Vegan Tofu Ricotta
It doesn’t get any more simple or delicious for dairy free cheese than this! I first tried vegan tofu ricotta recipe one Christmas with my family. I was rolling out and cutting some fresh made pasta for lasagna and also making eggplant rollatini and needed an easy alternative to dairy ricotta that didn’t have a long list of weird ingredients.
Italian Holiday Traditions
Growing up I spent holidays with both my Mom’s and Dad’s family which, while both big and fun, meant an over-abundance of food. My Dad’s side is 100% Italian so Christmas Eve, Christmas, the day after Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are memories of fun with cousins aunts and uncles around lots of fish, poultry, and of course pasta and cheese.
More ingrained in my memory are Christmas Eve’s with my Dad’s parents at our house. Lasagna was standard and something I always looked forward to! My mom’s whole family even still talks about my grandmother’s famous eggplant as well (among other dishes).
A Dairy-Free Italian Alternative
As a dairy-free (now, due to asthmatic reactions) and intuitive eating dietitian, I want to continue to honor my family’s traditions. So, to enjoy the dishes we have all always loved, I removed the dairy from our feast as for the first time my family celebrated Christmas at my house. And with no complaints – the first time my in-laws tried this ricotta alternative, we didn’t tell them, and they had NO idea.
Top Ways to Enjoy Vegan Tofu Ricotta
While this easy tofu ricotta can obviously replace dairy ricotta in any pasta dish, here are some other ways to enjoy it!
- In dollops on pizza. Try my garbanzo flatbread recipe.
- Mixed with red sauce over veggie noodles
- On a sprouted grain toast for breakfast or a snack
- Mixed with buffalo cauliflower and mushrooms to stuff a vegan calzone
- Inside eggplant rollatini
- With honey and cinnamon mixed in rather than the basil, oregano and nutritional yeast
Tofu Ricotta (V, DF, GF)
Vegan Tofu Ricotta
Ingredients
- 1 package extra firm tofu
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large cloves of garlic
- ½ small lemon, juiced
- ½ cup fresh packed basil
- ½ tbsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or high quality blender and pulse for 10-15 seconds, stopping to remove mixture from sides.
- Serve with your favorite Italian recipes that call for ricotta.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this! Love the taste of it so much (on absolutely anything), totally tastes like actual ricotta – and tbh, I think even better because of the lemon, herbs, and garlic! Also couldn’t be easier to make and keeps well. Can’t ask for much more! 🙂
Thank you so much for your feedback! I’m so happy you enjoy it as much as we do!
Any suggestions on how to make without the oil? Would just skipping it and adding a little liquid work? I thought about apple sauce but not sure how much it may affect the taste. Any thoughts? Thanks so much!!
You can absolutely make it without the olive oil and just retain extra liquid from the tofu container. If you prefer a smooth texture, you may want to go with a less firm tofu, but then consider that it it will be lower in protein.