Vegan Cashew Ricotta Cheese
Vegan Ricotta — Thick and creamy, this versatile cashew cheese is easy to make and ready in as little as 10 minutes with a few pantry staples! It’s ultra-creamy and can be used anywhere ricotta is called for!
Anyone who’s looking for a good plant-based cheese is going to be so happy to have this easy cashew ricotta in their back pocket!
I absolutely love this recipe — and so does everyone who tries it. Honestly, I love it even more than the ricotta I grew up eating. It’s creamy, lightly tangy, and so versatile. You can keep it simple or customize it with fresh herbs and spices, depending on what you’re making.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Cashew Ricotta
- It’s quick and easy to make with ingredients you probably already have
- Completely dairy-free and soy-free (no tofu!)
- Works beautifully in lasagna, stuffed shells, pizza, or even as a spread
- It just feels good knowing you’re making something homemade and wholesome
I know you’re going to love having this one in your repertoire! Looking for a nut-free, lower-fat, or lower-calorie option? Try this easy Tofu Ricotta.
How To Make Vegan Ricotta
Making homemade vegan ricotta is surprisingly easy! Here’s exactly how I do it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This vegan cashew ricotta is made with just a handful of simple ingredients, yet creates the most amazing creamy, cheesy flavor and texture.
Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Raw cashews — The base of our ricotta. They create that rich, smooth texture we all love.
- Nutritional yeast — Gives it that savory, cheesy flavor (this is the secret weapon!).
- Garlic — Fresh garlic adds wonderful depth of flavor.
- Lemon juice — Brightens everything up with a fresh, tangy kick.
- Onion powder — Adds a subtle savory note that makes it taste more authentic.
- Salt & pepper — To bring all the flavors together. I recommend tasting and adjusting as you go!
Steps To Make It
Once you’ve gathered the ingredients, you’re only two steps away from the best cashew ricotta cheese!
Step 1: Soak the Cashews
Soaking helps soften the cashews for blending and makes them easier to digest. That said, if you’re in a hurry, you can skip this step — just add a little extra water while blending if needed and you’ll still get wonderful results.
- Traditional soak: Cover the cashews with cool water and let them soak for 2–3 hours, then drain and rinse well.
- Quick soak: Pour hot water over the cashews and let them sit for about 5-10 minutes, then drain and rinse.
Step 2: Blend Until Creamy
Add the soaked cashews to a food processor or high-speed blender along with fresh water, lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
Taste and adjust the seasoning until it’s just right. Then transfer it to a container and put it in the fridge. It thickens up nicely as it chills and gets even better after a few hours.
And that’s it — fresh, creamy cashew ricotta ready to use! It’s fantastic in lasagna, stuffed shells, on pizza, spread on toast, or anywhere ricotta is called (even baking!).
Ways To Use Cashew Ricotta Cheese
You may find yourself eating it right out of the bowl. Enjoy it everywhere you would use traditional ricotta cheese!
- Served as is, it’s great smeared on crackers with fruit and veggies.
- Layer it in Vegetable Vegan Lasagna or Simple Lasagna and Asparagus
- As a stuffing for Cheese Manicotti, Spinach Vegan Stuffed Shells, or Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
- It’s wonderful mixed in my Zucchini Ricotta Pasta with Basil + Mint
- Use in baking, like our Ricotta Persimmon Scones (minus the garlic, onion powder, and pepper)
Storage & Freezing
- Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in a covered container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Cashew ricotta is freezer-friendly and can be stored in freezer-safe containers (affiliate link) for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge and give a good stir before using.
More Kitchen Basics!
These everyday basic recipes are the kind you’ll reach for again and again!
- Easy Vegan Mayo (easy & tofu-based)
- Almond Parmesan (quick & easy)
- Vegan Cream (light or heavy creamer)
- Vegan Sour Cream (creamy & cashew-based)
- Cashew Sweet Cream (great for tarts & fruits)
If you try this easy cashew recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
Print Recipe
VEGAN CASHEW RICOTTA CHEESE
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: Makes 2 Cups, Serves 8 1x
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Vegan
Description
Creamy vegan cashew ricotta is a fabulous replacement for traditional Italian ricotta cheese. It’s fresh, delicious, and can be used anywhere you would use ricotta: lasagna, stuffed shells, smeared on crackers, or used in baking (with modifications). This will be a welcome addition to your plant-based lifestyle!
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked
- 2/3 cup water
- juice of 1 large lemon (or 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- sea salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
Soak Cashews: First, it’s best to soak your cashews in water before starting. There are 2 ways to soak:
- Soak cashew in cool water for at least 2 hours in a bowl of water, covering the cashews about 2 – 3 inches of water as they will swell up.
- For a quick method of soaking, let cashews sit in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
Blend: Drain cashews and place all remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor, process until creamy stopping to scrape down the sides every few minutes. Taste for flavors adding any additional ingredients. Some like a salty ricotta so feel free to add as much salt as you want.
Chill: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for an hour or two, this will stiffen the mixture a bit. You can also prepare your dish straight away without refrigeration if needed. Refrigeration will thicken the mixture a bit. If it becomes too thick, add a tad of water and mix well.
Makes approx. 2 cups
Serves 8 – 1/4 cup per serving
Notes
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days. To keep longer, store in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator. Give a good stir before using. You could do just as well without the nutritional yeast if you don’t have it.
We recommend only using raw cashews, as they have a neutral flavor.
If the mixture isn’t blending on its own, add a little extra water or lemon juice (1-2 tablespoons at a time), and be sure to stop to scrape down the sides as needed.
If using for baking: Omit the onion powder, garlic, nutritional yeast, and pepper.
Nut-free: Allergic to nuts or want to keep it lower in fat and calories, try this Tofu Ricotta.
EDITED: I recently updated this recipe by increasing the cashews from 1.5 cups to 2 cups and the water from ½ cup to ⅔ cup. This gives you a more generous yield — perfect for making lasagna, stuffed shells, or other pasta bakes. The original measurements still work great if you prefer them, so feel free to use whichever amount suits your needs!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Category: Condiment
- Method: blend
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Commonly Asked Questions
Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will keep well for up to 5 days.
Yes! It freezes beautifully for up to 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and give it a good stir before using. The texture may be slightly softer after freezing, but it’s still delicious.
Yes, soaking is important for a smooth and creamy texture. Soak them in hot water for 5–15 minutes or in cool water for 2–3 hours (or overnight).
Unfortunately, cashews are the base of this recipe, so it’s not easily made nut-free. However, some readers have had success with sunflower seeds (the flavor will be different).
Add an extra tablespoon of nutritional yeast. You can also add a pinch of garlic powder or a touch more lemon juice to brighten the flavor.
It’s wonderful in lasagna, stuffed shells, pizza, pasta bakes, on toast with tomatoes, as a spread on crackers, or dolloped on roasted vegetables.
Absolutely. Add a little more water for a softer, spreadable ricotta or use less water for a thicker, more crumbly texture perfect for baking.
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I’ve been making this ricotta for years and we love it! I usually use it for baked ziti but it’s also amazing for spinach-ricotta pizza. Did you update the recipe recently? I swear it used to say 1.5 cups of cashews, and I remember it saying salt & pepper to taste rather than specifying the amounts. Was anything else different? Was there less water before?
So glad you’ve been enjoy the recipe, Faith! Yes, I did update the cashews from 1.5 cup to 2 cups, and increased the water from 1/2 to 2/3 cup to match. This was to ensure there would be plenty for lasagna and stuffed shells – always better to have a little extra as it never to goes waste around here. I hope this update is working the same for you (I’ll add a note with the with the old measurements in the recipe card). I also just changed the salt and pepper back ‘to taste’ – I do prefer that myself too. Thanks so much for the feedback, it’s super helpful!
this ricotta was so unbelievably creamy, i can’t believe it. delicious!! especially for not using a non-dairy milk but just water.
wondering if this base could be used to make cashew cheese sauce for vegan mac n cheese? it’s similar ingredients, minus the paprika and turmeric. has anyone tried it that way?
Yes, you can thin this cashew ricotta with a little extra water, or see our Vegan Mac & Cheese recipe which has a cashew based cream sauce! Thank you for sharing, Michele :)
I absolutely love this recipe. I use it whenever I make lasagna. I’m the only vegan in my family and everyone else says they prefer my lasagna to “regular lasagna.” I recently made it for my neighbor who had a heart attack and he loves it. He just told me his family makes it often. Thank you!
This is so, so delicious. I’m not vegan, but I make this all the time because it’s so good.
I imagine it might just be the brand/type of cashews I used (like maybe they were wimpy!), but using the instructed portions resulted in a watery consistency for me. I just added another soaked 1/2 cup of cashews and that did the trick! Everything else listed including 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and 1/2 tsp salt made a wonderfully tasty and super easy “ricotta” cheese for us. Thank you for sharing!!