Easy dairy free ricotta with tofu and cashews

Easy dairy free ricotta recipe. Cashews, tofu, vegan cream cheese, lemon, garlic and olive oil are whipped together to create a creamy and decadent vegan cheese. Dairy free recipe for lasagna or stuffed shells.

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• ❤️ This easy recipe is
• 🧂 Ingredients
• 🍕 How to serve
• ❄️ Storing tips
• Substitution guide
• 🍝 More delicious recipes you'll love
• 📖 Recipe

❤️ This easy recipe is

• Quick and easy
• Dairy free
• Vegan & vegetarian
• High in protein
• Delicious and creamy

🧂 Ingredients

This simple recipe is full of easy to find and simple ingredients.

• Medium firm tofu - I love using medium firm tofu because it's a nice creamy consistency like regular ricotta. I used extra firm tofu for the photos, because that's what I had on hand and it turned out a little more chunky than I liked. Silken tofu might make this a bit too runny, so I don't suggest that. If you want to sub the tofu, look at the substitution section below.
• Lemon juice - This will add a slight tartness that is found in traditional ricotta cheese. It brightens this up a lot as well. You can substitute with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar as well.
• Raw cashews - This will add a nice creaminess and richness and is a key ingredient. Use raw cashews because they have a nice neutral flavor. If you're allergic to nuts, I show you how to replace the cashews in the substitution section below. Just soak the cashews in boiled, hot water for 10 minutes to soften them up.
• Dairy free cream cheese - I've made this recipe before with only tofu and cream cheese. It was delicious. This is my secret ingredient and will add a nice creaminess and smooth texture to the ricotta. But feel free to leave it out if you can't find it at your local grocery store.
• Nutritional yeast - This adds extra flavor, cheesy flavor, and richness to the recipe.
• Olive oil - I added this to make the ricotta a bit more rich and creamy. It's optional, though since the cream cheese adds a nice creamy texture.
• Seasonings - I use a mixture of sea salt and black pepper, Italian seasoning, Garlic powder

🍕 How to serve

This vegan cheese goes amazingly well in or on top of pasta dishes like a vegan lasagna or in stuffed shells. You can also top off some toast with it.

❄️ Storing tips

Any leftover ricotta will last in the fridge in an airtight container for about a week.

I haven't tried freezing this by itself before but I have made it in a lasagna and then frozen the lasagna. It froze just fine like that.

Substitution guide

Substituting tofu

To substitute the tofu in this recipe you can use a can of drained and rinsed white beans. I love using great northern beans or cannellini beans.

Substituting cashews

You can substitute the cashews by using about ½ cup more of the dairy free cream cheese. You can also use soaked whole almonds, or macadamia nuts. You can also just omit the cashews for a nut-free version.

Substituting cream cheese

If you don't have dairy free cream cheese, you can use dairy free, unsweetened yogurt or 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. You can also leave the cream cheese out. This tastes great with just tofu and cashews.

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📖 Recipe