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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.
“I would go Vegan, but I just love cheese too much.” If I had a dollar for every time I head that, I would be a very rich lady – but what if I told you you could make your own creamy, cheesy Vegan Ricotta and 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 only 7 plant-based and healthy ingredients, plus it comes together in just about 10 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.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor
- Process or blend until light and fluffy,
- Use immediately, or store in the fridge for up to one week
WAYS TO USE THIS RICOTTA RECIPE:
You can use this tofu ricotta in pretty much any application that calls for Ricotta Cheese, but here are a few other suggestions:
- Pasta: you can’t go wrong with these Vegan Stuffed Shells! This Vegan Lemon Ricotta Pasta is 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 my Eggplant Lasagna, or these Vegan 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 on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintVegan 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.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: ~3 cups
- Category: Side
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 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.
Super yummy and great in vegan lasagna, stuffed shells etc!! So glad I found this recipe. Now I can serve more “normal” dishes to non vegan friends and family. 🙂
★★★★
Hope the non-vegans like it as much as you do!
Can you use salted, roasted cashews?
Raw cashews would be best! Soaking roasted cashews might not work quite as well. With the salt already added you probably wouldn’t need to add the extra salt the recipe calls for.
Made vegan manicotti with this and the Beyond Meat crumbles, amazing!! My 2 Littles devoured it! Will definitely be using this recipe again! Thank you very much 🙂
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Always happy to hear when recipes are a hit with the kids! Thanks so much!
OMG! this ricotta is kid-approved! My daughter loved it, thank you!
★★★★★
So glad she liked it! Thanks for making!
I can’t remember if I’ve already commented- but wanted to say that I made this for the second or third time yesterday.
It came out so delicious, even my no vegan husband could not tell the difference
Thank you!!
Hello. Can you use silken tofu block instead of firm tofu block..?
We haven’t tested it that way, silken tofu may be too liquidy and not firm enough to have the same texture!
I made this for a lasagne and loved it so much plain that once that stock ran out I made another recipe, blended it further than suggested for ricotta, and its the best bagel schmear/ cream cheese sub I’ve ever tasted! Thank you xx
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That’s a great use! Thanks so much!
I used this recipe to make stuffed shells and I could not be happier!
★★★★★
Awesome! So glad you liked it!
This was amazing! I used it as the base of a crostini and topped with tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinegar. Rave reviews! I had some left and topped with olive tapenade the next day. Fantastic again! I did omit the zest as I didn’t want it too lemon forward.
★★★★★
Happy to hear it was a success!
Can you make this in a high speed blender?
The blender will likely make the consistency too pureed/liquidy. If you only have a blender to use you could do it very carefully, pulsing only and mixing in between. Not recommended but it could work in a pinch!
Hi, I need to avoid yeast so can’t use nutritional yeast either.
Any substitute you could suggest?
Many thanks, Eva
Soy sauce can be a substitute for nutritional yeast, however if you go that route make sure you add very small amounts at a time. Introducing more liquid may change the consistency and make it more loose.
I like your version better than other versions that are entirely nut-based because the tofu makes it lighter and the texture a little more similar to ricotta. We used it to make calzones and, while it wouldn’t fool anyone into believing it was actual ricotta, it was delicious in its own right and didn’t leave us feeling bloated and logy the way we used to feel after a calzone in our pre-vegan days. I had some left over and smeared it on a bagel this morning — divine!
★★★★★
Oooh, calzones, that’s awesome! Glad you liked it!
Used this on top of a vegan lasagne. I used silken tofu as it is all I had. Turned out well. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
You’re welcome!
Should I use raw unsalted cashews?
Yes!
what can i sub the cashew with if i am allergic to nuts? thank you for this great recipe
★★★★★
You can use more tofu, or soaked sunflower seeds instead!
I love your recipes. How long can I refrigerate the vegan ricotta? I plan to make it ahead of time.
★★★★★
It will last in the fridge for up to one week!
What could I sub the tofu with? My son has a soy allergy (among many others) and I would love to make this for him. Would anything else work?
You can double the amount of Cashews!
Can i freeze some of the mixture?
Yes, it should freeze okay!
Can you leave out the cashews in the ricotta if you have a nut-allergy?
You can substitute them with Slivered Almonds or Sunflower Seeds if you can have those! You can also substitute with more Tofu, though the final texture and taste won’t be as realistic
Hello! How many grams (or ounces) in your block of tofu? Wan to make these fab cheese for myself tonight, but dont know what to do with this measurement:(
★★★★★
One full tofu block is 16 oz!
Like this concept of plant based cheese! Want to try it tomorrow:) please pleeeease, tell me, how much grams ( or ounces?) in your block of tofu? I’m from Russia, and I don’t sure about your measures and scales. And it frustrating sometimes when it comes to American food blogs:( thank you! Xx
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Hi Alya! I used a 16 oz block of tofu for this recipe