Easy dairy free ricotta

Vegan cashew ricotta cheese with tofu

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.

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 (1) – 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.
• Salt and black pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic powder
• Sea salt

How to use vegan ricotta

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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• Tofu cream cheese
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Vegan tofu ricotta