Vegan ricotta cheese has so many uses that we knew we needed to get to this sooner rather than later!

I have been craving some vegan lasagna for so long now but didn’t want to spend extra money on store-bought vegan ricotta. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE a few brands, but when you’re making a giant lasagna there are definitely cheaper ways to do it! When you are looking at the average price for store-bought vegan ricotta cheese, you’re looking around $6-$8 depending on where you shop. Vegan options are definitely becoming more common and are great in helping us out when we are low on time and need a quick solution. However, if you do have an extra five minutes you’ll save the money and can make as much as your heart desires!

The Recipe

So…We decided to come up with a great base recipe that is great to get creative with! So what is the main ingredient in this cheap vegan ricotta cheese recipe? Tofu! That’s right! We use tofu keeping it nut-free and we use absolutely NO OIL. By doing so, we keep it suitable for all WFPB (whole food plant-based) eaters out there.

Although we pride this recipe on being suitable for many diet types, we have to say the best part is that this recipe is ONLY 3 INGREDIENTS! 3 ingredients and you have yourself a perfect ricotta cheese substitute for all your ricotta needs. This thing is quick, easy, and takes about 5 minutes TOTAL. It’s also ready to eat and use right away. Absolutely no setting required!

Vegan Ricotta Cheese

Recipe by The Heartfelt WayCourse: Appetizers, CheeseCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Prep time

2

minutes

Cooking time

3

minutes

Total time

5

minutes

This easy, vegan, 3-ingredient ricotta cheese is as simple and perfect as it can get! Add additional flavors and herbs to spice it up according to the dish you’re making.

Ingredients

• 1 package firm/extra firm tofu

• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon or lime juice

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan (optional for more cheesy flavor)

• 1 tsp basil, parsley or other herbs (optional)

Directions

• Press and cube tofu into 1-inch chunks.
• Throw tofu, lemon juice, salt and any other herbs you prefer into a food processor.
• Blend for about 30 seconds, check consistency, and blend for another 10 if needed. You are looking for a textured consistency, with slight chunks, not thoroughly smooth.
• Use ricotta on a cheese board, in stuffed pastas or lasagna, of course! Have fun mix-and-matching the flavors to fit the needs of your dish!

Notes

• We recommend firm and extra firm tofu to keep the texture similar to that of normal ricotta cheese! You can use a softer tofu, however it will be much smoother and not have the right consistency.

Making this vegan ricotta cheese has greatly changed all of our pasta needs! We love being able to add more herbs or changing it up to compliment the dish we are making. We are hoping to try a stuffed ricotta crepe in the future, as we can’t wait to take on a sweet take on this recipe! Stay tuned for that recipe in the future.