Vegan ricotta is a delicious and versatile plant-based alternative to traditional ricotta cheese. Made from a variety of nuts, seeds, or vegetables, vegan ricotta has a creamy texture and a neutral flavor that can be used in a variety of dishes, from lasagna and pasta dishes to desserts and spreads. This article will provide you with all the information you need to make the best vegan ricotta, including the different types of ingredients you can use, the steps involved in making it, and some tips for getting the perfect texture and consistency.
Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!
VEGAN CASHEW RICOTTA
An incredibly easy vegan recipe using cashews and nutritional yeast to mimic true Italian ricotta cheese. Serve on bruschetta.
Provided by Adam Mattessich
Categories Appetizers and Snacks Dips and Spreads Recipes Cheese Dips and Spreads Recipes
Time 4h10m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Place cashews into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let soak, 3 to 4 hours.
- Drain cashews and transfer to a food processor. Add lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, and basil leaves. Process until thick and smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides occasionally.
- Transfer cashew mixture to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 227.7 calories, Carbohydrate 11.9 g, Fat 18.4 g, Fiber 1.7 g, Protein 7.3 g, SaturatedFat 3.1 g, Sodium 77.7 mg, Sugar 2.2 g
HEIRLOOM TOMATO TART WITH VEGAN BASIL RICOTTA RECIPE BY TASTY
Fresh heirloom tomatoes are the star of the show in this gorgeous tomato tart. Keep it dairy-free with vegan ricotta that uses cashews to replicate the creamy texture of cheese. Make this at the height of tomato season for your next summer get-together!
Provided by Rachel Gaewski
Time 4h50m
Yield 12 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Combine the cashews and warm water in a medium bowl. Cover and soak for 3 hours, then drain, discarding the soaking water.
- Make the ricotta: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the whole basil leaves, spinach, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the kosher salt. Process for 30 seconds, until all of the leaves are broken down into a dark green paste.
- Add the soaked cashews and cold water. Blend for 15-30 seconds, until the cashews are broken down but the mixture is not completely smooth, resembling the texture of ricotta. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Line a 13x18-inch (33x45 cm) baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the stems from the tomatoes, then slice into ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick rounds.
- Unroll the filo dough into a flat sheet. Carefully transfer a single layer of dough to the prepared baking sheet and lightly brush all over with olive oil. Place another sheet on top and brush lightly with olive oil. Repeat stacking and brushing with the remaining sheets of dough. Brush the edges of the filo dough with more olive oil to make sure they become golden brown and crispy when baking.
- Dollop the ricotta over the top layer of filo and spread in an even layer, being careful not to tear the dough.
- Layer the tomato slices over the ricotta, covering entirely. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the tomatoes. Top with the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, on top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges of the filo dough are golden brown and the tomatoes are cooked but not mushy.
- Garnish with the thinly sliced basil and flaky sea salt, then slice and serve.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 80 calories, Carbohydrate 5 grams, Fat 6 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 2 grams, Sugar 1 gram
FARFALLE W/ "RICOTTA" AND SAUTÉED TOMATOES - VEGAN
Steps:
- PREP: 1. Start by pressing tofu. Wrap tofu in a few papertowels, place on a cookie sheet, place another cookie sheet on top, and stack a few heavy books on top of that. Let it sit for about 20-30 minutes. 2. While waiting start halving tomatoes, chop garlic, slice basil for tomatoes (roll basil leaves and cut at a 45° angle), and finely chop basil for ricotta. 3. Begin boiling water for pasta. Add a little salt to the water. For ricotta: 1. Using your hands, crumble tofu in a large bowl. 2. Add lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper, and basil. 3. Mush everything together until no tofu chunks remain and mixture is more the consistency of ricotta (about 2 minutes) 4. Add oil and nutritional yeast and mix together using a fork (the mix gets kinda sticky after you add the oil) 5. Set aside. At this point add pasta to boiling water, as the tomatoes won't take very long. For tomatoes: 1. Add oil to pan and heat. Add garlic, sauté about a minute, add tomatoes and sauté them until your pasta is cooked through (about 7 minutes.) Add basil last minute to keep its color. - Drain pasta, add to ricotta mixture, add tomatoes, and toss everything together. ENJOY your tasty vegan meal!!!
RICOTTA CHEESE SUBSTITUTE - VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE
I have a friend who's son is so allergic to dairy products, you can't even kiss his chubby little cheek after drinking coffee with cream, else he breaks out in the worst contact hives. After lots of research, and a little kitchen experimentation, I made a really, really good substitute for Ricotta Cheese. So far I've used it in lasagna, stuffed shells, and canolli. Yum! I hope you enjoy it...
Provided by crowmama
Categories Soy/Tofu
Time 2h10m
Yield 1 roughly 8oz container of ricotta cheese, 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- In a double boiler, heat the soy milk until it just begins to simmer. You want it to be warm/hot, but not boiling. Little bubbles of soy milk forming on the sides of the pan are what to look for for the next step.
- Add the salt and give a good stir to dissolve.
- Remove pan from heat, and add the lemon juice. Stir just enough to get the lemon juice distributed.
- You should see some clumping in the soy milk. That's good! That's what we want to see. Let the mixture cool.
- Line a collander with cheese cloth (don't skimp on the cheese cloth. I tried a plastic mesh strainer and the holes were too big! you can buy the cheese cloth at any grocery store). You want to have enough of the cheesecloth hanging over the edge of the collander to grab and tie for aging the soy cheese. Put the collander in the sink and pour/scrape all the soy milk curds into the collander.
- Let it sit like that until the soy milk "whey" drains. (you could use the "whey" for noodles, pastas, soups, or whatever if you don't want to throw it away -- )
- Take the cheesecloth out of collander and bring all the edges together, with the lump of soy ricotta in the middle. Tie the cheesecloth with a string and hang the cheese so that it continues to drain. Don't squeeze it -- let gravity and a little time do the work for you.
- When it stops dripping, open the cheese cloth and transfer the ricotta to a covered container. Refrigerate and use as you would use ricotta cheese.
- NOTE: When I made this, I used the vanilla flavored soy milk. I think it gave the ricotta product more of that sweet cream taste, and I think I'd rather have that than the straight soy flavor.
- NOTE: If you wanted to flavor this, with garlic powder or herbs, do it when the milk is in the saucepan. You can add sun dried tomatos and such after the cheese has been strained, but it gives a different texture and presentation with chunky sized add ons later.
VEGETABLE LASAGNA WITH VEGAN RICOTTA
Steps:
- 1. Gather your ingredients. 2. Make your marinade by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. 3. Prep your veggies. Slice you ingredients very thin so that the marinade absorbs quickly. 4. Place your sliced ingredients (tofu, mushrooms, tomatoes, greens) into your marinade bowl. Toss gently. Add more EVOO/vinegar if needed to cover ingredients. Allow to marinate at least 20 minutes. Otherwise you can prep this part for overnight marination. 5. Nut Cheese Ricotta: soak cashews for 4+ hours. Drain excess water from cashews. Combine all ingredients in food processor until smooth. 6. Begin building your lasagna. See the step-by-step pics for the best "building" details. But basically, sauce, noodles, sauce, greens, tofu, sauce, noodles, sauce, mushrooms, noodles, ricotta, noodles, sauce, cheese, fresh tomatoes, chives, black pepper. And done! You can really build a lasagna however you'd like though. There are very few rules. IMPORTANT TIP: Be sure to put a sauce layer on at least one side of each noodle layer - since you are using the no-boil noodles. 7. Cover your lasagna and store in fridge until ready to bake that day. Or bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. Note: if baking lasagna from a chilled fridge, your baking time will be longer since the temp will be colder. Serve hot!
Tips:
- Use a food processor or high-powered blender to get a smooth and creamy ricotta texture.
- If you don't have a food processor or blender, you can mash the ingredients together with a fork or potato masher until smooth.
- For a tangier ricotta, use more lemon juice or vinegar.
- For a richer ricotta, use full-fat cashews or almonds.
- If you want a firmer ricotta, drain the excess liquid from the nuts before blending.
- You can flavor your ricotta with herbs, spices, or other seasonings to taste.
- Vegan ricotta can be used in a variety of dishes, such as lasagna, pasta dishes, dips, and spreads.
Conclusion:
Vegan ricotta is easy to make and versatile. By following the tips above, you can make a delicious and creamy ricotta that is perfect for a variety of dishes. So next time you're looking for a dairy-free alternative to ricotta, give one of these recipes a try.
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