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!
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) for those limiting their soy intake, and is a simple recipe with lots of possibilities. Add your own tastes to this basic cheese by adding herbs and spices to suit your taste.
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 for the recipe). You can use this with a few adjustments for any recipe that calls for ricotta.
The ingredients for this vegan ricotta cheese are very common making this a great basic recipe for anyone starting out experimenting with vegan nut cheeses. Make yourself some fresh cashew ricotta cheese. Taste and feel the difference compared to processed cheese products. You will not be disappointed!
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 cashew 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 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 place in the fridge until ready to use. Or use 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 to 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 Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in 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 to 2 months.
I hope you LOVE this vegan ricotta as much we do! It’s:
- Clean eating
- WFPB
- Quick and easy to make
- Healthy, dairy-free option
- & So delicious!
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.
FOLLOW TSV on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or RSS for more updates and inspiration!
really delicious! First time making a vegan cheese. Really easy to make. Doesn’t really taste like cheese, but still a really tasty spread.
We love this as a spread too! So glad it worked well for you. Thanks for sharing, Revi!
Can roasted cashews be used successfully instead of raw cashews
No, I don’t recommend subbing with roasted cashews because they will alter the flavor too much. Raw cashews are neutral and perfect for making vegan ricotta.
I do make Cashew Cream with Roasted Cashews too. It also has a great taste but very different from making it with the Raw. Roasted is more Umami and Raw is naturally sweeter.
As vegans, we use this to make Enchiladas at least once a week!! it is a great recipe!
Delicious and easy! This is my go to ricotta recipe.
I have probably made this at least once a week ever since I came across this recipe a few weeks ago. I’ve made it in manicotti, stuffed shells, and I just loaded a lasagna into the oven as I type this. This recipe is so delicious and so flavorful! I never liked dairy ricotta but I LOVE this!
This was so easy and tasty! My nonvegan sisters and mom were impressed with my pictures of the stuffed shells (recipe also from The Simple Veganista–so good!) I used with this ricotta. I used both apple cider vinegar and lemon, because I like the tang of the vinegar and love lemon, but if making this ricotta for multiple uses, I would leave it more neutral and just only half a lemon with the whole amount of vinegar. I’m so happy now I can make things like lasagna, calzones, etc., that I thought I would only be able to do with pricey and hard to find store-bought ricotta. Making my own from now on! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
So smooth and easy to make! Used ACV and added this into a spinach lasagna. It has some sweetness like ricotta. I’d like to try this with lemon next time. Thank you for the recipe!
Absolutely wonderful recipe. I use it for canolli filling, healthy lasagna soup and lasagna. We both grew up in Italian households and going vegan without ricotta seemed extremely hard until I came across this recipe. Thank you. I make my own non dairy mozzarella to go with the ricotta for my lasagna and both are delicious.
I’d like to use this in a dessert setting. I’m worried that the garlic and onion powder will make this taste too savory. Did you find that it was fine for the canollis?
Hi Ashley, you can either omit the garlic and onion for dessert purposes or use this Sweet Cashew Cream recipe.
I’m an omnivore but make a lot of plant-based meals. I discovered my ricotta was old while I was making ziti and quickly whipped up a batch of cashew ricotta for the dish.
I’M NEVER BUYING RICOTTA CHEESE AGAIN. Thank you! And now I’m trying to come up with the perfect vegan baked ziti recipe to go with this ricotta!
I’m so happy you this worked so well for you! It’s so easy and amazing what cashews can do. :) I happen to have a Vegan Baked Ziti recipe if you want to take a look and see if it works for you. You might like it as is or tweak it with your own ideas. It actually uses this ricotta and works really well!
I made this ricotta and it’s delicious, I’m new to vegan. Can I freeze this since it is too much for me?
So glad you liked it! Yes, you can freeze it for up to 2 months, let thaw in the fridge before using.