This ultra-versatile homemade Vegan Ricotta is perfect for lasagna, pizza, snacking, and more! It’s just as fluffy and creamy as the real thing and easy to make in a blender with 5 ingredients.
This is the best Vegan Ricotta recipe, and I don’t say that lightly!
Not only is it easy to make with 5 simple ingredients, but this vegan cheese is just as creamy, fluffy, and silky smooth as the real thing. One taste and you’ll be adding it to your pasta dinners, homemade pizzas, or enjoying it as a tasty snack!
What makes this vegan ricotta cheese so special is the base made from blended slivered almonds (or cashews). Simply throw them in a blender with the other 4 ingredients and your almond ricotta is ready.
The finished result is a versatile nut cheese that’s mild in flavor, creamy, light, and fluffy. It’s a must-have in my Vegan Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, and more!
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Raw slivered almonds – These are my favorite option here, but raw cashews work as well. Raw whole almonds do not work because their skins leave brown flecks in the cheese. If you have a nut allergy and can’t use either almonds or cashews, you can substitute a block of firm tofu for the nuts, and simply add water as needed to blend.
- Lemon juice – Try to use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of the bottled stuff.
- Garlic powder – For just a hint of savoriness. A small clove of garlic works, too. Feel free to omit the garlic if you’re using the ricotta in sweet recipes.
- Salt – To round out the rest of the flavors.
- Water – This will prevent your cheese from being gritty or grainy. Blend the ingredients with only ½ cup of water to start, continuing to add more until the cheese is silky smooth but still rich and creamy.
How to make vegan ricotta
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Soak your almonds in hot water for 5 minutes or up to an hour to soften.
Add the almonds, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and some water to a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides every so often. You can technically use a food processor, but you won’t achieve that silky-smooth, fluffy texture. It will remain a bit grainy, which isn’t the end of the world, but it’s not nearly as good.
Keep blending until the cheese is fluffy and creamy, adding more water as needed to smooth out the consistency.
Once it’s to your liking, feel free to serve the cheese right away or take it up a notch by stirring dried oregano or basil into the batch. Enjoy!
Serving suggestions
This is a very versatile vegan cheese. It’s easy to cook with and can be used just like regular ricotta, but is still impressive and flavorful enough to serve as a simple snack with crudites.
For more ways to use vegan ricotta cheese, check out the ideas below:
- Lasagna – Use it as an alternative to the tofu-cashew ricotta in my Vegan Lasagna recipe.
- Pasta – Bake it into these stuffed shells or stir it into a bowl of cooked pasta noodles with lemon zest, spinach pesto, roasted vegetables, green peas, and/or wilted spinach. It’s also perfect for creamy pasta bakes.
- Grain bowls – Add a scoop to your favorite grain bowl.
- Toast – Ricotta toast is the best way to make breakfast feel extra special. Spread the cheese over a piece of toast, then top it with avocado slices, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced heirloom tomatoes, and/or fresh basil.
- Pizza – Dollop the ricotta on a homemade pizza before baking.
- Dipping – Enjoy the cheese as a snack with crackers, pita bread, or vegetables for dipping. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil or add a dollop of pesto sauce on top to take it up a notch.
- Dessert – Make the ricotta without the garlic (or replace the garlic with sugar), then use it as a filling in vegan cannolis, as a dip with berries and fruit, or spread it on regular toast or french toast with jam and berries or peach slices and balsamic reduction on top.
Frequently asked questions
You can, but the cheese won’t be as smooth or creamy. A high-powered blender really is the best tool to use because it pulverizes the almonds and yields silky smooth vegan cheese every time. It really is the key to the best ricotta!
Yes, you can make the vegan ricotta without nuts by substituting a block of firm tofu for the almonds/cashews.
The leftovers will stay fresh for up to 5 days. Keep them in a covered container in the fridge.
Yes, it freezes very well for about 1 month. Let it thaw in the fridge before using.
Want more vegan cheese recipes?
- Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Feta Cheese
- Vegan Mascarpone
- Shreddable Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Cheddar Cheese
- Vegan Cream Cheese
Vegan Ricotta
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder optional
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4-1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- Quick soak the almonds: Bring a few cups of water to a boil (I use my tea kettle for this). Add the almonds to a measuring cup or bowl and pour the boiling hot water on top to cover. Let them soak for 5 minutes, or up to an hour.
- Blend: Drain the almonds and discard the soaking water. To a high powered blender such as a Vitamix, add the softened almonds, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and 3/4 cup of water. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add up to another 3/4 cups of water and blend until silky-smooth and fluffy.
- Optional herbs: Feel free to add more herbs here, such as a teaspoon each of dried oregano and basil, or a handful of fresh basil.
- Now it's ready to be used anywhere you like, such as in Vegan Lasagna, Vegan Stuffed Shells or dolloped on pizza before baking. Enjoy!
Notes
- Raw slivered almonds are my favorite choice, but raw cashews work as well. If you can’t have nuts, substitute a block of firm tofu, but add water only as need to blend until smooth.
- A high powered blender is essential for making a smooth and creamy ricotta. A food processor technically will work, but it might be grainy and not super smooth.
- May substitute a clove of fresh garlic instead of garlic powder, if desired. Leave out the garlic if you plan to use it in sweeter recipes, like for pancakes.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a covered container, or freeze if you won’t eat it all before then.
Nora! YASSSSSSSSSSSS, Girl!! This Almond Ricotta is all that!! PLEASE. people! Do NOT let your inner Italian come out and fold in some terrible , terrible, store-bought hard parmesan(ME= round one vegan ricotta) into this very simple, straight-forward, and totally excellent stand- alone recipe! I hate nooch and rarely get any cheesy flavor! This is so good–with or without the garlic! I fold in fresh parsley, dried basil and dried oregano after I blend it, then stick it in the fridge for a hot minute while cooking. It’s the mouth feel that is on point. I made Gluten Free skillet lasagna with Beyond Meat hot Italian sausage for my son (I took it out of the casing). He could not stop saying how”awesome” it was!! AND no weird, store bought, fake cheese after taste! THANK YOU, NORA! I did NOT expect this to rock the Christmas dinner table the way that it did!
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ I love this review, sold!
Thanks to person who commented that they successfully used blanched almond flour! It makes this recipe SO much easier/faster, and, it is delicious! All my omnivores liked it on a spoon and in my squash/kale lasagne. I think it helps to more honestly label it for setting expectations so I simply called it Almond Cream. The second time I made it, I didn’t even use a blender at all! Here’s exactly what I simply stirred together with a fork in a bowl:
1 c blanched almond flour 145g
1 g lemon zest 2-2.5g
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 32g
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt 5g
1c oatmilk 255g
It was so good I feel emboldened to try it in a more conventional, red sauce lasagne using a walnut/taco mixture for “meat”.
I have loved ricotta and mozzarella, grew up on them. I remember the salumerias in NY as a child. They’d have the most yummy handmade mozzarella soaking in pans of brine on the counter. The texture and flavor are not duplicated in commercial versions today. Their family recipes for ricotta (and everything else) produced a soft creamy texture with distinctive flavor. So I’m especially hopeful I’m able to make your recipe. I’ll have to soak whole almonds, probably overnight, then skin them before hi-speed blending. Fingers crossed. Question: ricotta is creamy. Can I use oat milk instead of water? Btw, I really appreciate your recipes.
I hope you enjoy this ricotta recipe Mary, thanks for sharing. Sure, you can use unsweetened oat milk instead of water. Thank you!
I had blanched almond flour in the house and decided to make this. It worked very well and tastes so good!
That’s good to hear! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks you for commenting that you successfully used blanched almond flour! It makes this recipe SO much easier/faster, and, it is delicious! All my omnivores liked it on a spoon and in my squash/kale lasagne.
I personally think it helps to more honestly label it for setting expectations so I simply called it Almond Cream. The second time I made it, I didn’t even use a blender at all! Here’s exactly what I simply stirred together with a fork in a bowl:
1 c blanched almond flour 145g
1 g lemon zest 2-2.5g
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 32g
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt 5g
1c oatmilk 255g
It was so good I feel emboldened to try it in a more conventional, red sauce lasagne using a walnut/taco mixture for “meat”.
If I use whole blanched almonds do I still need two cups?
Yes, you do.
Made this recipe. Love it. I was able to find the right almonds. But I have leftovers. Can it be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze the leftovers. Thanks!
I can only find dry roasted slivered almonds unsalted. Can I use these ? So far I have lived all the recipes on Nora Cooks
That should work okay! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes here, thank you.
This was SO GOOD!!!! So easy and so delicious. I left out the garlic, because I can’t eat garlic. I was happy to use up a bag of slivered almonds that had been sitting in my pantry for a long time.
And then I used this in vegan gluten free lasagna. The ricotta really makes all the difference in lasagna, and I have never been able to find a good store-bought version. I haven’t eaten lasagna in probably 20 years. It was a real treat, and now it will be a regular in our home. Thank you for such a great and easy recipe!
Hi Laura. 20 years is a long time to go without lasagna! I am really glad that you found a recipe that you can enjoy! I appreciate you sharing your recipe experience and your fantastic review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I followed the almond version exactly, adding in the optional handful of basil since we grow it. It’s creamy and tasty. My tips (just confirming those of others) are to use a high-powered blender and KEEP blending. It really does get creamy. I’ve used it on sandwiches and wraps and filled a pepper shell with it for a late-night snack. YUM!
I love this and have used it for many different things from dips to sauces and additions to soups! Yummy!
Hi Andrea. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback and glowing review! I’m thrilled you are enjoying the recipe! Happy cooking!
Made this for the first time tonight. It’s SO good! Looking forward to adding it to my rotation. Thank you!
You bet, Meg! I’m so glad you loved the recipe, and that you are adding it to your meal rotation! Thanks for taking your time to share your wonderful review! Happy cooking!
Hi Nora, I can only find raw sliced almonds – will these work instead of slivered? TJs doesn’t sell the raw slivered anymore 🙁
Oh that’s too bad they no longer carry raw slivered almonds. You can try it, but you will have little brown flecks in the ricotta from the skin and it may not be as smooth and creamy. It should work okay though.
Hi Nora, I’m coming from the vegan lasagne recipe to this recipe because I can’t have soy. I was wondering if I need to add the nutritional yeast to this recipe since it’s in the lasagne ricotta recipe. Thanks!
Nope, you don’t need to. You can if you want though. Enjoy!!
Perfection! Thank you!
Holy! I had no idea how easy this was I had always avoided and just went with kite hill (stupid expensive) this is great! Can’t wait to try it in my next pasta dish thanks for the amazing recipe, you never disappoint!
I have a baking recipe which calls for ricotta and finding Kite Hill ricotta (whipped, especially) is hard to find at any place but Whole Foods, which I now do not shop at. So I was looking at different vegan ricotta recipes, and your comment is making me try this one. Thanks! Looks like an excellent recipe! Getting ingredients today.
Oh my gosh!!! Finally tried this recipe and it is: 1) super easy, and, 2) amazing taste. Perfetto!
Hi Cathy. I’m so glad you tried the recipe and loved it! Thanks for sharing your stellar review and feedback! Happy cooking!