This weekend, Matt and I took some time off work to visit family in New York and Connecticut. Knowing my Italian-American family, it was no surprise that my mom made sauce, meatballs, and macaroni for dinner on Sunday night. Traditionally, we always have warm Italian bread, parmesan and ricotta cheese on the side too.
Growing up, my favorite way to eat ricotta cheese was cold and plopped right on top of my pasta, never mixing it in with the sauce. Warm ricotta just wasn’t my thing at the time (I barely even liked lasagna… I was weird!).
I’ve never seen vegan ricotta cheese at the store so Matt and I challenged ourselves to come up with our own vegan ricotta cheese recipe that tasted like what we remembered from my mom’s house.
We usually use cashews in everything cheesy but almonds added a milder taste that we really loved for this vegan ricotta cheese. The recipe we came up with uses almonds, tofu, and non-dairy yogurt to create a creamy, tangy, ricotta flavor that pairs perfectly with tomato sauce and pasta.
Delicious and simple vegan ricotta cheese made with soaked almonds, tofu and non-dairy yogurt.
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 3.5 ounces extra-firm tofu (1/4 of a 14 oz block - pressed)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (we used So Delicious Dairy Free Coconut Milk Yogurt)
- 1 clove fresh garlic
- 2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 leaves chopped basil (optional)
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Measure slivered almonds into a large bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for at least 30 minutes, or until soft. Drain remaining water once done soaking.
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Meanwhile, press the tofu in a tofu press or by wrapping in paper towels and setting a heavy pan on top for 15 minutes, changing out the paper towels halfway through.
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Add all ingredients into a food processor. Pulse and process, scraping down sides when needed, until smooth and thick.
This recipe makes about 2 cups of ricotta.
Mary
Do you drain the water from the almonds before putting them in the blender, or include it?
pasta-based
Hi Mary,
Drain first – updating the recipe now. Nice catch!
Erica
Really good with the basil. I dont like tofu but it works!
pasta-based
Thanks for the review, Erica! We’re so happy that you liked it – we happen to be making some right now 🙂
yali
Hey it looks great ! do you think i will be able to replace the almond in almond meal instead ? my blender is not strong enough..
pasta-based
It could work but I haven’t tried using almond meal yet. The almonds lend a little bit of the chunky texture so I wouldn’t over-process it.
Maria
Hi! Is there anything I can use for the almond ricotta cheese besides yogurt? Vegan unsweetened yogurt is hard to find and super expensive where I live. Thank you!
pasta-based
Hi Maria! I would omit the yogurt completely if you can’t find it near you. It might taste slightly different but it will still be yummy.
Erin
Hi! This looks great, can’t wait to try it. Quick question are the almonds raw? We have been headed toward being Vegan for a while, but every great recipe I come across calls for raw nuts, here in my area, unfortunately, the store does not carry them so I would have to order them.
pasta-based
Hi Erin, yes the recipe uses raw blanched almonds (without the skin). Maybe you can try asking the store management to order raw, unsalted nuts for you? You can use raw cashews for the recipe too.
Cat Armato
This looks fantastic! Any idea how long it will keep in the fridge?
pasta-based
It should be okay for 7-10 days!
JoAnn M Lakes
Okay, I’m going to try making with raw almond flour and homemade vegan yogurt. I’m also going to add a couple of probiotic capsules and let it age maybe 6-8 hours when I make my second batch to check it out for flavor. I know I’m a pain but I just can’t leave a good recipe alone. By the way, I really enjoy your blogs. I am a former CT native transplanted on the SW shore of FL. I miss great Italian food!!!!
pasta-based
Hi JoAnn,
I hope it worked out for you! Good to see someone else with CT roots. I was just in Miami on a work trip, so it was nice to get some warmer weather than it is in Colorado right now!
Jack @ BBQ Recipez
Your recipe is much easier than i thought. Have you ever tried to make another version of it by adding two types of tofu (soft and firm) to make it creamy!? I think it isn’t a bad idea!
pasta-based
I haven’t tried that, yet! Sounds amazing. Thanks for the comment!
Jan
Can you use whole almonds? How about unsweetened almond milk?
pasta-based
Hi Jan, blanch the almonds first to remove the skins. Unsweetened almond milk wouldn’t work for this recipe. Thanks!
Robert Liquori
Hi,
Can u make a lasagna with this cheese?
Will it stand up to cooking?
Thank u.
pasta-based
Yes of course, we use it in lasagna all the time.