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Made with only 7 plant-based ingredients, this Vegan Ricotta Recipe is easy, healthy, and delicious! Perfect for Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, and more.
“Iwouldgo Vegan, but I just love cheese too much.” If I had a dollar for every time I head that, I would be averyrich lady – but what if I told you you could make your owncreamy, cheesyVeganRicottaand not know the difference?!
This plant-based ricotta cheese recipe is made from simple (and wholesome!) ingredients, and can be used in both sweet and savory applications. Think stuffed shells, lasagna, cannolis, and more!
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN RICOTTA RECIPE
This Vegan Ricotta Cheese is made from only7 plant-based and healthy ingredients, plus it comes together in just about10 minutes!Plus it tastes so similar to the real dang thing, you probably won’t even notice it’s vegan.
There are a few “secret” ingredients to this Vegan Ricotta, which revolve (1) texture and (2) taste.
- For texture, we’ll use a combination of Firm Tofu for light-ness and Soaked Cashews for creaminess and densiry
- For taste,we’ll use Nutritional Yeast for umami flavoring, plus some lemon juice and zest for tang.
This recipe also includes optional savory ingredients; if you’re looking for a plain (or sweet) ricotta you can simply leave them out, but the addition of garlic and herbs makes this plant-based cheese alternative even more delicious in savory recipes!
HOW TO MAKE DAIRY-FREE RICOTTA
This vegan ricotta recipe comes together with only 10 minutes of prep time! I love to use my food processor with its S-blade attachment to get a nice and fluffy texture, but you could also use a high-speed blender with a tamper and blend on high, scraping the sides occasionally with a spatula as needed.
- Addall ingredients to a food processor
- Processorblenduntil light and fluffy,
- Useimmediately, or store in the fridge for up to one week
WAYS TO USE THIS RICOTTA RECIPE:
You can use this tofu ricotta in pretty muchanyapplication that calls for Ricotta Cheese, but here are a few other suggestions:
- Pasta:you can’t go wrong with theseVegan Stuffed Shells! ThisVeganLemon RicottaPastais also so creamy and delicious, or layer it in your favorite vegan lasagna.
- Veggie-based dishes:if you follow a low-carb diet, try this ricotta in myEggplant Lasagna, ortheseVegan Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups.
- BREAD!Dollop this ricotta over some toast with sautéed tomatoes or mushrooms – or put it on some pizza with sautéed spinach and basil (yum!)
- Sweet Applications:stuff this ricotta inside cannolis, or spread it on sweet toast with fresh fruit or jam.
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it onFacebookorInstagram, don’t forget to tag me@FromMyBowl+ #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
Vegan Ricotta Cheese Recipe
Made with only 7 plant-based ingredients, this Vegan Ricotta Recipe is easy, healthy, and delicious! Perfect for Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, and more.
- Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: ~3 cups
- Category: Side
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 14 ounce (400 g) block firm tofu, pressed*
- 1 cup (140 g) cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours*
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (see notes for “sweet” variation)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Optional Savory add-ins:
- 3 to 5 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder for a milder flavor)
- Black pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or other spices/herbs of choice)
Instructions
- Whip it Up: Set up a food processor with an S-blade attachment and add the tofu, cashews, lemon zest, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt. Add the garlic, black pepper, and Italian seasoning as well, if you are going for the savory version. Process the mixture for for 45 to 60 seconds, scraping the sides of the food processor with a spatula as necessary. The final mixture should be creamy and fluffy, with a slight texture that melts in your mouth.
- Serve: Enjoy as-is as a dip, or use as desired in any recipe of choice! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Notes
- Tofu:use a tofu-press if you have one, or wrap your tofu around a clean kitchen towel and place a heavy object on top. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes, ideally. I prefer the softer texture of firm tofu for this recipe, but extra firm tofu will work as well.
- Cashews:If you forget to soak your cashews ahead of time overnight, you can (1) cover them in boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes, or (2) cover them with water and microwave for 3 minutes, then let sit for 3-5 minutes before draining.If you have a cashew allergy, you can also replace the cashews with blanched slivered almonds, macadamia nuts, or pine nuts.
- Nut-Free:double the amount of tofu, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the mixture to keep the ricotta creamy. This version will be slightly less fluffy, but still delicious!
- Sweet:you can use this ricotta in sweet applications as well, but reduce the nutritional yeast to only 1 tablespoon
Keywords: vegan ricotta, dairy free ricotta, vegan cheese recipe, vegan ricotta cheese
This recipe was updated with new copy and photos 12/2022, but the original recipe remains the same.
