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.
- 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
Find it online: https://frommybowl.com/vegan-ricotta-recipe/
