Cashew ‘Ricotta’ Cheese
Vegan Cashew Cheese – Thick and creamy, this versatile cashew ricotta cheese is ready in as little as 10 minutes and tastes fantastic! It’s the best vegan ricotta ever and can be used anywhere ricotta is called for!
As vegans and those eating a plant-based diet, you will be thrilled to have this easy, vegan cheese in your culinary library! I absolutely love this stuff and so does everyone else who tries it, vegan or not!
Why We Love This Recipe!
Vegan cashew ricotta cheese tastes just like the ricotta I was accustomed to for many years before becoming vegan. It’s soy-free (no tofu) and a simple recipe with lots of possibilities. You can add your own tastes to this basic cheese by adding herbs and spices.
The ingredients for this vegan ricotta cheese are very common making it a great basic recipe for anyone starting out experimenting with vegan nut cheeses. Make yourself some fresh cashew ricotta cheese and taste and feel the difference compared to processed cheese products. You will not be disappointed!
- Quick and easy to make
- Healthy, dairy-free option
- WFPB
- Clean eating
- & So incredibly delicious!
Use this vegan ricotta in Lasagna, Manicotti, or Stuffed Shells, as a topper for crackers or as a spread for sandwiches. I’ve even used it in a Persimmon Ricotta Scone recipe that came out wonderful (I omitted the pepper, onion powder, and garlic). You can use this with a few adjustments for any recipe that calls for ricotta.
If you are allergic to nuts or want a lower fat and calorie option, try this Tofu Ricotta.
How To Make Cashew Ricotta Cheese
Step 1: It’s best to soak your cashews in water before starting. There are 2 ways to soak:
- Soak cashews in cool water for 2 – 3 hours, drain, and rinse (this method is best for digestion).
- For a quick method of soaking, let cashews sit in hot water for 5 minutes, drain, rinse, and continue with the recipe.
Why soak cashews? Soaking will help soften the cashews by plumping them up with water and helps the cashews blend easily. Soaking is also said to be beneficial for digestion and mineral & vitamin absorption. If you’re in a hurry, you can still make this cashew ricotta cheese successfully without soaking. You just may need to add a bit more water while blending.
Step 2: Next, place cashews, water, lemon juice/apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a food processor/blender and blend until creamy. Place in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use. You can also use it right away in any recipe calling for ricotta cheese.
And that’s it, vegan cashew ricotta cheese made easy and delicious!
How To Use Vegan Ricotta
You may find yourself eating it right out of the bowl. Enjoy everywhere you would use ricotta cheese!
- Served as is, vegan ricotta is great smeared on crackers with fruit.
- Use it in Vegetable Vegan Lasagna or Simple Lasagna and Asparagus
- Use it for stuffing, like these Cheese Manicotti, Spinach Vegan Stuffed Shells, or Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
- It’s wonderful in this Zucchini Ricotta Pasta with Basil + Mint
- Use in baking for these Ricotta Persimmon Scones
How To Store + Freeze
- Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a covered container.
- Freezer: Cashew ricotta is freezer-friendly and can stored in freezer-safe containers for up to two 2 months.
More Kitchen Basics Recipes!
If you try this vegan ricotta, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintCASHEW ‘RICOTTA’ CHEESE
A fabulous replacement for traditional ricotta. Use it anywhere you would use ricotta. This will be a welcome addition to your plant-based lifestyle!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: Makes 2 Cups, Serves 8 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: blend
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked
- 1/2 cup water
- juice of 1 large lemon or 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 – 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- himalayan sea salt & 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 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.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a 5 – 6 days. To keep longer, store in the freezer for up to 2 months in a freezer safe container. Let thaw in the refrigerator. Give a good stir before using.
Makes approx. 2 cups
Serves 8 – 1/4 cup per serving
Notes
You could do just as well without the nutritional yeast if you don’t have it. I only added a small amount, probably pretty unnoticeable. I will be trying more next time to play around with it a bit. If you do add it, it will add a bit more cheesy flavor and some good nutritional value.
If you have trouble with the mixture blending on it’s own try this because it’s too thick, add a little extra water.
Allergic to nuts or want to keep it lower in fat and calories, try this Tofu Ricotta.
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I'm so happy to find this recipe. Lately I am loving all things made with cashew cream. I recently posted a chocolate raspberry pie for my man's birthday using a cashew cream ganache and it was amazing, I can't wait to try the cashew cream ricotta. One question, I am vegetarian but not vegan and I've never used nutritional yeast, I know you say the recipe can be made without, but I wonder if white miso would add a similar flavor profile as the nutritional yeast, anyone out there have an opinion, please let me know. Thanks!
Just put lasagna in the oven. Love the ricotta, tasted a little while making the lasagna ;)
OMG! I made this tonight to use in my traditional baked rigatoni recipe. This is phenomenal!!! I will never use tofu to make ricotta again! This is to die for, and even my 100% Italian mom was all about it! Genius!
I once made a pumpkin lasagna that would be perfect with this cashew ricotta.
Delicious! So excited to replace real ricotta cheese with this. Thank you so much for posting!
I use 1 cup soaked cashews and 1/2 block tofu (pressed) instead of all cashews. I add lemon juice AND apple cider vinegar. One more thing, I think the nutritional yeast is VERY important to the flavor profile. Everyone (vegan or not) should have this condiment in their home and use it every week.
I love using both the lemon and apple cider too! Your version sounds great!
I can see how that would work as the extra cashews made this way too sweet for me!!
I want to make this but only have lemon juice in a bottle
, not fresh squeezed lemon or the apple cider vinegar unfortunately. how much lemon juice should I measure out??
Just use a little, about 1 teaspoon, especially if the lemon juice has other ingredients in it that will alter the flavor. If the lemon juice has a nice flavor, add up to 2 – 3 teaspoons at most, starting with the lower amount.
Wouldnt this be extremely fattening? :/
Yes, it is high in calories and fat. This is something that should be eaten in moderation. A serving of cashews, 1/4 cup, contains 180 calories, 14 grams of fat and 5 grams of protein. This recipe contains 1080 calories, 84 grams of fat and 30 grams of protein. A serving or two of this is absolutely fine as long as you can limit other fats for the day. Save the best fats like this to enjoy if you can as this is a wonderful cashew cheese. But if your strictly watching your fat intake I recommend skipping this recipe entirely. Hope that helps. :)
This was incredibly delicious! My family who isn't vegan thoroughly enjoyed it as well :) Thanks for such a yummy recipe…Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays and New Year to you too! Thank you for sharing the good news. Cheers :)
I can't get over how good this is. I mixed it with leftover whole wheat pasta and added some fresh spinach and pasta sauce and warmed it on the stove. I did add some extra nutritional yeast for more cheesy flavor but it tastes awesome. Thank you for this fantastic recipe.
Sounds delicious! Glad your loving this…it's so good and versatile. Cheers :)
I have been looking for a good recipe to try for lasagna. I just found out that my child my have a gluten intolerance so I will try this recipe with rice noodles. That way it is GF for my little one.
I think this will be perfect and you'll both love it! Once cooked with everything, you'll never know it's made from cashews! Seriously so very good… :)