Easy vegan cashew ricotta cheese recipe that is oh-so-creamy and delicious. This plant-based cheese uses just seven ingredients and is ready in just 20 minutes! Use it in your vegan lasagna, over toast, or on your favorite spaghetti.
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Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creamy: This vegan cashew ricotta is oh-so-creamy!
- Versatility: Use it in a variety of dishes, from lasagna to toast toppings. (Both are delicious!)
- Easy: Easy-to-follow instructions make this recipe a breeze.
Nutrition For Mental Wellness
One serving of cashews offers 9 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and 12 grams of fat. They are rich in copper, magnesium, and manganese. Cashews are also a good source of zinc, phosphorus, iron, selenium, and thiamine. Finally, they contain small amounts of vitamins K and B6.
A study found that adults who consume a low-to-moderate (>0 to 1 serving of 30 g/day) amount of nuts per day experience a lower risk of depression when compared to those who consume no nuts.
Ingredients + Notes
This homemade cashew ricotta uses simple ingredients for a quick and easy recipe.
- Cashews: Raw cashews are the base of this recipe. Done right, they make the creamiest, most delicious vegan cheese.
- Nutritional yeast: Adds a cheesy flavor while being a great source of B vitamins.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is essential for that tangy kick and to replicate the ricotta taste.
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations
This delicious cashew ricotta is as tasty as can be. Here are some recipe variations in case you need them!
- Garlic powder: If you don’t have garlic powder on hand, then opt for the same amount of onion powder. Alternatively, you could use fresh minced garlic. However, I would recommend starting with a tiny amount, like ⅛ teaspoon of minced garlic.
- Acid: Amp up the tanginess with lemon zest.
- Milk: Sometimes I use oat milk. Sometimes, I use almond milk. I recommend using whatever dairy-free milk you have on hand, whether that’s soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or the like. That being said, I always recommend using unsweetened milk.
How To Make Cashew Ricotta Cheese
This vegan cashew ricotta recipe is easy to make. Using quick-soaked cashews saves time, so this dairy-free cheese will be ready in just 20 minutes.
- Soak cashews in boiled water for 15 minutes. Then, strain cashews.
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- Add cashews, nutritional yeast, milk, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder into a food processor or powerful blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve on top of bread and berries, inside vegan lasagna, etc.
Servings Ideas
There are so many uses for vegan cashew cheese.
- Lasagna: This vegan ricotta recipe is essential in this mini lasagna recipe. It is also so tasty, dolloped on top of this vegan lasagna soup.
- Bruschetta: My sweet cherry bruschetta recipe and classic tomato bruschetta recipe call for this cashew ricotta cheese recipe.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers of this homemade vegan ricotta in an airtight glass container to prolong freshness.
- Fridge: Properly stored, your vegan cashew ricotta can last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: Alternatively, store all or a portion in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to a month.
FAQ
That really depends on the recipe. Most often, though, vegan ricotta is made from cashews and/or tofu.
Homemade cashew ricotta can last quite a while, actually. Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it can last for 4-5 days (if not a smidge longer). However, it will keep in the freezer for at least a month.
Homemade cashew ricotta cheese is fairly healthy. However, because it is nut-based, it is high in calories and contains plant-based fat.
If you tried this Cashew Ricotta Cheese Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Cashew Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup plant milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
- Soak cashews in boiled water for 15 minutes. Then, strain cashews.
- Add cashews, nutritional yeast, milk, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder into a food processor or high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve on top of bread and berries, inside vegan lasagna, etc.
Notes
Store leftovers of this homemade vegan ricotta in an airtight glass container to prolong freshness.
- Fridge: Properly stored, your vegan cashew ricotta can last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: Alternatively, store all or a portion in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to a month.
Nutrition
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Reference
Bizzozero-Peroni, B., Fernández-Rodríguez, R., Martínez-Vizcaíno, V., Garrido-Miguel, M., Medrano, M., Jiménez-López, E., & Mesas, A. E. (2023). Nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of depression in adults: A prospective analysis with data from the UK Biobank cohort. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 42(9), 1728–1736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2023.07.020
Yes. Yes. Yes. Mouth is watering just remembering how tasty this is.
Yesss, it makes me want to make another batch right now.