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This Vegan Ricotta Cheese is super creamy, rich, and tangy! It requires simple ingredients and 15 minutes of your time.
The options are endless in the vegan world and you don't have to miss out on a thing. This Vegan Ricotta Cheese is just one of MANY tasty examples.
Who wouldn't want creamy cheese in their life? ** Crickets** Exactly my feelings too! However, we can have all that creaminess without dairy. Isn't that amazing?
I never thought I could give up cheese, but I managed to do it cold turkey. I had pretty intense cravings for almost a year. It was terrible! The cravings did subside eventually, but I still missed creamy textures and tangy cheese flavors.
Over the years, I've learned to make alternatives to my non-vegan favorites like this Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, this Vegan Parmesan Cheese, and these Vegan Mozzarella Sticks.
I could never imagine going back to dairy now! I'm happy with the kinder and healthier alternatives.
What is Vegan Ricotta Cheese made from?
It can be made in a variety of ways with various ingredients, and I'll be sharing a few different versions in the near future. For this recipe, I used a blend of tofu and raw cashews as the base.
Together, they create a wonderful creamy texture. The cashews add extra richness, but the addition of tofu balances it out so it's not overly rich. It has a lighter consistency which I love.
What makes vegan cheese taste like dairy cheese?
The magical cheesy-flavored ingredient is nutritional yeast (a.k.a nooch). It tastes much better than it sounds, trust me! It's my favorite go-to pantry staple, and I use it in a variety of recipes.
While the nooch does provide the cheesiness, it doesn't provide the cheesy tang. So for that, I used lemon juice and unsweetened non-dairy yogurt.
The rest of the vegan ricotta cheese ingredients are short and simple. You'll need:
- Fresh basil
- Garlic
- Salt
That's it! No hard-to-find ingredients here and it takes 15 minutes to make.
This is just too easy! Just add everything to a high-powered blender or food processor. Blitz it all up until you've reached your desired consistency.
Voila! You've just made Vegan Ricotta Cheese!
Ways to use Vegan Ricotta Cheese
This vegan ricotta can be used in a variety of ways, and for sweet or savory dishes (recipe for sweet coming soon). For the savory, it's typically used in traditional recipes like lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti, and baked ziti.
Check out the other tasty possibilities:
- Spread it on toast & add your favorite toppings
- Top on savory pancakes or crepes
- Spread on crackers
- Top on a salad
- Mix in some cooked spinach and enjoy it as a dip
- Add to your favorite pasta for a super creamy sauce
- A great sandwich spread
- Dollop on soup
- Tasty on burritos, tacos, and enchiladas.
And it's perfect in my Vegan Spinach Mushroom Lasagna!
I could go on forever, but I think you get the point. Basically, you can add it to just about anything you desire. The flavors are fairly neutral, so they won't overpower everything else.
ENJOY!
More dairy alternative recipes to try
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and sharing your feedback in the comment section below. It would really make my day!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 block (15 oz) extra-firm tofu , drained but not pressed
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked in water 3-4 hours (*see note)
- ⅓ cup non-dairy yogurt , unsweetened
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice , more to taste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt , more to taste
- ¾ cup fresh basil , loosely packed (*optional)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Drain and rinse cashews (discard water) and add to a food processor. Now add lemon juice, yogurt, nutritional yeast, garlic, and salt. Process on high until it forms a smooth paste. Scrape down sides as necessary. (*If needed, you can add a few splashes of unsweetened non-dairy milk to help everything move easier)
- Break up the tofu with your hands into large pieces and place in food processor. Pulse until you've reached desired consistency. *You can make it smooth or with some texture. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed.
- Now add the optional basil and pulse until you see green flecks.
- Use immediately or cover and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Notes
- This recipe is oil-free, but if you'd like to add more richness, pour in 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil while the food processor is running (while the cashews are processing).
- Prep time doesn't include soaking time for cashews. To speed up soaking time for cashews: in a small pot, boil water and remove from heat. Add cashews and cover for 15-20 minutes, until softened.
- Yields about 3 ½ cups
Janayre Vaughan
Delicious and easy to make. 5 out of 5!
I had some frozen Tofu thawed, and it still worked perfectly, with a little texture like Ricotta.
So versatile for so many recipes.
It was perfect for my Vegan Lasagna!
I am just making another batch to add some to the pasta salad, and to make some Cherry Tomato halves with fresh Basil and topped with this Delicious Ricotta.
Cassie
We love this recipe! Simple and easy. We use it for lots, dipping, filling a pizza crust, on a pizza, in burrito bowls, you name it, we use it! Thanks for sharing.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Cassie, this is so nice to hear! I need to try it in a pizza crust. Such a great idea! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Suzy Glasby
Yum yum yum !! I didn’t make with yoghurt as I wasn’t able to source some at the time but it made no difference it was sensational !! A big thank you I will be using this a lot !!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Suzy, this is so nice to hear! Thank you for giving it a try. 🙂
Tina
Hi. I thought this tasted phenomenal until I added the tofu. And I only added half the amount called for. The tofu took over the taste of everything! I didn’t have yogurt, would that make that much of a difference? I added more lemon and garlic. It still turned out tasty. Thank you for the great recipe. I will still give it 5 stars as I left an ingredient out that could be the deciding factor?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Tina, thank you for trying it out. Yes, the yogurt does make a difference. However, tofu does add a slight flavor and it's more noticeable when you taste the ricotta by itself. I usually use it for stuffed shells, lasagna, etc. and it's not noticeable at all. I appreciate you trying it and sharing your feedback. 🙂
Joanne Cardillo
So wonderful I can’t believe how much it tastes like ricotta!!!!!
Mary
Can I use almonds instead of cashews in this recipe?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Mary, yes, you can use blanched almonds. You'll need to soak them longer too. 🙂
Corinne Barker
Thank You I am strict vegan 59 and ready to try this great recipe!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Corinne, you're most welcome! It's one of my favorites 🙂
Angie
Can you tell me where can I found the yogurt? Which one you use or which you would recommend? Thanks in advanced!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Angie, I use So Delicious. If you can't find it, you can use any unsweetened variety. Some brands only have plain (not unsweetened) but it's only a small amount of yogurt in the recipe, so it won't make it sweet. You can also use vegan sour cream. You can find SO Delicious at Walmart, Whole Foods Sprouts and maybe Target. Many local grocery stores carry it too. Trader Joe's carries their own brand too. I hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by 🙂