Plant-based versions of dairy products have been getting better as more and more people convert to a primarily plant-based diet. Finding delicious vegan versions of your favorite dairy products to use in your recipes can be challenging because there are a ton out there now. Which ones taste the best?
You’re in luck if you miss the creamy and delicious flavor of ricotta cheese or miss incorporating it into your dishes. Whether you’re making your favorite lasagna recipe, baked ziti, on pizza, or for another reason, you need to try one of these easy vegan ricotta recipes.
1. Cashew Ricotta Cheese by The Simple Veganista
Cashews are an excellent tool for recreating creamy dairy products. This ricotta cheese recipe by The Simple Veganista only takes ten minutes to make and is so easy that you could teach your kids to make it (if you have kids).
You’ll need to soak cashews beforehand, so they’re soft. Once they’re soft, you’ll combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder in a blender. You can add nutritional yeast if you want, but it’s not required. Once everything’s blended, store it in your fridge for at least an hour to firm up, and you’re finished!
2. Vegan Ricotta Cheese by The Plant-Based School
This recipe is an excellent option if you’re looking for nut-free vegan ricotta cheese. This recipe is simple and only requires three ingredients. You’ll need unsweetened and unflavored soy milk, vinegar, and salt. Salt is essential and cannot be left out.
You can use lemon juice if you don’t have vinegar, but The Plant-Based School recommends using vinegar to get a more authentic taste. You’ll need to heat the soy milk and then use a cheesecloth to strain it. You can let the excess liquid drain for about 30 minutes, but you can do other tasks during this time. You should have fresh vegan ricotta in about 45 minutes.
3. Five-Ingredient Almond Ricotta by Minimalist Baker
Thanks to Minimalist Baker, you can have vegan ricotta in about five minutes. The main ingredient for this recipe is almonds. It’s best to use slivered almonds since the skins are already off of them, but if you can’t, make sure to soak them briefly to remove the brown skin.
You’ll also need nutritional yeast for a subtle cheesy flavor, salt, and lemon juice. You can add garlic powder if you want, but that’s up to you. You’ll blend everything, and it’s ready to serve or use. You can let it firm up in the fridge before using it, but you don’t have to.
4. Tofu Vegan Ricotta by Simply Quinoa
Unlike other vegan ricotta recipes that utilize some nut, this one takes advantage of a vegan favorite, tofu. Silken tofu is the best option, and you’ll also need unsweetened plant-based milk, olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt.
You add other seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, or whatever your heart desires. You’ll combine all the ingredients in a blender or with a food processor until it’s smooth and resembles the consistency of ricotta. You can make this recipe in under ten minutes.
5. Vegan Ricotta by a Virtual Vegan
This vegan ricotta recipe is just as simple and easy as the others mentioned. You only need five ingredients, water, apple cider vinegar, salt, almond flour, and sugar. Before you disregard this recipe because they use sugar, just wait.
The sugar helps cut the bitterness of the apple cider vinegar to help create that subtle flavor ricotta cheese has. It’s also critical to support the curdling process, so you don’t want to try the recipe without it. You’ll cook the ingredients on the stove before blending them up and using a cheesecloth to remove excess moisture.
6. Easy Vegan Ricotta by Nora Cooks
If you’re looking for a vegan ricotta cheese recipe to fool the dairy eaters in your life, then this recipe by Nora Cooks is perfect. You only need three ingredients besides salt and water. You can have this vegan cheese ready in five minutes, and it doesn’t involve soaking any nuts!
Other than salt and water, you’ll need slivered almonds, lemon juice, and garlic powder for extra flavor. If you can’t find slivered almonds and need to use regular almonds, make sure you blanch them to remove the skins first. For the best flavor, you should use freshly squeezed lemon juice and not the stuff from the bottle.
7. Vegan Ricotta Cheese by The Vegan 8
Some great vegan ricotta recipes use tofu to make it creamy and have a similar texture to regular ricotta. If you aren’t a fan of tofu, this recipe is as creamy as the real stuff, but without the tofu.
You’ll need slivered almonds, salt, water, white vinegar, and plain vegan yogurt. You can use whatever yogurt you want as long as it’s vegan and not sweetened. You’ll want to soak your slivered almonds first to ensure they’re nice and soft, but then you’ll add everything else and end up with one of the creamiest vegan ricottas.
8. 10 Minute Vegan Ricotta Cheese by The Full Helping
If you need vegan ricotta fast, this ten-minute recipe is worth trying. It combines cashews, tofu, and other ingredients for a fast, easy, and tasty ricotta cheese worthy of topping pizza, adding to lasagna, and more.
To create the correct flavor, you’ll need to add lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast to your blended tofu and cashews. Make sure to soak your cashews beforehand so they can get you the texture you want. While they’re soaking, you can crumble your tofu to make blending the ingredients easier.
9. Vegan Ricotta Cheese by Erin Lives Whole
This vegan ricotta recipe has some additional ingredients than the classic ones you’ll find in almost every recipe, but it’s still super easy to make. You’ll use firm tofu, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil, basil, and shallots.
The additional ingredients create a broader flavor profile and make this recipe great as a topping on toast or as a dip with your favorite veggies. If you don’t like shallots or another herb, you can easily swap them for something else. Onion is an excellent alternative if you don’t have a shallot on hand.
10. Easy Vegan Cashew Ricotta by Rainbow Plant Life
Overall, this easy vegan ricotta recipe only takes ten minutes to make. The longest part is the prep time, which requires you to soak your cashews. The good news is that it’s a task that you can assemble quickly and then go about your day until you’re ready to make the ricotta.
Once your cashews are finished soaking, you’ll add them to a food processor or blender with the rest of the ingredients. The ingredients are standard, like lemon juice, salt, lemon zest, and water. The element that makes this recipe different is pickle juice. Don’t knock it until you try it!
11. Sunflower Seed Vegan Ricotta Cheese by Watch Learn Eat
You’ll see tons of vegan ricotta recipes using almonds, cashews, and tofu, but this one’s interesting because it uses sunflower seeds primarily. While most ricotta has a subtle flavor, you’ll notice a bit more seasoning in this one because, without it, it tastes too much like sunflower seeds.
First, you’ll soak the sunflower seeds for 20 minutes in boiling water. You’ll then add the seeds to a blender with nutritional yeast, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Black pepper, garlic powder, and basil are delicious for additional seasonings.
12. Dairy-Free Ricotta Cheese by The Edgy Veg
This dairy-free ricotta is also gluten-free and nut-free, perfect for almost all people. You’ll need firm tofu, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, and white miso for this recipe. This ingredient isn’t found in most vegan ricotta recipes but makes it taste great.
If you prefer ricotta with a little more liquid consistency but still creamy, you can add in your favorite soy milk or other vegan milk. The recipe only takes seven minutes to make in a food processor or blender, and it’s ready to serve or cook with.
13. Seven Ingredient Vegan Ricotta by From My Bowl
This recipe is easy, takes roughly ten minutes, and requires seven ingredients. Use firm tofu, soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, lemon juice and zest, pepper, and garlic. The author of this recipe also adds Italian seasoning to the ricotta, but you can leave it out if you prefer it without it.
Adding the Italian seasoning is perfect for using the ricotta in any Italian dish. Assembling the ricotta is simple. You’ll add everything to a blender and combine. You can taste it to ensure it has enough salt and seasonings and cook with it or store it in the fridge until you’re ready.
14. The Best Vegan Ricotta by The Hidden Veggies
Using high-protein vegan ricotta is a great way to add more plant-based protein to your diet. This recipe is easy, quick, and adds excellent plant protein to your meal. It’s also nut-free, so if you have an allergy to nuts, this is a great recipe to try.
Unlike other recipes that use firm tofu, you’ll want to use extra-firm tofu or high-protein tofu this time. You’ll need olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, basil, and your favorite soy milk for this recipe as well. The milk helps create a texture that most resembles dairy ricotta cheese, so you don’t want to forget it.
15. The Easiest Vegan Ricotta Cheese by A Veg Taste From A to Z
To create the easiest vegan ricotta cheese, you’ll need several ingredients. You’ll need soy milk, soy cream, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt. Regular salt will work in a pinch if you don’t have sea salt.
You’ll start by soft boiling the soy milk, nutritional yeast, and salt. After about eight minutes, remove it from the heat and stir in the apple cider vinegar as the cheese starts to curdle. Then, you’ll place it in a cheesecloth to remove excess moisture. Finally, you’ll add the soy cream and combine.
16. Five Minute Almond Ricotta by The Conscious Plant Kitchen
There’s not much easier to make than a recipe that only takes five minutes. The recipe’s base is relatively simple, but The Conscious Plant Kitchen incorporates optional seasonings that you can play around with to find the flavor you love the best.
To make this easy ricotta, you’ll need slivered almonds, almond milk, lemon juice, salt, and water. You might love the ricotta’s taste without anything else, but you can try it with garlic powder, nutritional yeast, parsley, and paprika to elevate the flavors and make it even tastier, but you don’t have to.
17. Cauliflower Vegan Ricotta Cheese by Debra Klein
You’ve seen vegan ricotta recipes that include various nuts, tofu, and even sunflowers, but this one uses cauliflower. Yes, you read that correctly. Don’t worry; it’s not only made with cauliflower. You’ll also need slivered almonds, lemon juice, salt, garlic, olive oil, and a handful of spices.
You can use a generic Italian seasoning mix for the spice mixture or play around with your favorite herbs. Thyme is an excellent choice for this ricotta recipe. It’s easy to blend everything, and you can store it in your freezer for up to three months.
18. Quick Vegan Almond Ricotta by Nutriciously
How quick is this quick vegan almond ricotta? You should have it ready in about eight minutes, which is very fast. The ingredients are simple, but it allows each one to shine in their own way, making this vegan ricotta a popular choice.
This recipe needs slivered almonds, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder. If you prefer, you can use minced garlic, but the powder is easier to incorporate with the other ingredients seamlessly. You’ll mix everything, and it’s ready to serve. Fresh oregano makes a great garnish and adds some extra flavor.
19. Tofu Ricotta by Loving It Vegan
You can use all vegan ricotta in any recipe you want, but this one is a popular choice if you’re going to serve it as a dip for a party or craving ricotta and crackers. This tofu ricotta uses firm tofu, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, onion powder, and oregano.
Some recipes don’t say whether you have to use the flakes or powdered nutritional yeast, but this one states that they prefer the flakes. Of course, you can use whatever you have on hand. After mashing everything together and blending, you can have vegan ricotta in ten minutes or less.
20. Five Minute Vegan Ricotta by Delicious Everyday
Another five-minute vegan ricotta recipe you need to try is this one by Delicious Everyday. The recipe is fast but will taste as if you worked for hours on it. The main ingredient is firm tofu that’s pressed and drained.
In addition to the tofu, you’ll need lemon juice, minced garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, and dried basil. The basil adds sophistication to the ricotta and can easily be left out if you don’t like basil in your ricotta. You’ll mash everything together in a bowl and then blend if it needs to be smoother.
21. Four Ingredient Vegan Ricotta by Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen
This simple, four-ingredient vegan ricotta might become a staple in your household. As a plant-based eater, you’ll likely always have these ingredients on hand and can whip up this recipe in 25 minutes. It also stores in the fridge well for a few days.
You’ll pre-soak your cashews until they’re soft. After this, you’ll add the cashews, extra firm tofu, lemon juice, and salt to a food processor to combine it all. You can taste it to make sure it has the right amount of salt and lemon juice and adjust accordingly.
22. Easy Cashew Vegan Ricotta by Eat Plant-Based
Eat Plant-Based’s easy cashew vegan ricotta is a simple recipe that not only takes under ten minutes to make, but you only need eight ingredients. You’ll need cashews, firm tofu, lemon juice, garlic, unsweetened plant-based milk, salt, and other seasonings.
If you don’t have cashews on hand, you can use white beans in their place. The main seasonings are salt and pepper, but you can add whatever you want. You’ll need to press as much moisture from the tofu before combining all the ingredients. You can use a blender or food processor, and it stores for days in the fridge.
23. Vegan Chickpea Ricotta by The Garden Grazer
There are many things you can make vegan ricotta with, so experimenting with different recipes to find the one you like the most can be fun. This one uses almond flour and chickpeas to create the ricotta. It’s delicious, soy and oil-free.
You can use fresh or canned chickpeas, but make sure you drain the canned ones before you make the ricotta. To make creamy vegan ricotta, you’ll combine the chickpeas, almond flour, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, a little water, salt, and garlic powder. If it’s too thick, you can add more water.
24. Five-Ingredient Whipped Cashew Ricotta by Food by Maria
All ricotta cheese is creamy and smooth, but this one takes it further and is whipped to perfection. The recipe only takes five minutes to make, but you’ll need to budget about two hours of soaking time for the cashews.
This recipe is excellent on toast, but you can use it on whatever you want. Once the cashews are soft, you’ll combine vinegar or lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and nutritional yeast. You can blend it a little more than other ricottas to get a whipped consistency for your ravioli, toast, or anything else.
25. Vegan Ricotta by Justine Snacks
This vegan ricotta lasts for five to seven days in the fridge, making it a great thing to make when you know you’ll be meal prepping in a few days or want a simple and easy snack. It takes about five minutes to make and is sure to impress even the avid dairy eater.
You’ll need a firm block of tofu, salt, garlic powder, red wine vinegar, and only a few tablespoons of your favorite plant-based milk. You can mash this up in a bowl with a fork, so you don’t even need to use a blender unless you want to.
26. Easy Tofu Ricotta by Sweet Simple Vegan
Another five-minute ricotta recipe that tastes like it took all day is this one by Sweet Simple Vegan. There are only seven ingredients, and it goes well on anything you love ricotta on. You can even use it in some vegan desserts.
You’ll need to combine firm tofu, finely minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, miso paste, salt, pepper, dried basil, oregano, and parsley. If you don’t like basil, oregano, or parsley, you can leave them out of the recipe, and it will still taste delicious. Make sure to break the tofu into pieces before trying to blend everything together.
27. Vegan Almond Ricotta by Darn Good Veggies
One of the best fluffy, vegan almond ricotta recipes is this one. While it’s similar to other vegan ricotta recipes, it somehow turns out fluffier, making it super appealing. The secret to making this smooth ricotta extra creamy is to use your favorite vegan yogurt.
Before you make this recipe, make sure you’re using a plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt, or the flavor will not be similar to ricotta. In addition to the yogurt, you’ll need blanched almonds, lemon juice, and salt. You can add fresh herbs as a garnish or go without them.
28. Oil-Free Vegan Ricotta Cheese by No Sweat Vegan
Oils can add healthy fats to our diets, but if you’re looking for oil-free vegan ricotta, this is a great one. It’s not oily at all but still retains all the classic ricotta flavor you crave. Instead of using oil to achieve the right consistency, you’ll use water and lemon juice.
The other ingredients are simple. You’ll need nutritional yeast, garlic, and salt. You can use garlic powder or fresh garlic. Unlike other recipes that insist on fresh lemon juice, this one trusts that bottled lemon juice will work just as well. All in all, the recipe only takes a little over ten minutes.
29. Creamy Vegan Ricotta by Bakerita
Last but not least, we have a vegan ricotta recipe by Bakerita. This one is about one and a half cups of ricotta, so you can adjust the proportions if you need more. You can use slivered almonds or cashews, whatever you have on hand.
The rest of the ingredients include lemon juice, nutritional yeast, water, salt, and garlic. If you want to elevate the flavor of your ricotta, you can use roasted garlic for a richer flavor. You’ll blend everything, taste it to see if it needs anything, and then you have terrific vegan ricotta.
Easy Vegan Ricotta Recipes, Final Thoughts
Using any of these delicious vegan ricotta recipes for your lasagna, other pasta dishes, or something else will put a smile on your face. They’re all delicious and super easy to make.