The best damn vegan lasagna is the one you make at home! This super-healthy vegan lasagna is hearty, chock full of vegetables, and so so good!
Best. Damn. Lasagna.
It really, really is. And I didn’t name it that way, Michael did. I actually hesitated because it’s such a trendy thing to do, to refer to a recipe as the best ever, or ultimate, or whatever. But this. This is vegan lasagna nirvana. Not only that, but omnivores love it too! I’ve served it to three people so far, none of them vegan eaters, and all of them have given this recipe rave reviews. Let’s do this thing.
I almost called this a 4-ingredient vegan lasagna, because technically this is assembling three other recipes with noodles layered in. Don’t let that “three other recipes” thing scare you. Lasagna is known to be a complicated and time-consuming dish, but I have some tricks up my sleeve for helping you save some time in the kitchen. But before we get to that, let’s talk about those layers.
You know I’m all about those layers, ’bout those layers, more ricotta…
Late night bad jokes strike again.
video: best damn vegan lasagna
There are four elements required to make the Best Damn Vegan Lasagna.
– Protein-Packed Marinara Sauce (or this Simple Tomato Sauce, or Vegetable Bolognese)
– Vegan Spinach Ricotta (feel free to leave out the spinach if the green is not your thing)
– Savory Cashew Cream (this is the magic cheesy filling and topping)
– Lasagna Noodles (my favorite is DeLallo Organic Whole Wheat Lasagna)
Once your ingredients are assembled, the layering process is super quick and easy.
First, layer one cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 13×9 casserole dish. Then lay down 5 lasagna noodles, overlapping to fit, and spread 1 cup of the vegan spinach ricotta on top of the noodles.
Pour on another cup of marinara sauce, and then drizzle on 3/4 cup of the savory cashew cream. Can we just talk for a second about how beautiful that cashew cream is? And you won’t believe how it thickens up as the lasagna bakes. And the brown spots after broiling…GAH, now I’m hungry.
Repeat the noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cashew cream. Then add the final layer of noodles and sauce, cover the dish with foil, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and drizzle on the cashew cream. Bake for another 20 minutes. And then…broil the lasagna for 2-3 minutes, watching carefully until it looks like this.
Oh, my.
The hardest part of this whole recipe is the waiting. The waiting to eat after it comes out of the oven, that is. The lasagna needs to rest for about 15 minutes, but IT IS SO WORTH THE WAIT.
If you are not trying to reach through the screen right now to eat this picture, I just have one question. Are you human? 😉
Seriously, folks, this is THE BEST DAMN VEGAN LASAGNA EVER. The last time I made it, I looked over to see Michael bowing his head after eating a bite. When asked what he was thinking about, he shushed me and said, “I’m having a moment.” Apparently he needed some private time with his lasagna. That sounds so weird.
ANYWAY…you’re going to look down at the recipes below and be all, BETH, THIS IS TOO MUCH WORK. And I can totally see why you would think those thoughts. But let me convince you otherwise.
There are two options to making this lasagna – the make-ahead option, and the make-in-the-moment option. I’ll give you my tips and tricks for both.
Meal Prep Vegan Lasagna
This is the perfect approach for the person who likes to do meal prep for the week all at once. I am starting to become a person like this, but it’s slow-going. Being prepared and allowing enough time is the hardest part.
1. Measure out all of the ingredients for the savory cashew cream, marinara sauce, and vegan ricotta, and do any chopping or other prep as well (mise en place).
2. Start the marinara sauce on the stove or in the pressure cooker.
3. While the sauce is cooking, make the cashew cream.
4. Make the Vegan Spinach Ricotta. Feeling on your game? Make two batches and freeze one for later!
By the time the sauce is done cooking, you’ll have finished the ricotta and cashew cream and probably even had time to clean up a bit. This is also the perfect opportunity to make extra of all three recipes, to freeze for another time.
Now, just assemble the lasagna (setting aside the last 1/2 cup of cashew cream), and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Then, on the day you want to eat it, allow an hour for baking and rest time before diving in. You can also freeze the unbaked lasagna for up to one month. See notes for baking from frozen.
Make-In-The-Moment Option
Same as the make-head option, except bake the lasagna right then, instead of storing it for later. Start to finish, this process should take about 2 hours. There will be lots of down time while the lasagna is baking. Since you already have everything out, why not make extras and store them for next time? That’s a great use of your time, and you’ll thank yourself when you have all the components ready to go at a moment’s notice. Bulk meal prep for the win!
Well, hopefully I have convinced you to give this recipe a go. If you do make it, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment here, or tag @passtheplants and #passtheplants on Instagram. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Best Damn Vegan Lasagna
Ingredients
For the Lasagna
- 2 cups Savory Cashew Cream, recipe follows
- 4 cups Protein-Packed Marinara Sauce or your favorite marinara sauce, recipe follows
- 2 cups Vegan Spinach Ricotta, recipe follows
- 1 package no-boil lasagna noodles (such as DeLallo Whole Wheat Lasagna)
- 1/2 cup water
Savory Cashew Cream
- 2 cups raw cashews*
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon heaping nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon chickpea miso, optional (any light miso will work)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Protein-Packed Marinara Sauce
- 2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes (I love the Muir Glen brand with basil)
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed in a fine mesh strainer
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, optional
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, optional
- 2 1/2 cups water
Vegan Spinach Ricotta
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 10-12 ounce firm or extra-firm tofu drained (1 package is typically 10-12oz but can go up to 14oz, which also works fine)
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach or 1 cup frozen spinach
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves**
- 2 cloves garlic***
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon light miso (white, yellow, or chickpea)
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
Instructions
Make the Savory Cashew Cream
- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor until creamy and smooth.
Make the Marinara Sauce
- Heat 4 quart (or largesaucepan over medium heat. Click here for Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker instructions.
- Sauté the garlic and salt in olive oil for 30 seconds or so, just to wake up the garlic flavor. Add the oregano, if using.
- Stir in the sweet potato and lentils, and cook for a minute or so.
- Add water, then bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes until lentils are soft.
- Add in crushed tomatoes, and simmer for another 5 minutes to let the sauce come together.
Make the Vegan Spinach Ricotta
- In a food processor or blender, pulse cashews, garlic, miso, salt, and nutritional yeast until the mixture is fine and crumbly.
- Add the tofu, spinach, and basil and pulse to throughly combine.
Assemble the Lasagna
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Thin savory cashew cream with water until it is a pourable consistency.
- Spread one cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish.
- Layer 5 lasagna sheets over the sauce, overlapping as needed to fit.
- Spread 1 cup of spinach ricotta over the noodles.
- Pour 1 cup of marinara sauce over the ricotta.
- Pour 3/4 cup of savory cashew cream over the marinara sauce. Repeat with noodles, ricotta, marinara, and cashew cream.
- Layer remaining 5 noodles on top of the cashew cream, then top with remaining marinara sauce.
- Set aside remaining 1/2 cup of cashew cream.
- Cover casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and pour on the remaining cashew cream.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. If desired, broil the top for 3-4 minutes until browned.
- Let lasagna stand for 15 minutes before devouring.
This sure does look like it’s the best damn vegan lasagna! It’s making me hungry for it and it’s only 8am here!
Comfort food at it’s finest! It looks so good! Super creamy and flavorful. I love casseroles in the cooler months. Gonna have to make this one for sure!
This really does look like the best damn vegan lasagna! And now I want some!
Pro tip: Make twice as much spinach ricotta and get it to room temp before trying to spread it. It’s gorgeous and you’ll love it even before the lasagna is assembled!
Oh my gosh, that looks like a big ol’ tray of comfort food.
This looks AWESOME! Saving this one for when we can someday have cashews (I just know he’s going to bust through that allergy!)
Maybe macadamia could work as a substitute for you Sarah?
I used mostly almonds in the cashew cream & it was great. Dry good lasagna!
Oh, my gosh. It has been far too long since I’ve made lasagna. This looks incredible! I can totally see why Michael needed a moment.
This lasagna looks like pure heaven! The title really fits. It looks so comforting and savory! This is a must-make dish 🙂
I love lasagna! And I’m totally into the green. I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Your layers are awesome! I love this comfort recipe.
Can’t wait to try this! I am supposed to avoid soy though, is there a substitute you think would work best? I have some mushrooms I was thinking may work.
Gracious ! I needed “a moment” merely looking at the photos and reading the ingredients !!
Thank you for your hard work, and sharing this incredible recipe with us!!
Bravo!!!! Loved every bite. The dish lived up to its name. Thank you so much! Five stars +!!!
Wonderful recipe, really unctuous like lasagna should be! I thought the cheese sauce benefitted from more miso and the tomato sauce needed more garlic, and next time I will process rather than blend the ricotta layer for more texture, but this is now my new standard lasagna recipe. Vegans ad non-vegans were aghast at just how good it was. LOVED it!!
Hi Jacque! Thanks so much for making the lasagna and telling me how it went for you. Love that you adapted it to your personal tastes. I might sneak in some more miso and garlic next time and see how I like it. 🙂 One other way you could get a bit more texture next time is to add some sautéed mushrooms and/or other veg like zucchini. I didn’t include that in the recipe because I wanted to try to keep the steps down (there are enough as it is, ha), but we’ve really enjoyed it in the past with some veggies added in as a layer rather than blended into the sauce. I’m still smiling that it was loved by everyone. 🙂
I made this recipe for my family and we all LOVED it! I also have to go gluten free so I used organic green lentil lasagna noodles. Delicious! I would like to add more texture next time I make it. Thanks for the suggestions of mushrooms or zucchini. I will give that a try and comment to you all on how it turned out.
Hi Kim! This is so great to hear!!! I definitely hear you about the texture. If I think ahead to have roasted veggies on hand it makes it so much easier to throw them in. I’m still getting adjusted to the idea of meal prep. 🙂
Personally, I like my lasagna to have nice layers of zucchini, spinach, eggplant, or other chunky veggies. But, I think this recipe is BRILLIANT for kids. My kids hate all the veggies I love so much in my lasagna. In this recipe, the spinach is hidden in the ricotta so they don’t even know they’re eating it. This is my go-to lasagna for my kids!
I read in another part of your blog that you could make the spinach ricotta right in the blender (I also have a vitamix) ‘right after the cashew cream without rinsing’. Is there any advantage to making the spinach ricotta in a food processor rather than the obvious advantage of the last bits of cashew cream in the vitamix? I’m making it this week & feeling excited!
Hi Phyllis! First of all, I am so excited that you are making the lasagna this week! I’ve had people as far away as Australia make it and even send me photos of the process, and it gets me all kinds of giddy inside. 🙂 As for your question, the only advantage I can see is texture, in that you can more easily control how fine the cashew pieces get, in case you do prefer some texture. I personally don’t want texture from the nuts so I see no reason at all why your Vitamin wouldn’t work for this. Fewer dishes are always a plus in my book! I so hope you’ll let me know how it goes. Happy cooking (and eating!). 🙂
Hi Beth!
Just an update. Making this lasagna right now & ran into a snag with the ‘ricotta’ mixture in the vitamix. I’m wondering if I should not have drained the tofu. The cashew blend all stuck to the sides & didn’t want to cooperate so i just put in the tofu, spinach & basil & had to push it down with very little success. I finally added a 1/4 cup of water just to get it to move. In hindsight I would definitely use the food processor next time.
I had the same situation. I wonder if a soft tofu would be better suited for the recipe…
I agree. If you use the high speed blender it seems more moisture is needed. I ended up using about 1/2 cup of water to get it to work. Still tasted delicious & looked fabulous but was way more work.
As a side note, I’ve tried to give this recipe 4 stars but there’s a glitch & it won’t do more than 3 ? Not good!
I made both in a vitamix without rinsing in between just fine!
Just made this tonight for my family. I love to make lasagna, but haven’t found a totally plant based version that my kids will eat. This one is a perfect fit. My three girls loved it! I didn’t change anything in the recipe and it turned out awesome! Thanks for taking the time to share your recipes and wisdom!
Hi John! This made me so happy. Thank you so much for making this for your family and telling me how it went! I’m thrilled that everyone loved it.
My daughter does not like sweet potatoes. This might seem like an obvious question but can you taste the sweet potatoes in the sauce? If you can, could I just use regular potatoes?
Hi Beverly! I personally can’t taste them, and have asked others who can’t detect them either. That said, you would probably want to blend the sauce well so that she can’t see them. 🙂 I wouldn’t use white potatoes, it’s a totally different flavor and texture. If you decide to leave them out, that would be fine, but you might need to add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup or sugar to balance out the flavors. Hope that helps!
Yes, it is very helpful. Thank you so much!
My pleasure. 🙂
My husband hates sweet potatoes, but he couldn’t taste them in this dish! I just chopped them in fairly small cubes, but I guess you could also grate them.
Wow! Just made this for our family for Christmas dinner and it was a huge success. We are a family that is converting to vegan one recipe at a time and this is a sure winner! I also made it gluten free with rice noddles – worked out very well. The flavours are so nice, comforting and mild, but also balanced. This recipe is now apart of our regular vegan dinner options. Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Hi Sari! I saw this comment on the way to my parent’s house where I made this lasagna for our family dinner as well! It brought a tear to my eye, truly. I’m honored that you gave this a try for your holiday meal, and thrilled that it turned out so well for you to become part of your dinner rotation. I would love to hear from you anytime with recipe requests! Happy New Year to you and your family. 🙂
I fail lasagna. Every single time. The lasagna cooking gene is missing in me.
I nervously took this on, and the result… was magic. I have successfully made a lasgna for the first time. Did my toddlers eat this? No. Did I eat their plates? Shamefully yes. This is absolutely amazing. Vegan food still scares me, we have been vegan 3 months. This now goes in my weekly rotation. Easy, delicious, and goes well with wine!
YAY CARLY!!!! Woo hoo!!!! I am so so so thrilled that this worked out so well for you. The positive feedback just keeps coming, and it makes my heart happy. I totally understand about vegan food being scary, I legit cried when my husband told me that he wanted to go vegan, and this was just over 4 years ago. I took on the challenge and headed into the kitchen, and now I love creating recipes even more than I already did, because of comments like this. Any requests for other recipes? I’m here for you!
The Lasagna was my contribution to the Christmas Dinner. I had it all prepared and it sat in the refrigerator for 24 hours and traveled to my sister’s house for baking. Bad news – to my horror it came out goopy.Good news- everyone still liked it and none went to waste. Next time I will either let it sit out awhile or bake it a little longer… I did use silken tofu for the Spinach Ricotta along with extra garlic. The “Tinkyada Pasta Joy; Organic Brown Rice Pasta Lasagne” from thrivemarket.com is very good. I have to rate the recipe five stars because everyone likes it.
Hi Ronald! I’m honored that you made this for your Christmas Dinner. Thank you so much for giving it 5 stars even though it didn’t turn out quite like you expected. My educated guess on the goopy factor is the silken tofu, because it has a wetter texture than regular tofu. I honestly have never tested this recipe with silken tofu, but I will now to see if I can get it to work, otherwise I’ll update the recipe to specify that silken tofu is not recommended. Thank you again for giving this a go, and I’m thrilled that your family liked it. Happy New Year to you!
Absolutely awesome! I did have issues with ricotta in blender, but I worked it through 3 batches. I added roasted eggplant and coarsest chopped mushrooms. It was out of this world! Thank you.
Hi Beth,
Thanks for the recipe, it was my first try at a vegan lasagna, so of course, I wanted to make TheBest one! My husband, who is not so sure about my vegan New Years resolution, thought it was pretty good, hooray! It was a little dry, and it puffed up over the 13×9 pan, the big expansion was a surprise. Any suggestions on making it more moist?
This is delicious! Just made it. The cashew creme is unreal!
Yay!!!! That’s awesome! The cashew cream is a staple in our house. We make it at least two times a week, if not more. I would cry real tears if I couldn’t have cashews any more. So glad you loved it!
i made this tonight. overall, my husband and i liked (my three year old didn’t like it but, you know, he is three…) it and i will make a slightly different version of it again soon for sure. somehow i made a mistake and added too many sweet potatoes (read two cups instead of one!) and so the sauce was too sweet and thick. BUT, the spinach cashew “ricotta” was very good and i will be using that recipe a lot! and, the cashew cream sauce looked pretty weird on top of the dish, but was very good in the dish and it is pretty neat how it thickens up after being baked. I will use the cashew cream recipe again too i think.
so, thanks for the recipe! i am excited to try the cashew cream and ricotta in some lasagna roll ups next!
*note- the instructions for the overall assembly never say what to do with he 1/2 cup water listed in the ingredients. also, for the cashew ricotta it says use 1oz of tofu. that didnt make sense to me so i was glad there was another link to the original recipe post which clarified the amount to 12oz of tofu.
Your recipe ingredients sound simple enough. I love that there are very few ingredients. The spinach ricotta sounds lovely but I do not eat soy. Would you have any further recommendations other than tofu?
Thanks
Can you clarify the 1 oz tofu in the spinach ricotta recipe ? That amount doesnt make sense to me . Need to know this before I make it. Sounds very tasty.
Hi Rosemary! I’m so sorry for the confusion, I recently switched the way my recipes are formatted and some of the ingredients were goofed up and I’m still catching those errors. I just updated the recipe to indicate 1 10-12 oz. package of tofu. I hope you’ll let me know how it goes! 🙂
I am also wondering about the 1/2 cup of water in the assembly part of the recipe. When is it used or is it used at all?
Can you make this lasagna the day before and reheat for a dinner next day?
I made this last night to bring to a pot luck dinner, and it was a smash! I’m allergic to soy so instead of the ricotta I added one cup of cashews to the “cheese”, browned some garlic and mushrooms, mixed in two thirds of the cheese sauce and layered that in the centre of the lasagna. Because my lasagna dish is so deep, I was able to add a layer of greens. I poured the leftover cheese onto the top, by it looked a little weird so my husband made some cool designs on it with a fork. It was as beautiful as it was delicious!
A note about goopiness: It’s been my experience that rice noodles tend to absorb liquids even when cold. It’s best to prepare it shortly beforehand. If anybody out there has found a solution to this problem, I’d love to hear it.
Had same problems with ricotta, but transferred to food processor. Added onions, fresh rosemary, and thyme to the sauce. Also added onions, nutmeg and chili pepper to spinach ricotta. My husband and I like spicy. Its in the oven. We are waiting. I forgot to reserve the last bit of cashew cream, but not worried.
Hello there, I just made this, smells delish! Haven’t tasted it yet. Now I’ve cooked it, is it ok to freeze?
Hey Beth,
This looks really great. I am the only vegan in my household and I was wondering if you’ve ever frozen this to be cooked at a later date? I feel like I could get a lot more mileage out of it that way. Any thoughts?
Just looking at this recipe and have the same question about freezing the lasagna and cooking later. Any ideas on how well it freezes after it is assembled and how we would change the baking time or temperature?
Just made this with my boyfriend and another friend, I’m the only vegan one but everyone liked it. Used prego as the red sauce just to save time and cause I’m picky about my marinara. Had to use frozen spinach and added a bit of dried basil for taste cause we didn’t have fresh, and added a layer of onion, mushroom and garlic. The ricotta was probably more creamy than meant to be because all I had was a shitty blender that I had to split into two separate batches for each of the sauces, so had to add more moisture. Was really surprised at how actually cheesy the ricotta tasted.
I cooked this and my still meat eating husband decided that for the first time ever he could tolerate a vegan meal!! He even said the next night that if I keep cooking like this, he might be able to start eating vegan more and more often. I cooked the zucchini roll-ups the same night also.
RENEE! THIS is the kind of feedback that makes me want to jump up and down and dance with happiness. I’m thrilled that you made this and even MORE thrilled that it won over your husband! Also, I saw your post about the zucchini roll-ups. LOVED seeing your daughter cooking with you in the kitchen! So great. I appreciate the feedback about the complicated directions, I’ll take a look at that. Let me know if you have any recipe requests!
This is a FANTASTIC recipe!
I used the “vegetable bolognese” sauce, added some extra layers of fresh spinach, and doubled up on the garlic, fresh basil, and spinach in the “ricotta”. Turned out wonderful. My only “gripe” is that it actually took me FOUR hours, start to finish–mainly because I am new to vegan recipes and took extra care to follow all the instructions as closely as possible.
In the future, I’d prepare the sauce a day or two ahead of time (while doubling the recipe–it would be good on ANYTHING). The two “cheeses” were relatively quick to prepare, the layering was great fun…then it’s just about patience with the cook time in the oven 🙂
Thanks for this recipe!
Hi Diana! I’m so behind on comments, but I just wanted to thank you for this lovely feedback! FOUR HOURS! Wowee kapowee. I’m going to take a look at the recipes and see if there’s something I could do to improve the timing. I certainly don’t want it to be an all-day affair. With that said, I’ve taken to making extra of the components and freezing them so that I can save time when the craving for lasagna hits. I’m getting better at the meal prep thing – one day at a time. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, even with the time commitment. 🙂
Hello, not even sure if I’m leaving a comment on the preceding …. anyway.. well here I sit in rural Australia and having made my very first vegan recipe from scratch and so hoping that my dinner guests give it rave reviews. i was inspired to give it a go after all of the wonderful ingredients and reviews. Thank you. I will have some left over so thinking will this freeze for another time??
Thanks again and yes I’ve joined the email contact option. Bit exciting to think there will be helpful hints and great recipes as we begin a more sustainable way of living and eating or should that be eating and living. Thanks Carol.
Hi Carol! I’m so sorry to be delayed in my response. I’m so excited that you made the lasagna, all the way in Australia! You’re actually the second person from that part of the world who has made it and told me about it. 🙂 I have to know, how did your guests like it? Yes, you can freeze it for later, although it might be slightly dry when reheated, so having some extra sauce on hand is a good idea. I’m so glad that you signed up for the mailing list! I’ve been working hard on a fun project that I’m excited to share more about soon.
This recipe sounds so wonderful I am not vegan or even vegetarian but have leanings in those directions. Also I do entertain some vegan/vegetarian family members on occasion and want to serve top drawer fare. Thank you so much for so generously sharing this recipe.
This is an excellent recipe. Our family of 5 is converting over to whole, plant-based eating. When I saw Michael Pollan’s quote at the top of your page, I thought I must try something from your site. I’ve bought several well known plant-based cookbooks, and the problem I’m finding with them is that the recipes taste boring and “plantish” :). This lasagna recipe is such a refreshing experience. Every element: sauce, ricotta, and cheese tastes yummy and not “plantish”. Finally, someone who cooks whole foods with flavor! Thank you. What should I try next?…..
This vegan lasagna looks amazing! Very tasteful probably also very filling. I like it!
This lasagna is seriously so good! I took about two hours of prep to simmer the sauce while I made the ricotta and cashew creme . A great dish for when I have the afternoon off!
I doubled the proportions on everything but the sauce and that was enough to fill two pans. I only used a handful of spinach in the ricotta and it’s is totally to die for. I added a small spoon of miso and lots of fresh basil to the marina as well. Everyone I’ve served this to came back for seconds. Thank you for the great recipe, I definitely plan on making this again soon!
Absolutely deeeeelicious! My husband was surprised and said it tasted like the real deal.
Another one from Australia! This was very tasty and my non vegan teenage sons and husband devoured it. I was amazed at the flavour. I tasted as I went and it was ok but once cooked it really came into its own. The spinach ricotta was excellent. It wasn’t as ‘set’ as it should have been and I will have to experiment with it to work out what I did wrong. It was either the fresh lasagna sheets I used or the tomato puree- I ran out of cans of tomatoes. I followed the timings correctly. Will certainly try again to nail it. I love lasagna and now I am so happy to find a vegan one. Thank you
Chef AJ sometimes uses garbanzo beans in place of cashews to make a lower fat option. I want to try the cashew sauce with garbanzo beans, since my dad and I are also trying to lose weight. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Can’t wait to hear! Great idea. 🙂
Hi Beth! Made this the other night and wow, was it delicious!!! Bringing it to a party on Saturday and just found out one of the guests is gluten free…if I switch out the noodles for a gluten free option, is it good to go?
Hi Jill! SO glad you enjoyed the lasagna. I just made the ricotta today for some crostini. As for the gluten-free option, it should work, but the texture might be slightly different because the gluten-free noodles tend to absorb the liquid differently depending on the brand. Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Thank you so much Beth!!! Hopefully I can find some decent noodles to use. And Crostini, Yum…now you just gave me another idea for the ricotta.
It’s the bomb…love it
Thanks Donna! 🙂
Hey there!
I am SO looking forward to making this meal for my family.
Q re/the spinach ricotta: I am not able to use tofu due to a soy allergy.
Do you have any recommendations on what I can use as an alternative ingredient?
Thank you!!
Hi Jenny! What I would recommend is double up on the cashews and process them with about 1/2 cup of water in addition to the seasonings. You could also use pepitas (raw shelled pumpkin seeds. Hope that helps!! ?
Ok! I’m a new vegan and this was my first attempt at a vegan put-together “meal”. And it was very good! The taste is spot-on. I would never have thought that you could recreate ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese with whatever nutritional yeast is.
My only complaint was the texture. I was craving the grainy texture of the ground beef, so next time I make it, I would cook the lentils separately and NOT blend them, but blend the sweet potato/tomato mixture only. Hopefully the intact lentils will give it the bumpy texture that’s missing. As is, it’s a fantastic taste, but really just a lot of goopy creams and noodles. It needs more body.
This was a LOT of work!!! But at least I have lunch and dinner all made for me for the next few days. Reheat, eat, repeat!
Hey Megan! So sorry for the delayed response on this. I’m so glad you loved the recipe! Totally hear you on the texture thing. I often make it with my vegetable bolognese for the sauce or just add some vegetable meat substitute to whatever sauce I’m using. That really helps give it more of a “ground-beefy” texture. It’s definitely more work, but it’s something you could stretch into other meals too. 🙂 Funny enough, I just made a 5-dinner meal plan that does just that. Just a few options for you! 🙂
Beth, I agree with you as far as wanting a bit more texture (and substance beyond the delicious sauces!) I ground up some carrots in the food processor, leaving them in very small pieces (pebble-sized or smaller) and then sprinkled in each layer. They didn’t change the flavor but added a bit of color and texture.
Sorry, meant to say I agree with *Megan*!
I made this lasagna for a dinner party and it was *perfection*. Truly, one of the best lasagnas I’ve had, vegan or not. Make this lasagna! Its incredible! The vegan ricotta was a winner 100% and the miso in both of the cheeses really perfect it. Thank you so much!
Becca! How have I not thanked you for this sweet comment yet? Shame on me. I’m SO excited to hear that you loved the lasagna so much!
I made this lasagna for my boyfriend (not vegan) and I a month ago. It was so amazing, he loved it and has been requesting I make it again ever since. I’ll be making this again tonight for a few more non vegans and I cannot wait to blow their minds!! Love Love Love this recipe!
YES!!! This is awesome to hear Sam!!! Sorry I’m late in saying so. Go forth and blow more minds! 🙂
Just made this lasagna and it was fantastic! I actually wasn’t expecting it to turn out as tasty as it did, what a delightful surprise! I love when recipes surpass my expectations. The only thing I would be mindful of next time is to cover my top layer of noodles better with sauce as the corners curled up and were too hard to eat. Totally my fault, the recipe is great as is. Thanks for helping me make my first lasagna ever!
I love this lasagna recipe it’s by far my favorite. It freezes well too! I always make extra and freeze for a quick dinner.
Love hearing this Jamiylea! Also, you have a beautiful name. 🙂
Done and tested was a nice meal, didn’t have to purchase nothing. Instead of fresh basil leaves for the spinach ricotta, I replaced with dried basil leaves, instead and replaced the red lentils with green lentils whatever i had in hand, still came out delicious, and also omitted the Nutritional yeast, still came out delicious.
So glad it turned out so well for you Jesika!! 🙂
THANK YOU! I made it for my non-vegan friends and it was a hit!
I did everything the way you said and it turned out great 🙂
YES!!!! This is awesome! So glad it worked out so well for you Raquel. 🙂
I do not like to use tofu. What can I use to substitute that?
Hi Amy! I would just double up on the cashews and you would be good. I’ve also used pepitas (raw shelled pumpkin seeds).
can I substitue the tofu with tempeh?
Hi Eva! I think you could, although the flavor might be a little odd. I would suggest instead to double the cashews or use 1 cup of raw pepitas in place of the tofu. Good luck! Please keep me posted. 🙂
My husband would have me make this every week if I would. I changed the recipe and added thinly sliced zucchini and tomatoes into the layers. I also used my own spaghetti sauce I made and canned when tomatoes where in season. This is by far our favorite dish. Thank you for sharing your recipe!!
I made this lasagna tonight and I must say, I came away being quite impressed with the flavors – both my husband and I enjoyed it. Vegan ‘Ricotta’ was new for me and I’m so glad your recipe for it turned out great. I’ll be sure to be more adventurous with that kind of thing in the future. The one ‘complaint’ I have though is that it was dryer than other lasagnas that I’ve had, which makes me wonder if it’s because of that 1/2 cup of water that I saw included in the main recipe list but didn’t know what to do with.
What was the water for? If you’ve answered this, I missed it, so if you could please repeat it, I’d appreciate it. Thanks!
Hi! I didn’t even notice the 1/2 cup of water in the ingredients list, I just follow the directions and then look up to the amount I need. Mine came out creamy and wasn’t dry at all. My only thinking for this is that I used the lasagna noodles that you cook beforehand, so I think using the no boil ones absorb a bit of the liquids to cook. I’m not sure what that 1/2 cup is either though, but I know I didn’t use it! Glad you enjoyed it! I loved it!
This was absolutely the best Vegan lasagna! The spinach ricotta sets it off! I added mushrooms to for added texture! Delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
This Is Really Good!! Like, delicious! I made it for my family, and everyone loved it–including my reluctant 14 year old son, who is really freaked out by “vegan” foods. It didn’t really even take that long to make. I’ve made it twice now, and will absolutely be making again and again!
This is a fantastic recipe. I did make a couple of modifications, but I have no doubt the rating would still be 5-star even if I had made it exactly as written.
I made this lasagna and it was wonderful! I’m getting ready to make it again, but in keeping with a max number of calories per day I would like to have the nutritional breakdown, or at least the calories per serving.
I love this recipe, as does my family.
Definitely your vegan lasagna is awesomeness! This is a great recipe Beth, as you know I made it a short while ago and it was lovely, in fact have made it again since. Thanks for sharing!
Delicious!!!! I made this to test out the recipe before I go to my grandmother’s for Christmas Eve and was so excited at how amazing it tasted! Excellent job. It is on the laborious side, but the work is worth it!! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe! It’s sure to be one a make often!
In your main recipe, it says 1/2 cup water, but it’s not used anywhere during your assembly process. Did I miss something important in your recipe?
Same. I had to take everythign out of the Vitamix and put it into the food processor. What a mess.
I’m giving this recipe 5 stars for results because it’s super delicious but I would dearly love it if you’d fix some issues.
1. Ingredient lists need to be in order of use to help people avoid leaving something out and to make it easier to set up a mis en place.
2. Metric weights/volumes would be SO helpful to people who aren’t in the US. You can provide both if you like, but there are plenty of countries where a “cup” is a different size from what the States use, and a teaspoon isn’t even a thing.
3. I too could not get the ricotta to mix up in the vitamix, had to scoop everything out and into my food processor, which was a mess and made an otherwise very quick recipe into a bit of an ordeal
4. I don’t know what to make of this direction: 1 cups large sweet potato (diced (about 2 )) 1 cups? Is the number a typo, or is the pluralization a typo. And about 2 what?
This lasagna is out of control good. And so are all of your other recipes. I know that I can depend on every single recipe on your blog and it will turn out amazing!!
This was so good! Made it for a potluck full of meat eaters and they loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made this for block party and vegan thanksgiving. Always a hit!!
It’s in the oven! Simple to make, for sure 🙂 Thank you!
Best damn lasagna my husband and I have ever had. Thank you for the recipe!
This was THE BEST vegan lasagna… I’m so glad I found your site.. i also made the thai peanut sauce. WOW… delicious!!
Hi Jessica! I’m so glad you loved the lasagna! Oh and the peanut sauce! Two of my favorite recipes. So glad you found me too! 🙂
Hi Beth, I’m excited to try this recipe. But I live in a small town and have always had a hard time finding miso. Any ideas on substitutions or edits?
Hi Maureen! Oh, that’s a bummer about the miso. It really does add to this recipe, but it will be fine to leave it out. 🙂 I’d add a smidge more salt to taste to both the ricotta and the cashew cream, and maybe a little bit more nutritional yeast. I hope that helps!
You can order miso from Amazon.
Ok, I followed this to the letter. The taste was there, but it was a bit dry.
What I noticed that the recipe lists 1/2 cup of water as well as the sauce, ricotta, lasagne sheets, and cashew cream. But no instruction as to what to do with the 1/2 cup of water.
Why is that? How can I add moisture, and I ran out of cashew cream.
Hi Christine! Sorry this turned out dry for you. I just updated the recipe post, because it was confusing having all three recipes listed out separately, and I kept forgetting to state what the 1/2 cup water is for. It’s to thin out the cashew cream so it’s a more pourable consistency, and also helps ensure that there’s enough left for the topping. So sorry that was missing! As for adding moisture, using the water to thin the cashew cream will likely help. Did you use the DeLallo whole wheat lasagna noodles or another type? Did you make the protein-packed marinara or a different sauce? Those variables could have had an impact as well. Happy to help troubleshoot it with you!
This was a godsend and our new family favorite lasagna recipe! I made it for the in-laws (meat eaters) and they loved it, as well. Thank you for all your hard work and beautiful pictures, Miss Beth!
I made this for a vegan friend so was not super familiar with vegan cooking. But the steps were clear and easy — there are a lot of steps for sure, but they use a lot of the same ingredients so it wasn’t anything too crazy. I added double the basil in the ricotta and really liked that flavor. I would maybe use some extra lasagna noodles next time so it has a little more structure, but the flavor was amazing and the green ricotta makes it beautiful.
Be sure to get egg-free lasagna noodles — I think the no-boil options often use egg, but I was able to find a box without!
Perfect recipe! My sister and I made this on Christmas Day and we couldn’t get enough! Even my non vegan family requested for me to make this vegan lasagna again! Im making it tonight! The cheesy cashew cream is so delicious! Thank You for sharing this amazing recipe!
PS: We dont like sweet potato all that much so we left them out but replaced them with some mushrooms!
If you don’t like cashews will you still enjoy this recipe? I’m going to make it for a dinner party next week. Can you substitute almonds or walnuts?
This was the best lasagna I have ever made. Very easy and absolutely delicious. It was even better the following day. It really tasted so cheesy. I followed the recipe exactly except for adding a bit of tomato paste to the marinara as I love a strong tomato taste. Thank you very much for sharing. I will be making this often from now on.
The recipe looks super delicious but unfortunately it also seems like a lot of work. Any vegan recipes for a lazy person like me? 😛
It is a lot of work – but it’s sooo worth it!
Go bit by bit and start making the cashew cream and ricotta from scratch and use a ready-made tomato sauce – then it’s less hassle. If you double the amount you can freeze it and make the marina sauce from scratch next time.
Have you had butternut mac and cheese? I can really recommend that.
This is not the best damn vegan lasagna! This is the best damn lasagna I have ever had! I have only within the past 3 weeks adopted a WFPBD (Whole foods plant based diet), and this is the best lasagna that I have ever had! The cashew cream sauce was good enough to eat by itself. Beth, you take the prize!
Amazing recipe and honestly less work than other vegan lasagnas I’ve attempted. Made it as apology meal and let’s just say, I’m forgiven:D Even better the next day. Thank you!
Tried it! It was GREAT!! I was skeptical but great texture and flavor! Thumbs up!! Yum!
I made this for Mother’s Day and it was absolutely amazing!! Thank you so much for this recipe – I will definitely be making it again. My mom is not a vegan and she really enjoyed it 😊 (thank goodness!)
Made this tonight for dinner and it was AMAZING. So so so so good. Even used jarred marinara and was fantastic. I’d serve this to my omnivore family for sure.
I’m about to try it: I’m baking a trial dish this evening before deciding whether to take it to a dinner party on Thursday. One problem I had was that we don’t use cups and ounces in UK/Europe and I had to convert everything. I’m not sure how accurately I’ve done it as cups are a measure of volume but my conversions are to a weight (a 1/4 cup of basil is ~37 grams in weight).
I thought the tomato sauce needed some cider vinegar to cut through the sweet potato and tomato puree.. I wonder whether adding olive oil to it may make it more satisfying, from a fat perspective?
I tried this recipe last night and LOVED IT! I’ve been transitioning to a plant-based diet over the last year and this lasagna is like heaven! My 3yo DEVOURED her helping, which was a wonderful miracle (we are eating the leftovers right now and she is climbing in front of my face asking for more bites). I feel like this rich, creamy, filling dish is an answer to my prayers! 😉
I used store-bought marinara because I was a little short on time, and it was still great! I think that, if I plan ahead a little better next time, this will come together in a snap.
Thank you thank you!
This recipe is amazing. I’m not vegan, but I made this for my girlfriend who is and honestly it is one of the best lasagnas either one us has ever had. Normally, vegan cheese makes me want to gag, but now I’m a believer. This recipie definitely has me second guessing my dairy eating ways.
Thank you!
Hi John! Sorry it took me so long to respond to this, but man, it made my day! I’m so with you on the being let down with the commercially available vegan cheeses (although major strides are being made), and I’m thrilled that this recipe has helped you make something you can enjoy with your girlfriend. I know how hard it is to make food that anyone will eat, and feedback like this is EXACTLY why I do this crazy blog thing. Thank you so much for your comment!
I really want to make this but I hate when lasagna comes out wet, mushy, and sloppy — with this recipe do the noodles and ingredients remain intact and stacked as a whole?
Beth, thank you for this brilliant recipe (and no doubt other recipes which I’m for sure going to try, now that I’ve found your site!) I am making it for the second time this week. Found it when visiting Ohio and tempting my 16 y-o newly vegan nieces into another Cooking with Aunt Becky adventure. Now that I’m back home in Massachusetts I just had to try it again with my 20 something daughter and bestie. It’s just gorgeous — can’t wait to sink into it again!!
I love this recipe! So easy, and turns out great every time! My family requests it often, and I feel like a hero!
The name says it all! This is truly the BEST. The spinach ricotta is amazing and I will definitely be using it in other recipes. My picky toddler loved this lasagna and that says a lot. So glad I found this thanks for sharing
I went vegan about 6 weeks ago and have been craving a real lasagna. Made this recipe today, and it lived up to its name! Absolutely delicious! Even my cheese-loving wife was impressed. Definitely will make it again.
Delicious!! Made this today and it came out great. I did not add the cashews to the tofu and felt it was fine with out it. Did not have fresh basil on hand so added dried along with oregano. Next time I may add some additional veggies. Thanks so much for a fabulous recipe!!
Dear Beth!
I stumbled over this recipe and made it last night and it was out of this world!
I’m currently living in Sweden and it was a bit tricky to get hold of the miso paste. But I got hold of it in a small Chinese shop.
I am in love with the ricotta and cashew cream – heavenly!!
My husband hates sweet potatoes and didn’t even notice them!
I personalized the marinara sauce a bit and also added a splash of balsamic vinegar for colour and taste.
Also, I will try to cut down the baking time, by 10-15 minutes, because my pasta was really soft.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m off to discover more of your recipes now.
I have just recently switch to eating vegan. I made this last night and WOW. It IS the best damn vegan lasagna! I couldn’t help myself and had two servings! I am a home ec teacher so I am always experimenting with recipes. Thank you for posting this!
I would like to know the macro nutrients breakdown as I am tracking my intake. Do you know what it is per serving or in total?
Thank you!
I made this last night. Fantastic! It’s my new lasagna recipe. My old one was fine, but had double the tofu. Mixing the tofu and cashews–genius.. Thanks for creating this recipe.
My meat loving husband LOVED this lasagna, as did my 10 year old who begged me to make a traditional meat ‘n cheese lasagna but I only cook vegan for myself and my family. So delicious! I made half the recipe and we still had leftovers. The only adjustments I made was to add the juice of one lemon to the ricotta, and added a chopped onion when cooking the tomato sauce. I can’t wait to make this for a big family gathering. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Made the recipe and definitely gonna make it again but with a little spice. Would recommend this vegan lasagna
My daughter is Vegan and is it possible to make the whole recipe, then refrigerate, heat and serve? Thanks!!!
Hi Michael! You’re the best for wanting to make this for your daughter. Yes, it’s absolutely possible to make it ahead and refrigerate it until you’re ready to heat and serve. I would suggest is to make the components and refrigerate them until the day you want to serve it, then assemble and bake. That would make it taste the freshest and avoid the noodles absorbing the moisture too much while in the fridge. I hope that helps! 🙂 I would love to know how it goes. High-five to you, awesome dad!
Thank you Beth for your lightning-quick response! My son is preparing the recipe with me, could not go it without him and my daughter arrives tonight!!!
Thanks again!!!
Michael
You’re so welcome! I can’t wait to hear how it goes. If you are up for it, I would LOVE to see a pic of you all enjoying the fruits of your labor! You can e-mail it to me at [email protected], if you’re willing. As my three year old son said today, Merry New Year and Happy Christmas! 🙂
Hey Beth!!!
My daughter says it was the “Best Damn Vegan Lasagna” she has ever had!!! Her flight arrived and though she had eaten dinner earlier, once she saw the tray she said she wanted some!
I could not have done it without my son’s patience and improvisation and though we are sworn carnivores, we will be joining my daughter for some and shall send you a photo!!!
Thanks again!!!
Merry New Year and Happy Christmas to you and your family!!!
OH-flippin’-MG was this good!!! It was my first experience with cashew cream or nutritional yeast or tofu and — to be honest — I was bracing myself. This was so yummy and I say that without qualification!! I made your simple tomato sauce, but sadly didn’t make enough. So next time I’ll have to remember to double the recipe. I also didn’t have pasta water, but I did use the Muir Glen tomatoes and that was a great call on your part. I didn’t have fresh basil so I used dried. I just can’t get over how delicious this lasagna was… and I’m from NY! I know good Italian food!! And this is it!! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Amy! Happy New Year! <3 This comment made me so happy! I’m honored that this recipe was your first foray using shall we say, “foreign” ingredients. I still remember making that transition myself and originally being weirded out and suspicious that they could ever taste good. I had to laugh at that because now they’re staples! Funny how it just takes a leap of faith to discover new yumminess. And to get the approval from a New Yorker! I’m stoked. 🙂
Hi there. This recipe looks amazing but I need a substitution for the cashews (tree nut allergy.) Is there something I can use instead of cashews? Are there any seeds I can use instead?
I don’t see anywhere if you soaked the cashews for the cream or ricotta. do you soak for both, neither, or one of them?
Hi Megan! I don’t soak the cashews for either of them, but for the cashew cream, if you don’t have a high speed blender, it wouldn’t hurt to soak them for a bit. The fastest way to get them soft is to boil them for 15 minutes and then drain, but if you are a planner, soak them overnight in the fridge, then drain. For the ricotta I don’t recommend soaking because they help add to the texture a bit unsoaked. Hope that helps! 🙂
Thank you for the recipe. This was my family’s first vegan lasagna. From a meat/dairy eating family, its satisfying, tasty and healthy. Overall, I think the flavors were good. Everyone ate it including my 3 and 5 year olds. However, I feel like it’s missing something to make it outstanding. I’m going to try the mushrooms that some other reviews mentioned and maybe some more seasoning in the marinara sauce. If I figure it out, I’ll update my reviews, but for any meat and dairy lovers trying to go vegan, this one is a safe bet. Thanks again!
You’re so welcome, Jennifer! So glad to hear that this went over well with an omni family. I definitely understand what you mean about the texture – often I’ll add some vegan ground meat to the sauce, but as this was already a complicated recipe I wanted to try to pare it down. I make it a little differently each time, and your feedback is helpful! <3
This was FANTASTIC! My vegan teen needed some comfort food for cheering up so I found this online. I made your recipe for cashew cream and ricotta, but did use a jar for the tomato sauce. This was a huge hit served with a big green salad and sourdough bread. Made even better leftovers for lunch for us the next day, Thank you!
I just made this lasagna and it was AMAZING! I have been trying to find a way to make lasagna without dairy, and this tastes even better than regular lasagna! It totally surpassed my expectations. I can’t thank you enough for sharing!
100% the BEST! All my meat eaters love it too.
Oh yay! When the carnivores love it too, that’s my fav. 🙂
Oh Beth! This is definitely on my “Must Try” list!!!
Outstanding! 5 stars are conservative
My non vegan friends love it too.
Have frozen the left overs in serving sizes and they keep well.
Oh I’m thrilled you and your non vegan friends loved this so much! I need to be better about freezing portions, that would help me not eat so much at one time! 🙂
Does it matter if you use nutritional yeast flakes for both the the cashew cream and the spinach ricatto? if so How should i adjust
I cant wait to make this FYI!!!
Hi Michelle! It’s fine to use the nutritional yeast for both recipes. There’s such a small amount in each that it won’t overwhelm the overall flavor. Can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
Thank you hoping to make this tonight I just need to figure out where to get chickpea miso.
I am a terrible cook & lasagna is a time consuming recipe. I have made other veggie lasagna & they’ve all been darn good. I loved this recipe. I am trying to use way less dairy & this recipe was great! I had to substitute some almonds in for cashews as I am out of cashews & it tastes great. I’ve also used the creamy cashew sauce as a dip, etc. I was nibbling away while I worked & didn’t even feel the time slip away. Thank you for sharing this recipe
I had a similar vegan lasagna at a restaurant recently and found myself craving it and wondering if I could recreate it today. Thanks, Beth!
Hi Beth! Mmmm..this was so so good:)
I made this for my family and they gobbled it up! It’s so filling too. I was a little worried because we didn’t buy nutritional yeast or miso paste-it was hard to find them. But I made it without them and used soya sauce as a substitute and it still tasted amazing! I also added mushrooms to the sauce and it works!
Thank you so so much for sharing such a creative and sustainable recipe! Pass the plants indeed!!
I never remember to write a response on a recipe I make online. This is AMAZING though. Total restaurant quality. I made it for my wife and her first bite was a big smile and a thumbs up. Thank you!
I just made this today for my son’s vegan girlfriend. It was INCREDIBLE! Everyone had it and loved it and they are a tough crowd, They were all making fun of it ahead of time. I will definitely be making it again and looking for other recipes here to make for her!
Louise, this makes me so happy!!! When the recipes go over well with the ones who are dubious, that is the BEST. Also, you are a wonderful mom to do this for your son’s girlfriend. I’m sure she knows how lucky she is. <3
Dear Beth,
Thank you, no THANK YOU so much for this recipe. At first, I was not sure about it, I used to difficult recipes with a lot of vegetables to cut. But this one is so simple, I just could believe it. So I made it. To tell the truth, I made a more vegetarian version, because I had a terrible incident with cashews and now I can’t look at them. So I used normal ricotta and made a classic white sauce. But it was soooo good. Definitely gonna make it again and again ana again. Thank you
Delicious! The ricotta was amazing! Took some time to put together but so worth it. The only problem I had was that the recipe for the marinara made about 10 cups and I could only fit half of that in my dish. Does it really call for 2 28-ounce cans of tomatoes?
Thank you for the recipe! I made it yesterday 🙂
The ricotta was amazing! Really loved it.
The lasagne is good, but it does miss a bite. With lasagne I expect a savory dish, but this is quite sweet thanks to the cashews and the basil.
I think next time I’ll add some pepper and maybe vegan cheese on top instead of more cashew. But still thank you! 🙂
Hi Rose! Thank you so much for your comment and feedback. I’m surprised the cashews tasted sweet – they shouldn’t. Were yours roasted by any chance? When I make this, it definitely tastes savory, but I will often bump up the miso and/or salt in the cashew cream if I feel it needs it. Perhaps try that? Glad you enjoyed the ricotta!
This recipe deserves 6 stars!!! Absolutely delicious, everyone raved about it. Thank you 🙂
I wish I could add a star! Thank you so much Bryan! So glad that it went over so well with everyone. 🙂
Being vegan this was so lovely even my non veggie friends loved it. Will be definitely making it regularly .
Made this tonight! It takes awhile to make, but it’s not difficult! Absolutely delicious! We will make this again for sure.
I made this last night, not sure if I was going to pull it off. OMG!!! It was AMAZING!! Totally loved it!! Thank you so much!!!
I made this at my house warming party and everybody was coming back for second and third servings, this was a huge hit!
This really is the BEST DAMN VEGAN LASAGNA!! It was easy to put together and was absolutely delicious!! Thank you so much for this great recipe!!
I don’t usually comment on recipes but this one was a MUST. Honestly my favorite recipe of all time. As an Italian American Vegan I’m hard pressed to find recipes that satisfy my omni family.. this won everything. I will be making this at least once a month!
I’ve read and re-read your comment about ten times, because it made me so happy. Thanks for breaking your no comment rule and letting me know about this! <3
This seriously may be the best Whole Food plant-based vegan lasagna out there! I served this to a meat-eating audience, including a friend of my son’s that went to Le Cordon Bleu. 😳
The friend actually gave it 8 out of 10 Stars. 👌 I did, however, add some zucchini and mushrooms to the sauce. But other than that… I did it exactly per the instructions. Thank you so much! Adding this to my rotation!
Wow! So excited that this was enjoyed by an omnivore group, that’s always my goal! I love that you added the veggies, too. I almost included that option in the recipe, but because there are a lot of steps and ingredients already, I didn’t it to be overwhelming to people. It’s great that you felt confident to make it your own. 🙂
Amazing! Made this lasagne last night and it was a huge success! Will definitely be making it again!
Can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch!
Thank you, Beth.
I was in my local pub having lunch, ordered vegan lasagne and enjoyed it so much, I wondered if I could make something similar.
I’ve always enjoyed eating vegan dishes, but this was the first time I’d cooked one; it was so the right one to start with! Delicious!!! And really quick and easy to whip up, I was surprised.
Really glad I found your blog 😋 mmmmmm
Not sure why it has taken me so long to comment. This lasagna (aptly named) has given me a “go-to” dish to use in several situations:
1. When cooking for omnivores, this dish earns rave reviews. I can count on it to make an impact.
2. When trying to bribe my adult children to come for dinner. Only two of the five are vegan (no spouses or grandkids are), but everyone loves this. I cannot make just one though because they demolish it too fast.
3. I need something a step above but not quite Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner. (Actually I did make it for Christmas one year. This year it will be the day after Christmas as we’ll still have a full house.)
Unfortunately, unlike some of your others, I’m not fast enough in the kitchen to make this on a regular basis. It takes me about 3 hours by myself from beginning to end – but that just adds to the “special” allure of the meal. The family knows it is a big deal and it amplifies any occasion where I make it.
This recipe is so so yummy! I can’t wait to make more of it around the holidays. I used my own marinara sauce and it still tasted great! I wish I could post a picture 🙂
This recipe was good, but I really wasn’t fond at all of the vegan ricotta. I had to add quite a bit more of yeast, miso, garlic, salt and miso to get rid of that raw tofu flavor. Also, putting sweet potato in the sauce seemed sac religious, so I opted out. Other than that, I really enjoyed it.
This is an amazing recipe!!! Your timing is bang on
If you follow your instructions and have everything
Measured out prior to starting. I added zucchini & mushrooms to the marinara sauce but probably didn’t need to. And 2 tsp dried basil to ricotta as I had no fresh. It was delicious! Recipe is going into my handwritten recipe file ( for those few treasured recipes) Thanks so much
The directions say you can use a blender for the ricotta sub. YOU CAN NOT. The cheese sauce (cashew mixture) was not great and neither was the sauce. Didn’t love it and i was really was looking forward to it.
This lasagna is super yummy! Every time I make it vegans and non vegans in the family loved it!
Ive made this recipe twice…. and OMG my 8&10 year olds think its BETTER than traditional lasagna!
Since cashews are very expensive in Canada, we left out the 1c cashews in the ricotta with amazing results.
We’ve also subbed regular tomato sauce with added carrots, celery, mushrooms and onions( food processed) to save on time.
If you have both a food processor and blender, you can do the cashew cream and ricotta at the same time.
To jazz it up, add vegan mozza on top. ( tons of great homemade recipes!)
This is not the cheapest recipe to make- but it is a SHOW STOPPER!
HIGHLY HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!
Delicious!!!!
Thanks, Deborah! <3
The lasagna was amazing! Even my 5-year-old daughter loved it.
The lasagna was very tasty and amazing! Even my 5-year-old daughter loved it.
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! I made it twice in the last week and both times it was a huge success (including with a non-vegan houseguest). The second time I reduced the salt and added some chunkier vegetables to the marinara for texture. I only have a small and rather crappy bottom of the line blender, but I managed to do the ricotta by blending the spinach and basil leaves first in batches, reserving that, and then doing it as per the recipe so the leaves were pre-chopped when I came to add them in. The cashew cream and ricotta were so tasty we sat down and scraped out the bowls while we waited for the lasagne to cook! This is definitely going to be in my regular rotation; it’s heavenly!
This was amazing!!!!
Your video says to use unsweetened rice vinegar. The written instructions say to used apple cider vinegar. Is there a difference or was it a typo? I made it with the apple cider vinegar.
Your video shows to pulse the sweet potatoes so they aren’t so big. I was wondering about that because your written instructions don’t say to pulse the veggies so I had chunks in the sauce.
I will be making this again and will definitely pulse the veggies so it is smoother. In any case, it was sooooo good that I’m not telling anyone there isn’t ricotta cheese!😉
I have made this about 8 times now and I will continue to make it forever and ever until I die. I have one in the oven right now and I am about to take it to a Thanksgiving potluck. My next move is to use the spinach ricotta for the filling in homemade ravioli and then blend the cashew cream into the marinara for the sauce. After that, I am going to try making this whole recipe but use breaded, fried eggplant instead of lasagna noodles. The components of this recipe are just so delicious that they belong in everything. Thank you!!
Emmalena, this is the best review ever. Thank you! <3 How did it go over at the potluck? I’ve used the ricotta in ravioli before, I need to share that recipe! I totally agree that the components belong in everything! <3 Oh, and your comment about eggplant reminded me that I have a recipe I want to try – a roasted portobello mushroom stuffed with the ricotta and a breaded eggplant slice, then topped with marinara and cashew cream and broiled. 🙂
Took this to my in-laws’ house for Thanksgiving. People just kept going back for more–even after dessert. I was hoping to have some left to take back home (because I LOVE this), but relatives were looking for tupperware to use to take the leftovers home for themselves. It really is that good. I also just made this again tonight (not even a week later) but instead of lasagna noodles, I used breaded, friend eggplant. Holy cow, it is SO GOOD. Still gotta make the raviolis.
First time making this and we really enjoyed it. My 14-year-old incredibly picky eater gave it a 7/10, which is high praise from him. Next time I’ll make a few changes. I doubled the ricotta based on someone else’s comment but I don’t think it was necessary. The ricotta could have used more flavor to suit my taste so next time (and there will be a next time), I may double the miso, garlic, and salt and keep the same amounts of tofu and cashews. I also had way too much tomato sauce and I think I will leave out the sweet potato and just make the sauce more like actual pasta sauce. I loved the cashew cream and had to stop myself from eating it with a spoon. This, I would probably double next time. Overall, this was a winner and will go in our permanent rotation.
Sorry, big fail for me. Very expensive to make (all those cashews) and way too sweet. I think if I ever made similar again, I’d leave out the sweet potato in the marinara and make a proper Italian vegan bolognese-style savoury marinara, with mushrooms, lots of garlic, and a splash of red wine. And the ricotta + the cashew sauce made it a bit too creamy for my taste. maybe just the cashew sauce next time (which was quite nice).
Is it possible to freeze it ? Thank you
No need to look further for the best vegan lasagna. You have found it. My daughter got married last August. Their menu featured Italian dishes, but the caterer did not offer any vegan options. Some of my family, as well as a doctor my daughter had worked with, avoid eating animal products. Not wanting to invite people they couldn’t feed, she asked me if I could make a vegan lasagna for the reception. I tried a test batch before hand, but I didn’t have all of the spinach. I also blended the sauce together. The blending took some of the color out of the nice red sauce. It tasted great, so we had our plan. The day before the wedding I made it as per the recipe and it was AMAZING! I brought it to the kitchen and the staff catering the wedding baked it. The red of the sauce and the nice green ricotta layer were beautiful. However, the best part is the flavor! One of the guests told me it tasted better than the meat and cheese lasagna… and the doctor and his wife asked for the recipe. Enough said.
I forgot to mention that I have made this again since the wedding and plan to make it for our Christmas Eve dinner. It is going to be our new tradition 🙂
I was skeptical, but WOW. Just wow!! It’s absolutely amazing, thank you so much.
Made a half recipe of this for dinner tonight and we loved it so much my husband used expletives! I will definitely be making this again.
I did make two substitutions that still made an amazing dish. I didn’t want to buy miso for just a small amount so I used a few dashes of soy sauce. We also do not care for lentils, so I subbed Gardein veggie crumbles for the sweet potato and the lentils in the sauce.
Expletives are the ultimate compliment, in my book. 😉 I love that you subbed based on what you like/don’t like. Just a heads up that the lentil flavor is not prominent at all with the red lentils, they break down into the sauce and you can’t even tell they’re there in flavor or otherwise. IMHO, of course. 🙂 Also, I never thought I would be the type of person who could go through a tub of miso in less than a month (for MANY years I had no idea what miso was), but now it’s a staple ingredient in my fridge. That being said, you enjoyed the lasagna without it, so YAY!!! 🙂
Okay, so this was my very first time making a vegan lasagna. Oh my word!!!! It tastes so good 😊. My kiddos loved it, especially the one that says she doesn’t like my vegan meals but only my vegan deserts LOL 😂
Question for you Beth… how can I make it less thick? What I mean by that is making it maybe the sauce a bit thinner?
so excited to try this recipe. I have tofutti ricotta. Do you think that would change the taste?
The link for the instant pot directions are missing 🙁 can you link me to them. Have all the ingredients on hand now.
This looks delicious but I cannot eat tomatoes. Do you have any suggestions for a primavera version?
Do you think I could make everything and put it all together then pop it in the fridge until dinner time and it would taste the same?
Just made this and it’s very good. Thanks. Really like the apple cider vinegar.
Any suggestions to replace the noodles to avoid wheat? Husband’s just been tested so trying to keep favorites with substitutions.
Made this last night and it is VERY good. Instead of lasagna, I stuffed shells with the tofu ricotta, put in a pan with the marinara sauce on the bottom and over the shells, drizzled the cream sauce over the whole thing and baked for 30 min at 350. The creamy sauce is very good and I will use it in other recipes. Same with the tofu ricotta. And I’ll use the leftover marinara sauce in a tomato risotto. Everything was really THAT good.
This really IS the best damn vegan lasagna and I’ve been dying to make it again. The vegan no-boil noodles I usually use require a trip to a store I don’t normally shop at, which is usually fine but not ideal during this pandemic! Will this work with the kind you need to cook first or should I wait it out until I can get the right noodles?
I made this last night for dinner, the spinach is sooo good, the cashew sauce didn’t have a strong taste it was very light, the sauce, I used the lentils I had, it was a mixture of black, green, brown, no red. Was more of a bean paste taste. That was kinda off for my taste buds in the lasagna. I had no miso though. Other than that, it was really good. Thank you.
This is by far my favorite lasagna recipe. It has become my “signature dish.’
I didn’t purée the sweet potatoes in the marinara. I heard you mention this in the video but not in the recipe. I also added very thinly sliced yellow squash and zucchini (one of each after the ricotta layers. It was amazing!! Even without puréeing. Thank you for sharing! Beautiful daughter 🥰
We absolutely LOVE this healthy version of lasagna! This recipe is amazing, and it gives you all the good cheesy taste you’re looking for without the guilt. I have made this several times for multiple guests (and my picky husband) and it’s a major crowd pleaser!
This was pretty darn good. It was pretty labor intensive but your instructions were very clear and easy to follow. The hardest part of the whole recipe was washing all the dishes. My whole family gobbled it up. I’m definitely gonna make this again, I’ll probably beef it up with some extra veggies in the layers. I’ve only been vegan for maybe 5 months and I have been weary about cashew cream and especially about using it to replace cheese. But man I have been missing out!!! That stuff is awesome! I was licking the blender after I made it 😆. Also that sauce recipe is 100% a keeper! Extra nutrients from sweet potatoes and lentils- yes please! Thank you for this recipe!
We’ve made this so many times it’s a staple at our house now. We thought we’d lost lasagna forever when we went WFPB, but the first time I made this, hubby was thrilled, and my teenager asked for thirds! We put in twice the miso and three times the garlic listed, because we love garlic, but otherwise, we make as written. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!
I’ve been making this recipe for over a year — it’s SO good. Yet to try it with the red lentils though (I’ve been using Impossible Meat in the marinara sauce). The Cashew cream and cheese are superb and add so much umami. Highly recommend this – and it’s so good once cold, too! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Delicious!!!! I loved the cashew cream sauce and the vegan spinach ricotta!!!! I made your exact recipe (except omitted nutritional yeast and lentils added beyond Beef to the sauce) and it tasted sooo good! Thank you for sharing your delicious and cruelty free recipe! My daughter loved it too!
P.s. your daughter is adorable!
beth, did we just become best friends? i have NEVER left a comment on years of online recipe trials but i am compelled to now after having just finished a plate of the best damn vegan lasagna. i went wfpb 8/1 and have made all the typical vegan cheeses for tacos and potatoes. after stir fries and bean salads i needed a cozy baked ready for fall dish. i was doubtful as to how it would really taste like ricotta, then i remembered its not supposed to taste exactly but more resemble the texture and satiety. this was amazing. i bought miso and had all the other staples, minus sauce ingredient. i used an organic jar of basil marinara. but i followed the ricotta and cheese sauce exactly. i used gf green lentil lasagna noodles. i cannot wait to serve leftovers to the caveman meat eating bf tomorrow night…..if any remains to be eaten ha ha! now i have trust in you and am making your onion rings this weekend!
Melissa, yes, of course we just became best friends. 🙂 I’m so honored that you were compelled to make your first comment on this recipe post! What did you think of the green lentil lasagna noodles? I haven’t ever tried them before. Also, what did the caveman think of it? 🙂
Amazing recipe! All the savory goodness of lasagna without feeling heavy or bloated afterwards. I had just found yellow lentil lasagna sheets at the Aldi near me so I used those instead of regular pasta. I also substitute sunflower seeds for cashews. I will definitely make this one again!
I am looking forward to making this for Covid 2020 Thanksgiving– my first Lasagna ever! However….do you cook the noodles or not? I am unclear on that subject, and the internet is a tangled mess of non-cooked and cooked believers!
This is “the best damn vegan lasagna” my non vegan friends love it. I make it for evey holiday I go to. It was a hit a work potluck. Thank you so much.
This was the second time I’ve made this recipe. My family loves this lasagna! This time I cooked some brown lentils the night before and then mixed them with a little vegan Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder & pepper and added this to the layers and it was great!
This really is the BEST VEGAN LASAGNA!
Easy to make , my non vegan friends were asking for the recipe. Thanks so much
This truly is the BEST DAMN VEGAN LASAGNA I have come across! We made this recipe for Christmas dinner and it was the perfect comfort food. We all felt warm, full, and completely nourished after eating this dish. One thing we have a hard time creating with our vegan recipes is that satisfying creamy texture and this lasagna was all the creamy goodness we’ve hoped and dreamed of! Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! It’s going on the family recipe book and our new Christmas dinner tradition!
Delicious! I am the only vegan in my household – we also have a vegetarian and 2 eaters of all things. EVERYONE loved this lasagne. It was our Christmas dinner, and I have been asked to make it again. So yummy! Thank you.
I have made this SO many times. It is my go-to lasagna recipe. Absolutely delicious!
I’m so glad to hear this, Aliya! It’s a favorite over here, too. <3
This is a FAVORITE of mine. I had never made Lasagna before and it was so much fun to have success at the 1st try. Super delicious and flavorful! For sure it is the Best Damn Vegan Lasagna! Thank you very much!
I’m so happy to hear that, Ruth! <3 Definitely thrilled that it’s a fav and you were able to have success the first try.
Good day,
My daughter is getting married next year, and to save on catering costs I’m doing a pasta bar for the reception. I thought a good vegan lasagna would be an excellent compliment to the pasta bar. We are inviting 50 guests to the wedding/reception. If I was to make 5-6 foil pans of lasagna, and freeze them about 7 to 10 days before the event, do you think that would work?
Thank you!
Tricia
This was the best, OMG so delicious. Substitute the pasta sauce with impossible burger instead of the lentils and sweet potatoes but it came out great and the cashew cheese sauce was delicious. Will make this again!
Amazing! I followed the recipe as stated and it turned out great. The taste and texture was perfect for me. I definitely recommend trying this one.
The savory cashew cream also works great with some frozen veggies to make the filling for a veggie pot pie 🥧
I made this in 2016 and it was the best damn lasagna I (and everyone else in my household) has ever had… But then I lost the recipe almost immediately afterward! I was over the moon when I finally found it again this week. I never leave comments on blogs, but your lasagna has been on my mind for five years, so suffice to say it left quite the impression haha. I can’t wait to make it again!