This paper offers novel quintessence compact relativistic spherically symmetrical anisotropic solutions under the recently developed Ricci inverse gravity (Amendola et al., 2020), by employing Krori and Barua gravitational potentials, A r 2 = ν ( r ) , & B r 2 + C = μ ( r ) (with A, B, and C being real constants). For this objective, a specific explicit equation of state, connecting energy density and radial pressure, i.e., p r = ω ρ , such that 0 < ω < 1 , has been utilized with an anisotripic fluid source. Ricci inverse field equations are used to find the exclusive expressions of the energy density, radial and tangential stresses, and the quintessence energy density, the critical physical attributes reflecting the exceptional conduct of extremely dense matter configuration. For the observatory source stars H e r X − 1 , S A X J 1808 . 4 − 3658 & 4 U 1820 − 30 , all the important physical quantities like energy densities, tangential and radial pressures, energy conditions, gradients, anisotropy, redshift and mass–radius functions, and stellar compactness have been worked out and analyzed graphically. It has been concluded that all of the stellar formations under consideration remain free from any undesirable central singularity and are stable.