This is the best ever vegan cashew ricotta recipe made with simple ingredients. There’s o need to soak the cashews overnight. Use my easy short-cut to get a perfectly textured dairy-free ricotta in minutes that you can use in a variety of vegan recipes that call for ricotta cheese.
Layered into lasagna, stuffed shells, cheese balls, savory tarts, spread on toast, dip with crackers, fold into pasta sauce, the uses for a good vegan cashew ricotta are endless which is why this is one of my favorite staple recipes.
Make it once and see for yourself, it’s going to become one of those weekly recipes you come back to again and again.
Looking for more vegan cheese options? If you’re looking for a vegan cheese to top your pizza, give this vegan mozzarella a try!
💗 Why You’ll Love This Cashew Ricotta
- You only need 10 minutes to start to finish
- 8 simple ingredients (one of them is water)
- Perfect creamy texture
- Can be used in numerous recipes or eat it with a spoon!
- No soaking is necessary thanks to the hack I share below
- Easy to make a big batch to have stocked in the fridge
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
- Vegan and Vegetarian
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Raw Cashews: These are the perfect choice for your ricotta base as they’re a heart-healthy fat that is low in sugar and rich in fiber.
Water: Adding water helps the cashew ricotta blend into the perfect smooth texture you’ve been looking for.
Apple Cider Vinegar: This is used to bring a little acidity to the recipe. You can swap it for lemon juice.
Nutritional Yeast: This Egyptian Superfood helps bring the cheese flavor and taste to your cashew ricotta.
Herbs and Spices: A fresh clove of garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper are what add flavor to this creamy vegan ricotta recipe.
📋 Instructions for Cashew Ricotta
Step 1: Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add cashews. Boil for 5 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
Step 2: Add cashews, and the rest of the ingredients (water, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper to your food processor.
Step 3: Pulse until smooth. That’s it! You’re done. And you’ve got a healthy vegan cashew cheese you can use for all your recipe needs throughout the week!
❓FAQS
If stored properly, this homemade vegan ricotta will stay good for 5-7 days in the refrigerator. Check out my storage suggestions below. Make it at the start of the week to use all week long for any of your recipe needs.
Whole Food Ingredients-This recipe uses all-natural whole food plant-based ingredients. No preservatives or processed “cheese” ingredients.
Dairy Free-If you’re dairy-free this vegan ricotta is the perfect substitute for cheese on pizzas, pasta dishes, grilled cheese sandwiches, and more!
Healthy Fats-Cashews contains healthy fats from plants. You need fats in your diet for healthy brain function. The “good” fat in cashews has been shown to reduce the risk of stroke, and prevent heart disease. Studies have also shown that cashews can help reduce blood pressure while raising good cholesterol.
Rich in Vitamins and Minerals-Cashews are rich in vitamins E, K, B-6, and minerals such as copper, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron, and selenium.
As I shared above vegan ricotta cheese only requires a handful of ingredients. Typically, it can be made with cashews, almonds, tofu, and coconut yogurt. For my recipe, I chose to use raw cashews and I added other ingredients like nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and other spices to help bring out the ricotta flavor you’re craving.
1. Bring a small pot of water to boil.
2. Add cashews.
3. Boil cashews in water for 5 minutes.
4. Drain.
That’s it! How easy is that?
👩🍳 Serving Suggestions
With this easy cashew ricotta cheese, it isn’t about what you can serve alongside it. It’s more about what you can serve with it, dip in it, spread it on, stuff it in, etc.
Here are some of my favorite ideas and suggestions on how to best use vegan cashew ricotta cheese.
- Spinach Manicotti
- Stuffed shells
- Vegan cheeseball with crackers
- Spread on toast with sprouts and seasoning
- A dip for raw veggies
❄️ Storage
You have a few options for storing this homemade vegan cheese. You can keep it for a short period of time or freeze it for a lengthy period.
Be sure to store it in an airtight container no matter if you’re freezing or refrigerating. If freezing, the ricotta will last 2-3 months. If refrigerated it will last 5-7 days.
💭 Expert Tips
- Use raw cashews. You won’t get any of the roasted flavors and they’re healthier since they’re not roasted or processed in oil.
- Don’t over the soak cashew mixture. While this recipe has you boil the cashews in hot water for 5 minutes, if you choose to soak the cashews do so for 2-3 hours. Oversoaking the cashews can result in a bitter flavor.
- You can substitute lemon juice for the apple cider.
- Don’t over process the ingredients. You want to retain some of the texture.
- Nutritional yeast is what gives this vegan ricotta its “cheesy” flavor.
- You can make a large batch at one time and store half in the freezer and use the other half during the week.
- If you don’t have a food processor you can use a blender, but you’ll need one with a tamper attachment so that the nuts don’t get stuck int he blade.
😋 More Vegan Cheese Recipes!
Recipe
Vegan Cashew Ricotta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw whole cashews
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add cashews. Boil for 5 minutes. Drain.
- In a food processor combine all ingredients for the ricotta (drained cashews, water, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper). Pulse until smooth.
Video
Notes
- Use raw cashews. You won’t get any of the roasted flavors and they’re healthier since they’re not roasted or processed in oil.
- Don’t over soak the cashews. While this recipe has you boil the cashews in hot water for 5 minutes, if you choose to soak the cashews do so for 2-3 hours. Oversoaking the cashews can result in a bitter flavor.
- You can substitute lemon juice for apple cider.
- Don’t over-process the ingredients. You want to retain some of the texture.
- Nutritional yeast is what gives this vegan ricotta its “cheesy” flavor.
- Keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Cathy
This is the perfect vegan ricotta for my collection of New Years recipes! Right into the healthy and delicious inbox section for sure! Thanks for the inspiration!
Mahy
I don’t remember the last time I had cashew ricotta, so this recipe is definitely on my to-do list. I can’t wait to make it soon!
Krissy Allori
Love this recipe. The cashews are easy to work with and make a creamy delicious ricotta.
Cyndy
I really appreciate the detailed instructions because I’ve never made this before. Thanks!