Make your own Vegan Ricotta at home with this simple recipe. It can be used in a range of dishes or served on crackers. Get the recipe below.
Unless you're willing to spend a lot of money, vegan cheese can be a bit rubbish. It's often plastic-y and made with coconut giving it a bit of a strange aftertaste. But, with this recipe you can make a delicious soft cheese at home. Let me show you how.
If you want to explore the world of homemade cheese recipes then you might want to also try my vegan parmesan recipe (perfect for beginners) or my vegan mozzarella (more advanced). I'd say this vegan ricotta recipe is definitely at the beginner end of the spectrum.
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Ingredients
To make this recipe you need the following ingredients:
- firm tofu
- cashew nuts
- a lemon
- nutritional yeast
- garlic
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil
Together these ingredients make a soft, vegan ricotta that can be used in dishes such as spinach and ricotta ravioli, stuffed pasta shells and more.
Tofu and soaked cashew nuts are the perfect base for the rest of the flavours. The garlic and lemon give it a really bright flavour. The nutritional yeast makes it cheesy and the olive oil makes it rich.
Check out the recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
There are 4 steps to making this vegan ricotta meaning it can be made very quickly.
- Step 1: Soak the cashew nuts for 1 hour or boil for 10 minutes until they are soft and plump
- Step 2: Add all of the ingredients into a high speed blender.
- Step 3: Using the pulse setting break down the ingredients until they start coming together then run on low until you have the desired consistency.
- Step 4: Spoon into a lined ramekin and chill for 1 hour before turning out on to a plate or cheeseboard.
Hint: You can use it straight away if you're cooking with it but I recommend chilling it so it firms up if you want to use it as part of a cheeseboard. The flavours also mellow if you chill it.
Substitutions
To be perfectly honest there aren't many substitutions you can make in this recipe. But if you need to, these substitutions can be made in a pinch:
- extra virgin olive oil - this can be swapped for regular olive oil or even a neutral flavoured oil like vegetable oil if necessary
- garlic - if you don't have fresh garlic you can use garlic granules (not garlic salt as this will make it too salty)
Variations
Sometimes you need vegan ricotta for a sweet recipe or dessert. If this is the case, leave out the nutritional yeast and garlic. You can also add a tablespoon of sugar.
You can also add herbs for a different flavour. I like oregano and basil.
Equipment
The key piece of equipment you need for this recipe is a high speed blender.
I use a Vitamix but any good quality blender will do.
Just make sure it has varying speed settings and a pulse setting too as these are necessary for the recipe.
Storage
This vegan ricotta can be kept in the fridge for 2 - 3 days.
Top Tip
Make sure you line your ramekin with cling film of cheesecloth to ensure it comes out easily.
FAQ
You need to be able to break down the nuts so a blender is essential. You can use an immersion blender or food processor but the results might not be quite as smooth.
No. I just do this as I think it looks nicer on a cheeseboard but if you're using the ricotta in another recipe then you can skip this step.
The recipe
Vegan Ricotta
Equipment
- 1 high speed blender
Ingredients
- 50 g cashew nuts
- 280 g extra firm tofu
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon juice and zest
Instructions
- Soak the cashew nuts in water for at least 1 hour until plump. Alternatively boil for 10 minutes then leave to cool.
- Place all of the ingredients into a blender and then pulse until just starting to come together then run on a low setting for 30 seconds to 1 minute until you have soft, consistent ricotta texture.
- Line a ramekin or individual pudding basin and spoon in the ricotta mix. Press down firmly and cover. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Turn out on to a plate or cheeseboard to serve.
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