How to make the best Vegan Ricotta – a healthy, nut-free, low calorie, zero cholesterol alternative to ricotta cheese, made with tofu, perfect for lasagna, cannelloni, and other baked dishes where you want a creamy, “cheesy” texture.
Hello creamy, delicious, 5-minute VEGAN ricotta! This Vegan Ricotta Recipe is so easy to make and is great in baked dishes like lasagna, cannelloni or even enchiladas or chile rellenos. It is surprisingly flavorful and has great ricotta-like texture, without the calories of nut “cheeses”. The texture mimics whole milk ricotta very closely, and the ingredient list is short!
Vegan Ricotta: What you’ll need
- Tofu- Use firm or extra firm tofu for the best texture. I always opt for organic, non GMO tofu. Silken tofu, will not give the best texture here, so do not use silken tofu.
- Seasonings- At minimum, salt and pepper is all you need. But why stop there? Add a garlic clove and fresh or dried herbs.
- Olive oil– Adding a few tablespoons of olive oil adds a delicious richness.
- Nutritional Yeast– optional, but if you want and extra “cheesy” flavor, feel free to add.
- Lemon Zest– optional, to give little brightness.
Variations
Depending on what you are using this in you may want to change the flavor profile. For example, if using in lasagna, you could add fresh basil. Or if using in Chile Rellenos, you could add cilantro. Feel free to add different fresh herbs to the basic recipe to customize it. It’s very adaptable!
How to make Vegan Ricotta
Unwrap the tofu and drain well, pat dry.
Place in a food processor along with salt, pepper, olive oil and herbs of choice.
Pulse repeatedly, until it looks like the texture of ricotta.
And voila! It’s done.
Ways to use vegan Ricotta
- Use vegan tofu ricotta in Vegan Lasagna Bolognese
- Broccoli Manicotti with Burrata
- No Boil Mushroom Baked Ziti with Spinach
- In these Zucchini Rolls with Spinach and Basil
- In this Roasted Chile Relleno Recipe!
Enjoy the Vegan Ricotta – please let us know what you think in the comments below!
xoxo
More recipes you may enjoy
- Vegan Hollandaise Sauce
- Vegan Ranch Dressing
- 50+ Amazing Tofu Recipes
- How to make Crispy Tofu
- Vegan Tofu Scramble
Vegan Ricotta
- Prep Time: 6 mins
- Total Time: 6 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
- Category: vegan
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: gluten free
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan Ricotta – a healthy, nut-free, low-calorie alternative to ricotta cheese, made with tofu, perfect for lasagna, cannelloni, and other baked dishes!
Ingredients
- 14 ounces tofu, firm, drained.
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- small handful fresh herbs- basil, Italian parsley, cilantro, chives, scallions or use 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence, Italian herbs or even dried oregano!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil add more for extra richness
- optional addition : 1-3 teaspoons nutritional yeast (gives it a “cheesy” flavor, other spices)
Instructions
Drain the tofu, ( no need to press it dry) break it up with your hands and place it, along with the other ingredients in a food processor.
Pulse repeated until combined well and coarsely ground, but not totally smooth.
That’s it!
Use it like you wold ricotta cheese- great in lasagna, manicotti, etc…
Notes
Herb options:
- For Italian dishes try basil, oregano or Italian parsley
- For Mexican, try cilantro or Mexican Oregano
- For French, thyme, chives or Herbs de Provence
- For a smoky flavor: add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
- Calories: 69
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 6.1 mg
- Fat: 5.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.6 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I sometimes leave out the herbs and add cinnamon and sweetener for a sweet treat.
Interesting! I’ll have to try that. 🙂
Hi. Love all of the recipes on this blog. Thank you for sharing them.
I’m wondering about making this ahead for part of a lasagna. How long could this recipe stay in the refrigerator before being used?
Thanks Becky! 2-3 days in a sealed container.