan until blended and attach the dough hook to your mixer. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
- First rise: Place dough in an oiled bowl and let rise in a warm place until roughly doubled, 1 – 1 ½ hours.
- Prepare fillings: Rinse, blanch, and roughly chop nettles (more info below). Whisk together ricotta, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Grate parmesan into a bowl and set aside.
- Roll: Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface. Cover with ricotta mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around all edges. Sprinkle chopped nettles on top, then finish with grated cheese. Roll into a tight log, pinching the seams shut.
- Second rise: Slice log into 9 even pieces, place in a buttered 8×8 inch pan, and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until rolls expand and fill the pan, about 1 – 1 ½ hours. (Or place in fridge overnight, then proof!)
- Bake: Sprinkle a little extra parmesan on top and bake rolls in a preheated 350° F oven until golden brown on top and baked through, 30-40 minutes.
- (Optional) brush with garlic butter: When rolls come out of the oven, immediately brush tops with garlic honey butter.
Preparing & cooking nettles
Nettles can be interesting to work with in the kitchen, as their tiny stinging hairs make them notoriously difficult to handle. You’ll need to “de-sting” your nettles first before you add them to your savory rolls.
First, place them in a large colander (using tongs) and give them a thorough rinse. Next, prepare a large bowl of ice water and keep it cold in the refrigerator. Fill a big soup pot with water and a little salt and bring it to a boil.
Add several tongs-full of nettles to the boiling water, pushing them down gently to submerge them, and simmer them for about 3 minutes. Then, immediately plunge the cooked nettles into the ice water. Once they’re cool, remove them, lightly squeezing to remove excess water. At this point, they won’t sting you anymore! Chop roughly and set aside until your dough is ready to be rolled out and filled.
Serving & storing nettle ricotta rolls
These savory rolls are best eaten the day they’re made, but they store well and stay soft for days.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To warm the rolls back up, wrap them loosely in foil and place in a 350° F oven for about 10 minutes.
They’re awesome served alongside soups and salad for dinner, but I especially love them warmed up and served for breakfast or brunch. Try them with a fried egg on top, maybe even drizzled with basil flower oil. Yum!
FAQs
When working with nettles, it’s important to be careful so you don’t get stung! Wear gloves and/or use tongs before cooking. You can find more info in my guide to harvesting & cooking nettles.
No! Once nettles have been cooked, blanched, or steamed, their sting is gone and you can handle them without the need for gloves or tongs.
Absolutely! See “Ingredients notes” section above or view more info in the recipe card to learn how to substitute fresh or frozen spinach for the nettles.
Yes, you can store the rolls (filled & shaped) in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before baking. When ready to bake, remove the pan from the fridge and let them proof in a warm place until puffy and nearly doubled, 1 – 1 ½ hours. Then bake as directed.
More savory bakes:
- Nettle Pesto Bread
- Sourdough Bacon & Cheddar Scones
- Wild Mushroom Galette
- Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough
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Nettle Ricotta Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- 8×8 inch baking pan
- Rolling pin
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 package (2 ¼ tsp) active dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm whole milk, about 100° F
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 ounces (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan
Filling
- 4 ounces (about 6 packed cups) fresh nettles*
- ½ cup ricotta
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 cup grated parmesan, or mix of parmesan, asiago, and/or romano
- 2 tablespoons additional grated parmesan, for tops (optional)
Garlic butter (optional)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
For the dough:
- Bloom the yeast: In the bowl of a stand mixer, thoroughly combine 1 package active dry yeast with ¾ cup warm whole milk and 2 Tbsp sugar. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes, until frothy.
- Whisk in egg & butter: Add egg and 2 oz melted butter, whisking to combine well.
- Add dry ingredients & knead: Fold in 2 ½ cups flour, ½ tsp salt, and ⅓ cup grated parmesan until dough comes together in a shaggy mass. Attach the dough hook to your mixer and knead on medium or medium-low speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. You may need to add just a little more flour if the dough looks too sticky. If so, add 1 Tbsp at a time and allow mixture to knead for a minute before considering adding more. Dough should be somewhat sticky, but not stick to your fingers.
- First rise: Place dough in an oiled bowl, toss to coat both sides in oil, cover, and let rise in a warm place until roughly doubled, 1 – 1 ½ hours.
For the fillings:
- Prep nettles: While dough is rising, rinse nettles in a colander (use gloves and/or tongs!). Prepare a large bowl full of ice water and keep it cold in the fridge. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.When water is boiling, use tongs to drop nettles into pot, pressing to submerge them under the water. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then immediately scoop them out using tongs or a slotted spoon and plunge them into the ice bath.Once cool, remove them from the ice water and gently squeeze out excess water (they won't sting anymore at this point and can be safely handled without gloves or utensils). Give them a rough chop, removing any stems that are large and tough. Set aside. You should have 1 – 1 ½ cups cooked nettles.
- Prep ricotta mixture & cheese: In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup ricotta, ½ tsp salt, pinch of pepper, and 1 tsp lemon zest. In a second bowl, grate 1 cup + 2 Tbsp parmesan and set aside.
To fill & shape rolls:
- Roll dough: When dough is ready, roll out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle that’s roughly 10×14 inches and about ½ inch thick. Spread ricotta mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border around all edges. Sprinkle chopped nettles on top, then finish with 1 cup of the grated parmesan. Starting with one of the long sides, roll the dough into a tight log, pinching the seams shut.
- Second rise: Slice log into 9 even pieces using a very sharp serrated knife or unflavored dental floss and place rolls in a buttered 8×8 inch pan. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until rolls expand and fill the pan, about 1 – 1 ½ hours. (Alternatively, you could place them in fridge for up to 24 hours, then proof at room temperature.)Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Bake: Sprinkle the additional 2 Tbsp parmesan evenly over the rolls and bake until golden brown on top and baked through, 30-40 minutes. For best results, use a digital thermometer to check their internal temp – it should be between 195 – 200° F.
- (Optional) brush with garlic butter: When rolls are almost done baking, melt 2 Tbsp salted butter in a small pan with a clove of smashed garlic. Once butter is melted, turn off heat add 1 tsp honey, whisking to combine. When rolls come out of the oven, immediately brush tops with garlic honey butter. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- *Nettles: If substituting fresh spinach, use about 6 packed cups of spinach. Chop roughly and wilt in a large saucepan with a little butter or olive oil, then let cool. To substitute frozen spinach, use one package (10 or 12 oz) frozen spinach, thawing it first and squeezing to remove excess water.
- See blog post above for detailed information about cleaning & cooking nettles.
- If you’re concerned about time management or have never worked with nettles before, consider prepping the nettles before you start the dough. Keep them in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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