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Skip the dairy and make this 6-ingredient Vegan Cashew Ricotta Cheese instead! Easy to make and ultra-creamy, it’s the perfect dairy-free cheese for vegan lasagna, pasta, stuffed shells, sandwiches, and more. Nut-Free and Oil-Free Options.
This recipe for Vegan Ricotta Cheese will make everyone happy, vegan or not! It’s an ultra-versatile, incredibly luscious, 6-ingredient dairy-free cheese you’ll love layering in lasagna, stuffing in jumbo pasta shells, spreading on sandwiches, and so much more. Best of all, you only need a food processor and 15 minutes to whip it up!
Table of Contents
The Most Versatile Vegan Cheese
If I had a dollar for every time I had to hear, “I would go vegan, but I love cheese too much,” I would be very rich. Clearly, these people have not tried my Vegan Ricotta Cheese Recipe yet! It’s so cheesy and creamy that even the most devout cheese lover wouldn’t guess that it’s dairy-free.
If you can believe it, this vegan substitute for ricotta cheese is made from just 6 simple and wholesome ingredients, including tofu, cashews, and nutritional yeast. After blending together for a few minutes, you’re left with light and creamy vegan cheese that’s perfect for both savory and sweet meals. Think stuffed shells, lasagna, cannolis, and more!
You can find pre-made vegan ricotta in some grocery stores, but it’s often very expensive and frankly, not as good as the homemade stuff! I love when I can save money *and* make something even tastier with just a little effort.
Ingredients for Vegan Cashew Ricotta
While this vegan ricotta cheese recipe only calls for 6 everyday ingredients, each one is important for the flavor and texture. Here’s what you need:
- Tofu: opt for firm tofu if it’s available to you. It’s the best base for the cheese and is solely responsible for the cashew ricotta’s soft, airy, and fluffy texture. Extra-firm tofu will also work, but the ricotta will not be as soft.
- Cashews: blending soaked cashews alongside firm tofu gives this vegan cheese its rich and luxurious feel, almost like real ricotta. Make sure your cashews are raw and unsalted.
- Oil: a drizzle of olive oil gives the “cheese” extra body and richness. Feel free to omit the oil if you’d prefer an oil-free version.
- Nutritional Yeast: essential for that cheesy, umami flavor!
How to Make Vegan Ricotta Cheese
- Add the ricotta ingredients and any flavor add-ins to a food processor fitted with an S-blade attachment.
- Whip until the ricotta is creamy and fluffy.
- Serve the ricotta right away or store it for later.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Soak the cashews for the creamiest results: Soaking the cashews in cold water overnight makes them so much easier to blend because they’re soft and plump. We may not all have jars of soaking cashews in our fridge, though, which is when quicker soaking methods come in handy! Either place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with boiling water for 20 minutes, or cover them with room temperature water, microwave them for 3 minutes, then set them aside to cool before draining and blending.
- Classic ricotta cheese is not completely smooth: That’s why I recommend making this in a food processor. Once it’s done whipping, the vegan ricotta will still be slightly grainy, just like the real thing. You’re still welcome to blend it for slightly longer or until it’s completely smooth and no longer gritty if that’s what you prefer.
Serving Suggestions
You can eat this vegan ricotta cheese straight out of the bowl, but I would love to see you try it in almost any recipe that calls for regular ricotta! Check out all of these creative ways to use this versatile vegan cheese:
- Pasta: Most Italian-inspired recipes go great with ricotta, but you can never go wrong with pasta. Layer it in this Vegan Eggplant Lasagna, stuff it into these Vegan Stuffed Shells, use it as a topping on Vegan Lasagna Soup, or toss it with your favorite pasta dishes! Add a dollop on top of this Triple Garlic Pasta, this Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, or this Beet Pasta with Walnuts, then mix mix mix until it’s nice and creamy.
- Pasta Sauce: You can even thin the texture of the cheese with a little leftover pasta cooking water to turn it into a creamy vegan pasta sauce, like in this Vegan Lemon Ricotta Pasta!
- Savory Dip: Dump the creamy cashew ricotta in a serving bowl and dress it up with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of red chili flakes, and chopped fresh parsley. Surround it with pieces of crusty bread, crackers, and cut vegetables for a deliciously savory party snack.
- Dessert Dip: If you have a sweet tooth, swap the savory toppings for a drizzle of maple syrup, orange or lemon zest, or chopped fresh mint leaves. Enjoy it as a sweet dip with sliced apples, pears, apricots, or fresh berries, and a glass of prosecco on the side!
- Spread: Spread the ricotta on this Roasted Zucchini Sandwich instead of the sun-dried tomato tofu spread, on a pizza, galette, or flatbread, or on a toasted slice of this Everything Bagel Bread (it’s a fantastic substitute for vegan cream cheese).
- Sweet Things: Use it as a stuffing in vegan cannolis, spread it on toast with fruit jam or fresh berries, or add a dollop on top of a stack of this Vegan French Toast.
If you’re looking for more ways to use this vegan ricotta cheese substitute, you’ll also love it in these Vegan Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups, this Tomato Galette, and these Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells!
Or, if you’re looking for more versatile creamy dips and spreads, you’ll also love this Vegan Spinach Dip, this Vegan French Onion Dip, and this Hummus Recipe!
How to Store Dairy-Free Ricotta
Any leftover ricotta can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge. It will stay soft and creamy for up to 7 days. If it has loosened at all, give the cheese a good stir to make it thick and creamy before serving.
Freezing is not recommended.
Substitutions and Variations
- Savory Add-Ins: Whip the ricotta with garlic, lemon juice, black pepper, Italian seasoning, or fresh basil leaves for a savory twist.
- Sweet Add-Ins: Reduce the nutritional yeast to only 1 tablespoon when you plan on using the ricotta in sweet dishes.
- Cashew Substitute: You can replace the cashews with blanched slivered almonds, macadamia nuts, or pine nuts.
- Oil-Free Option: The olive oil in this recipe is optional and can be left out if preferred.
- Nut-Free Option: Double the amount of tofu and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to keep the ricotta creamy, or replace the soaked cashews with soaked raw sunflower seeds and omit the extra oil. The flavor will be slightly different, but still good.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you could use a high-speed blender with a tamper instead. Blend the cheese on high, scraping the sides occasionally with a spatula, until smooth and fluffy.
Yes, you can make this with all cashews instead. The texture will change slightly, but the ricotta will still be delicious.
I do not recommend freezing the ricotta because thawing will make the texture slightly thinner and more watery.
This recipe yields approximately 3 cups of vegan ricotta cheese.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Vegan Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 14 ounce block firm or extra firm tofu, drained and quartered (do not press)
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil optional; for a creamier texture
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional Savory Add-Ins:
- 3 to 5 cloves garlic use 1 tsp garlic powder for a milder flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or other spices/herbs of choice
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Whip: Set up a food processor with an S-blade attachment and add the tofu, cashews, olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt. Add any additional flavor add-ins, if desired. Whip the mixture for 45 to 60 seconds, scraping the sides of the food processor with a spatula as necessary. The final mixture should be creamy, fluffy, and melt 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. I do not recommend freezing any leftovers as the texture will change once thawed.
Recipe Notes
- Soaking Cashews: I like to place my cashews in a large bowl and cover them with boiling water, and let sit for 20 minutes. For a faster option you can also place the cashews in a bowl, cover them with water, microwave for 3 minutes, then let sit for 3-5 minutes before draining. Alternatively you can cover the cashews with cold water and soak in the fridge overnight.
- Cashew Allergy: Replace the cashews with blanched slivered almonds or macadamia nuts.
- Nut-Free: Double the amount of tofu, and add 2 extra tablespoons of olive oil to the mixture to keep the ricotta creamy. This version will be slightly less fluffy, but still delicious! You can also replace the soaked cashews with soaked raw sunflower seeds and omit the extra oil, but this will change the flavor of the ricotta slightly.
My favorite! I can eat it with a spoon or sub for ricotta in any dish!
Thank you for this recipe! Very tasty and very quick!
You’re so welcome, Anna!
Made this yesterday in the Vitamix for a vegan lasagna and it worked out perfectly. Turned into a perfectly gooey cheesy sauce when baked! It was so easy. Thank you!
You are so welcome, Brianne!
This is so great! I love the texture of this; it really is so light! I don’t have a food processor, and was afraid I’d over blend it, so I blended everything but the tofu, and mixed it all together with a mixer to retain the grainy texture. I can’t wait to use this in all kinds of ways!
Glad you enjoyed it, Carlie!
hi, just wondering, would this recipe work well without the tofu? could I just double the cashews?
Hi Grace! Yes, you can use all cashews – the texture will change slightly but it will still be delicious!
Wow!!! Great recipe and I appreciate the tofu/cashew combo. Non vegan husband truly didn’t realize that this was non-dairy. A real HIT!
We’re happy you and your husband loved it, Ida!
This recipe is a lifesaver. I tried it out of desperation after I made a vegan lasagna with a store bought ricotta. The whole thing was practically inedible due to the store bought ricotta having a very weird and strong aftertaste that was similar to the flavor of blueberries. Does not work in a lasagna, and I never wanted to deal with that again. This was the first and only recipe I ended up trying. Your recipe is so easy and delicious, I’ll never even bother trying a store bought variety again, this is so perfect!! Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed it, AJ!
I am not a vegan but love finding plant based alternatives. just made this for a Turkey eggplant lasagne and love the idea of a substitute for ricotta, which I find kinda sweet in lasagne. I usually use a mix of greek yogurt and cottage cheese but I love the idea of using nuts and tofu. I used a mix of sunflower and pumpkin seeds instead of cashews. Next time, I will just use pumpkin seeds since I find they taste the best. Thank you for a creative recipe.
Thank you so much for the feedback, Kristen!
Super simple and so flavorful; I made a batch of this tofu ricotta for a vegan lasagna and it was great! I used the leftovers in a broccoli ricotta stuffed shell dish which was also delicious!
This is the best Vegan Ricotta I ever made. I added a 14oz of firm tofu and an extra 1 tbsp of Nutritional Yeast. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I can see me making many other dishes sweet and savory.
Glad you liked it, Cynthia!
Really great recipe, thank you! I was looking for a lighter ricotta than just cashews and this is perfect! I did it just as written with the addition of 3cloves garlic and some crushed red pepper. Can’t wait to layer my lasagna!!!
You’re welcome, Elaine! Glad you liked it.
Love this ricotta! Very versatile and easy to use! Plus,it’s easy to change up the spices so you never get bored of it! I love it on lasagna, bagels, pizza, crackers- really anywhere you want a delicious herby/ creamy spread! It’s really good spread out then rolled up in tortillas and baked too! So delicious!
Thanks for the feedback, Katie! ♥
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Made it for the first time the other day and it was a hit. Cheers! -Nicholas
I’m so glad it turned out great, Nicholas! Thank you for the feedback! 😊
Made exactly as directed and used in my vegan lasagna, it was delicious. Actually I like it better than actual ricotta 🙂 Thank you for the lovely recipe!
You’re welcome, Thalia! Glad you loved it!
I made this the other day and used it in a Oaxacan farmer’s cheese pie, very nice. I saw you wrote it would last in the fridge up to a week. I made a bunch and need to keep it longer, so will try freezing it … ok? Bad idea? I don’t have much experience with tofu.
Glad you liked it! Freezing tofu is totally a thing BUT it completely alters the texture. Think tofu chikn strips. For keeping it the way you know it now; a refrigerator is best. If you don’t mind a completely different texture when it comes out of the freezer then that’s cool – just want to give you a heads up!
I thought I’d report back. I had approximately half of the recipe frozen for about 12 days. Thawed it up to use in a recipe (eggplant involtini) and the texture remained quite nice. I had pressed some plastic wrap against the top in the container, in case that helped prevent the top layer from toughening up too much. Anyway, I’d do it again! Making some more today, making polenta lasagna (@nytcooking) tomorrow.
Great to know! Thanks for the follow up.
Am going to try this for first time. Adding some spinach and use in Portabella Mushroom large caps, topped with marinara sauce, as a main entry.
Sounds delicious! Hope it worked out for you!
This is our go-to vegan ricotta recipe! It is SO delicious in lasagna!
Awesome! Thanks for using it!
This is a great recipe! I use it often
So glad to hear it, thank you!
Um, what do you mean by “pressed” when referring to the tofu? I am not familiar with pressing tofu. Please explain.
Pressing tofu is a common practice. You can either use a tofu press or put the tofu on a plate, place another plate on top with something like a recipe book (or two) on top to press the tofu down and push the excess water out. Drain off the runoff occasionally over the course for 20-40 minutes.
I made ravioli tonight with this as the filling (I stirred in some spinach.) WOW! This was great, and my decidedly non-vegan fiance said it was a really impressive substitute. This will be my go-to for shells/lasagna/tortellini in the future.
That’s an awesome use for it! Thanks for sharing and glad you non-vegan fiance enjoyed it as well!
Hi Caitlin ! I followed your recipe for this ricotta, I have to say I am very IMPRESSED ! I used it for cannelloni, by mixing the ricotta with some spinach. If I have not made it myself, I would have never been able to tell that this was fully vegan ! Thanks for this one, I will continue to discover your recipes 🙂
Well thanks so much! Hopefully you find so more recipes you like!