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Cashew ricotta in black bowl with parsley.
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5 from 6 votes

Vegan Cashew Ricotta

The best ever vegan cashew ricotta made with simple ingredients. 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.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 139kcal
Author: Alison Corey

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

Tips for Making Cashew Ricotta
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. You can substitute lemon juice for apple cider.
  4. Don't over-process the ingredients. You want to retain some of the texture.
  5. Nutritional yeast is what gives this vegan ricotta its "cheesy" flavor.
  6. Keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 2mg