Vegan Ricotta

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!

Vegan ricotta cheese

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!

Vegan ricotta recipe ingredients - tofu, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, garlic, and oregano

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.

Crumbled tofu, nutritional yeast, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, and lemon zest in food processor

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.

Vegan ricotta cheese in food processor

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.

Vegan ricotta recipe

More Vegan Basics

If you love this recipe, try one of these vegan basics next:

Looking for more plant-based cooking inspiration? Check out these 85 Best Vegan Recipes!

Get This Recipe In Your Inbox
Share your email, and we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, enjoy daily doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!

Vegan Ricotta Cheese

rate this recipe:
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
This vegan ricotta cheese tastes just as rich and creamy as the real thing! It's a delicious dairy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free substitute for the ricotta in lasagna, stuffed shells, and more. Find additional uses in the blog post above.

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Yield: About 2½ cups

4 comments

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. W. Dunsie-Love
    12.12.2023

    5 stars
    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.

  2. W. Dunsie-Love
    12.12.2023

    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.

  3. Sharon
    12.08.2023

    Can you use firm tofu? I look forward to trying this recipe! Thanks!

  4. Jan G.
    12.07.2023

    5 stars
    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!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.