The day comes when you decide, for whatever reason, that cheese from animals is no longer a part of your life. And another day comes later when you realize that you want to make something that has ricotta in it, but ricotta comes from cows. Until today, my friends. Until this day. (I know this is not the first vegan ricotta recipe out there, I just like setting a dramatic scene right from the get-go).
My wonderful people, I present to you, Vegan Spinach Ricotta. Ok, ok, you got me, we’ve already encountered this recipe before, in Vegan Calzones and Protein-Packed Zucchini Roll-Ups. But recently I shared the Best Damn Vegan Lasagna, which features this dairy-free deliciousness, so I thought it deserved its very own post. Vegan Spinach Ricotta, you’ve arrived. Congratulations!
Reason #4512 why I shouldn’t write late at night. I end up addressing recipes in the first person.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Vegan Spinach Ricotta:
- Raw cashews (I now buy them in a 5 pound bag because they are ubiquitous in my cooking. That’s a big word).
- Extra-firm or firm tofu (it’s hidden, sneaky protein)
- Light miso (helps add the cheesy flavor)
- Nutritional yeast (again with the cheesy)
- Fresh basil or Dorot frozen chopped basil cubes
- Fresh garlic or Dorot frozen crushed garlic cubes
- Salt (duh)
For the sake of convenience, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dorot frozen basil and garlic. They also have ginger, parsley, cilantro, and chili, which haven’t found yet, but maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough. These little cuties are so handy to have in the freezer whenever the urge to make vegan spinach ricotta strikes (and it strikes a lot).
First, pulse the raw cashews, miso, garlic, salt, and nutritional yeast in a food processor or blender until the mixture looks very fine and crumbly. This is important because you can easily tell that the cashews are all finely ground. It’s no fun to have a surprise bite of a big piece of cashew in something that isn’t supposed to have big pieces of cashew in it.
Next, add the spinach, basil, and tofu, and pulse until everything comes together, scraping down the sides of the food processor bowl once or twice if needed.
Ta-dah! It really is that easy. Besides calzones, roll-ups, and of course, lasagna, this stuff is FABULOUS stuffed into large pasta like cannelloni or shells, or thinned with a little water and tossed with pasta, or spread onto toasted baguette. You truly can’t go wrong. And, if for some reason you just can’t get on board the spinach train, leave it out and you’ve got….vegan ricotta. What, were you expecting something else?
It’s green. It’s good. It’s going to be in your belly. Well, it will be as soon as you make it. And when you do, tell me about it! No, seriously, I LOVE hearing about your culinary adventures. Hit me up on Instagram by tagging #passtheplants and @passtheplants, or leave a comment here. I get all giddy and excited, for reals.
And as for the Best Damn Vegan Lasagna – trust me when I tell you, it lives up to its name.
Vegan Spinach Ricotta
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 12 ounce package firm or extra-firm tofu (drained (1 package is typically 10-12 oz. it's ok to use a little less or more))
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach (or 1 cup frozen spinach)
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves*
- 2 cloves of garlic**
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon light miso (white (yellow, or chickpea))
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Instructions
- 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 until the mixture is finely ground and no large pieces of tofu or spinach are detectable..
- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to a week. It won’t last that long.
I’m eagerly waiting that vegan lasagna!! ? The ricotta was delicious as your recipes always are. ❤️
You and your ricotta-ness are amazing!
YOU’RE amazing! 🙂
I saw that you can use firm or extra firm tofu. Which do you prefer to use?
Hi Shanna! I’m so sorry for the late reply, my computer was out of commission and I just got it back. I prefer firm, just because it is a bit softer but still holds up well. Either one do just fine though!
Hi
What are your thoughts on kale instead of spinach? I am allergic to spinach. 🙁
Hi Jodi! I think it would work out just fine. You could also sub swiss chard, if you aren’t allergic. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi, do you press & drain the tofu?
Hi! I do drain it, but I don’t press it. The moisture is needed for a good consistency. Occasionally if it seems dry I’ll add some of the water back, so you might want to reserve it if it seems dry to you, or you could just use regular water. 🙂
is it one one of tofu or one package?
I’m wondering the same! It says 1 oz package, but the packages I buy are 14 oz, so how much do we actually need?
So sorry about this! I recently changed to a new way of displaying my recipes, and had a couple of things go wonky in the process. I updated the quantity to 1 12-14 oz. package. 🙂
Perfect, that’s essentially what i ended up doing based on the pics but i wanted to be sure 🙂 second time making this – it is AMAZING!
Hi! So sorry about this! I recently changed to a new way of displaying my recipes, and had a couple of things go wonky in the process. I updated the quantity to 1 12-14 oz. package. ?
Is there a good substitute for miso?
What’s the best substitute for cashews? I have a nut and peanut allergy… thanks
Hi Nick! WHOA, so sorry I never responded to this question. I’ve had good results subbing pepitas (raw shelled pumpkin seeds), but you could also just increase the tofu with good results. 🙂
I agree that this recipe is just as delicious with tofu instead of cashews! 🙂
Any tips for blending cashews? I have a vitamix but it overheats and everything gets stuck at the bottom.
Hi Ellen! With the Vitamix, it really needs some extra liquid in the bottom to get things moving without sticking. I would suggest starting with the tofu and spinach first, and then adding the cashews, adding a bit of water if needed to keep the mixture loose. I hope that helps!
Literally just made this and off the spoon is outstanding, can’t wait to put it in a cannelloni
I tried a version of this tonight to do as a lasagna filling without the spinach or cashews. I used 6 cloves of garlic grabbed a big handful of basil leaves out of the garden and trimmed a sprig of rosemary (minus the stem) into the food processor with the tofu and salt – no miso and no yeast was used. I am a beginner with Vegan food – Day 6 of a 2 week trial run. I found it better than I expected – not ricotta but texture wise it added to the dish and was creamier than regular ricotta – likely in part due to the lack of nuts. But for a non-vegan trying out vegan food it wasn’t half bad.
Is there a subsitute for tofu that I could use?
Hi MyLa! Yes, you can just double the cashews but keep everything else the same, adding 1/2 cup of water or so if the mixture seems too dry. Hope that helps! 🙂
What does the “T” stands for? Tablespoon? Not completely sure. Thanks!
Hi Olga! It’s tablespoon. Sorry for any confusion! 🙂
Thanks! No problem! I made it this weekend and it was amazing!! My family and friends loved it! The only thing I found is that I found the Japanese miso since I didn’t know where to find the one stated here and thought it was too strong, so I put half on the cashew cream only the second time I made it. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Can I substitute some of the cashews with almonds or pine nuts (or sunflower seeds)? I don’t have enough cashews…
Hi Daniel! Yep, you can totally substitute. I’d go with the pine nuts, but any of those three should work out well.
Thanks, it worked just fine. Next time I’m omitting the miso (which emphasized the tofu taste) and nutritional yeast. I think they’re unnecessary. It has almost become my favorite dairy substitute for lasagne..: thanks a lot!
Can this vegan lasagna be made in advance and frozen?
Hi – I can’t wait to try making this! Is it possible to omit (or substitute) the nutritional yeast and miso?
Hey, love the recipe. It turned out brilliantly the first time i made it. But is there any way to dry it out a bit? i accidentally added medium tofu instead of firm and it’s wayyy off consistency. Any tips?…
Hi Katy! So sorry I’m late in responding to this. If this happens again, I’d add some more cashews to help dry it out. The variations of tofu can definitely have an impact, good to know that medium doesn’t work!
Made this to go with the vegan lasagna, so good!
Thanks so much Beth for the recipe, but also the skilled photography really takes plant based food and makes it look just as good as it tastes. In a society where “plant based diet” causes people to cringe, a little elegant photography goes a long way in making people excited about eating healthy.
I just made this, and it is divine! I have been a vegetarian for 12 years and have been wanting to become vegan. Beth, your recipes are just amazing and exactly what I need to go full vegan! Thank you so much for sharing these gems:)
Reanna, you absolutely made my day with this comment! It’s what keeps me doing this. Please feel to reach out anytime if you have any questions or recipe requests. <3
Oh my goodness this is absolutely delicious! Dangerously so in fact…there is a great chance that I’ll eat it all before I get around to making the calzones my husband requested for lunch!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Did it make it into the calzones? 😉
I think I managed to save about 2/3 of it for the calzones…took a lot of willpower! ☺️
I have a quick question. Did you soak the cashews?
Hi Cassie! For this recipe I don’t soak the cashews. I find still process them very finely but I think the texture is more ricotta-like when I don’t soak them. Hope that helps!
The absolute best lasagna!!!!
This is a wonderful recipe. I made a pastry covered roulade with the ricotta, filling it with sautéed onion and pepper. It was absolutely delicious. Thank you
The best damn lasagna has become an absolute FAVORITE in our house!! All of our non-vegan friends LOVE it as well!! Thank you so very much for all of your recipes!! They are ALL FABULOUS!!!
Michelle! Thank you so much for this comment! I’ve been playing comment catch up and didn’t realize I had so many I hadn’t followed up on! Sorry about that. <3 I’m posting a new recipe today for vegan stuffed shells using this ricotta! Stay tuned. 😉