Oh a whim, I decided to make lasagna last week. It was a cold, dreary day, and I was seriously craving some comfort food – and lasagna is my comfort food of choice!
The only thing standing in my way of a delicious pan of hot lasagna was that I didn’t have any cheese to use. I only had a bit of Daiya shreds left (and I don’t like to eat much processed food, so I keep my Daiya consumption to a minimum, even though it’s delicious!), so that wouldn’t work.
After a bit of pondering, I figured I’d make my vegan ricotta cheese to spread throughout the lasagna. Thankfully, I had already soaked some cashews early that morning to use for something at lunch, which I never ended up making, so I used those cashews to make the cheese.
It came together so easily, and in no time flat. After making this in my food processor, I scooped the ricotta into an air-tight container and let it sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes, while I prepared the lasagna noodles and marinara sauce. This gave the ricotta ingredients a bit more time to marinate.
This cheese spreads on lasagna very well, but – it’s not just for lasagna! Use this ricotta as a dip, spread on crackers, or even add a dollop to your salad. It’s very versatile. Any way you choose to eat it, this cheese is incredible!
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours, then drained
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup plain non-dairy milk (I used soy)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tbsp dried basil
- ⅓ cup fresh chives
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- Add soaked cashews, garlic, emon juice, non-dairy milk, maple syrup, oil, basil, and chives to your food processor.
- Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. If your ricotta is too dry, add a bit more non-dairy milk. It took me about 5 minutes to process my cheese until it was smooth enough for me.
- Season with salt & pepper, to taste.
*You can use agave instead of maple syrup.
*You can use apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice.
This is my go-to recipe for non-dairy ricotta! My Sicilian stepfather didn’t even know the difference in a lasagna! 😉
Always a hit! Only change we make to the recipe, is we add 2 tbsp nutritional yeast.
Have been vegetarian for a few years, but am committed to becoming a vegan. I wanted to make a zucchini lasagna, but did not want to use dairy. Found your recipe and O. M G. ! It is delicious, and the lasagna is the best. Thank you soooo much!
Where do you buy your raw cashews??
How many days will the vegan ricotta cheese last in fridge ?
I’m looking for an alternative to ricotta for cannoli filing, which is sweet rather than savory. Would this work?
Well I am not completely sure. If you try it I would suggest unsalted cashews and be sure to soak them over night not boil them. Better texture.
I also would not put in garlic, chives or basil. It does have a pretty good texture if you mix it in a food processor long enough. If you make it please repost here. I would love to try it if it works. I love this recipe!
Would this hold up in a spinach and “ricotta” cannelloni? I tried making it with a store bought vegan ricotta but it turned into melted cheese where as normal ricotta doesn’t really melt… So I’m just wondering if this melts?
Would a high-speed blender work as well? I don’t have a food processor. Can this cheese be kept in the freezer?
Hi! I tried this with a high speed blender just now (I have a Blendtec) and it got way too liquidy, so most likely either you’d have to pulse it in the blender or get a food processor (I have a mini one, but was too lazy to get it out since I rarely use it haha…whoops :P) There’s a lot of relatively cheap but good ones on amazon (~$20-$35) so there’s always that option 🙂
Wonderful substitute for the ricotta in a freezer Alfredo lasagna I was making. Loved just eating it on crackers too! Thanks for the recipe!!
You’re so welcome!
Thanks for this easy recipe! Used in lasagna and people couldn’t believe it wasn’t dairy ricotta. It’s been added to my Foodfolio 🙂
Tried this last night in a lasagna soup recipe. The only thing I did differently was boiled the cashews for 10 minutes, which I read as a cheat/tip on another vegan website, instead of the hours of soaking. It was my first attempt at a vegan ricotta and I have to say I was super impressed with how flavorful and how close to the dairy version this tastes. We absolutely loved it! Thanks so much for sharing.
This recipe is just what I was looking for. I’m making a roasted vegetable galette (free-form tart) and I used to use feta back when I ate cheese. I was looking for something to dollop on the top of the tart before baking, to give it a cheese-like taste. This will be perfect! And I can think of lots of other possibilities with this recipe as well!
TYPO
Amazing. Love it. Thank you for sharing your inspired recipe.
Hi, how long will this keep for if I make a big batch to refrigerate?
3-5 days.
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