Don't do dairy? You'll love this easy vegan ricotta cheese. Just like regular ricotta, it's rich and creamy. Perfect for lasagna, stuffed shells, and more!
Good vegan ricotta is the secret to a great vegan lasagna or stuffed shells. It should be rich, thick, and creamy—so delicious that you don’t miss the cheese. I’ve tried making it all sorts of ways over the years—with nuts like cashews and almonds…even sunflower seeds! But this tofu ricotta cheese is hands down my favorite.
This vegan ricotta cheese is easy to make in the food processor. The recipe calls for less than 10 ingredients and whizzes up in minutes! It has a savory, cheesy flavor and perfect creamy texture. Add it to your next plant-based pasta or homemade pizza. I think you’re going to love it!
How to Make Vegan Ricotta Cheese
This vegan ricotta recipe is easy to make! It starts with 9 simple ingredients:
Ingredients
- Extra-firm tofu – No need to press the tofu to make this recipe! The water inside it helps it blend into a creamy puree.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest – They add bright, tangy flavor.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
- Nutritional yeast – You’ll find this plant-based ingredient in savory dishes like my vegan mac and cheese and vegan Alfredo sauce. It’s a great way to add cheesy flavor to vegan recipes, no dairy required!
- Garlic – For savory bite.
- Dried oregano and red pepper flakes – For Italian flare.
- And salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Got your ingredients? This recipe comes together in one easy step:
Place everything in a food processor, and pulse until smooth.
Yep, it’s that simple!
Can I use a blender?
I recommend using a food processor for this vegan cheese recipe. Pureeing it in a blender will require more liquid, resulting in a runnier, less creamy, texture.
How to Use Vegan Ricotta
There are so many ways to use this homemade vegan ricotta! Substitute it for regular ricotta in any savory recipe, such as my stuffed shells or baked ziti, or try one of these tasty serving suggestions:
- Make a vegan lasagna. Layer this vegan ricotta into my go-to veggie lasagna. Skip the cheese on top. Cover and bake the lasagna until heated through.
- Dot it on a pizza. Make this Margherita pizza without the cheese. When it comes out of the oven, dollop it with vegan ricotta and scatter it with fresh basil leaves.
- Upgrade vegan meatballs. Serve them over pasta with marinara sauce and a scoop of vegan ricotta.
- Spread it on a sandwich. Make an epic plant-based sandwich with grilled zucchini, grilled eggplant, roasted red peppers, basil pesto, and a slather of vegan ricotta.
- Serve it as a dip. Garnish it with lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and fresh parsley. Scoop it up with crackers or crostini for a delicious dairy-free appetizer!
How do you like to use vegan ricotta cheese? Let me know in the comments!
Storage
If you don’t use all the ricotta in one go, that’s ok! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Vegan Basics
If you love this recipe, try one of these vegan basics next:
- Vegan Cheese
- Vegan Sour Cream
- Cashew Cream
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- How to Make Almond Milk
- How to Make Oat Milk
- Vegan Mayo
Looking for more plant-based cooking inspiration? Check out these 85 Best Vegan Recipes!
Vegan Ricotta Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a food processor, place the tofu, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon zest, garlic, salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes and pulse until creamy.
- Use in this vegetarian lasagna recipe or this stuffed shells recipe.
I loved this recipe! I did not have a lemon so instead I used lemon juice concentrate which actually turned out good. I added a lot more spice because I felt like mine was bland. I used the filling for stuff shells and added spinach and vegan mozzarella. I’m so pleased that I found a good vegan alternative!
Please add to my last comment: I would do these reductions if using it right after making. If you can afford to let it sit overnight, the garlic and other flavors mellow considerably.
I actually made this. For a neutral result more like ricotta, I reduced the lemon zest to one small-medium lemon’s worth rather than 1 tbsp. It’s already quite lemony from 3 tbsp of juice. Also, I would reduce the garlic. It’s delicious but I think gentler (especially if you have larger cloves) would resemble ricotta a bit more. Really delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Can you use firm tofu? I look forward to trying this recipe! Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this! Since eating a completely plant-based diet, I’ve been missing some of my favorites like stuffed shells and vegetable lasagna!