Vegan Ricotta Cheese
This easy vegan ricotta cheese recipe is so rich and decadent that it's hard to believe it is healthy too! Use in endless pasta dishes like lasagna, stuffed shells, or blend with tomato sauce for the perfect pink cream sauce.
Equipment
- food processor or high speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups raw cashews* *see note below
- 14 ounces firm tofu packed in water, drained** **see note below
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/3 cup water
Optional Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dry herbs of choice, like oregano, parseley, and/or basil
- 8 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained or 2 1/2 cups fresh spinach
Instructions
- Add raw cashews to food processor and pulse until fine, but not pasty. See video.
- Add in all remaining ingredients (except spinach if you are using). Blend for 20 seconds. Open top and scrape the sides to get all ingredients into the cheese.
- Blend for another 20-30 seconds.
- If using spinach, be sure to squeeze out water. Then add and pulse until incorporated into cheese.
Video
Notes
This ricotta recipe is more than enough for one large lasagna or large dish of stuffed shells. How much leftovers really depends on how much you use. I often use about half of the cheese immediately and freeze the other half.
This vegan ricotta cheese freezes well in a freezer safe container for up to 6 months.
*If you aren't using a food processor or high speed blender, you may want to soak cashews in boiling water 10 minutes first. Simply add enough hot water to cover about 1 inch over the cashews in a bowl.
**Tofu often comes in 14 ounce blocks, but some brands sell 16 ounce blocks.
Nutrition
Calories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 8gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 260mgPotassium: 242mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2224IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
