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    Home » Recipes » Snacks

    June 7, 2017 99 Comments

    Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta

    5.7K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Check out this vegan version of ricotta cheese! In this recipe I use tofu to veganize this popular Italian cheese and it is unbelievably good! It is also so easy to make and can be used for anything from vegan lasagnas, to spreads, or as a topping for your yummy homemade vegan pizza, or on your favorite vegan pasta. 11 minute, creamy, dairy-free, nut-free, cheesy perfection. My Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta can be used anywhere traditional ricotta is used! Oh, vegan cheeses - you gotta love 'em!

    11 minute, creamy, dairy-free, nut-free, cheesy perfection. Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta can be used anywhere traditional ricotta is used! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    I was visiting my parents the other day and my mom asked if I could make a vegan ricotta recipe to go with dinner.

    "Sure!" I said. I have a cashew or a macadamia nut ricotta recipe already on the blog. But alas, the nut situation in mom's cupboard was a little grim. My vegan cooking brain started assessing the situation and I found a block of tofu, and told her I can make ricotta with that. Go vegan cooking brain!

    "Great, how long will that take?" She asked.

    I drummed my head and said "er.....11 minutes."

    "Oh, hahaha, ok, well I can wait for that then." said mom.

    When will she learn that my laziness in the kitchen means I want to get in and outta there as quickly as possible? My foodie mom not-so-secretly wishes I would take my blog from fuss-free vegan to fussy vegan. Not gonna happen, mom, not gonna happen. I'm a proud lazy cook!

    11 minute, creamy, dairy-free, nut-free, cheesy perfection. Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta can be used anywhere traditional ricotta is used! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Back to my Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta. This is an easy peasy lemon sneezy kinda recipe. Just the way I like 'em! I'm constantly blown away by the wonders of tofu. If you are afraid this is gonna be all weird and whatnot, never fear! When my parents tasted it, their eyebrows shot up in shock at its perfect ricotta deliciousness. Creamy, mild, garlic, onion, and lemon zing. YES!

    So now I have THREE ricotta recipes on my blog. I think it's fair to say I like vegan ricottas! See, isn't vegan cooking so much cooler? Instead of one boring store-bought product you can customize to your own taste preferences and ingredients. I believe the score is vegan: 18,392 to non-vegan: 0. (I'm not biased at all).

    Use this Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta anywhere you would use traditional ricotta. Serve as a snack with crackers, dollop onto pasta with tomato sauce, layer into lasagna, the possibilities are endless!

    11 minute, creamy, dairy-free, nut-free, cheesy perfection. Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta can be used anywhere traditional ricotta is used! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    How To Make Vegan Tofu Ricotta:

    Sauté your onions and garlic until translucent and have begun to brown.

    11 minute, creamy, dairy-free, nut-free, cheesy perfection. Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta can be used anywhere traditional ricotta is used! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Break the tofu into four pieces. Add to a food processor or blender. Add in the onions and garlic and all of the remaining seasonings. Blend until smooth and creamy. Only stop to scrape the sides as needed.

    11 minute, creamy, dairy-free, nut-free, cheesy perfection. Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta can be used anywhere traditional ricotta is used! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Print Recipe
    4.99 from 88 votes

    Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta

    11 minute, creamy, dairy-free, nut-free, cheesy perfection. Quick Vegan Tofu Ricotta can be used anywhere traditional ricotta is used! 
    Prep Time6 mins
    Cook Time5 mins
    Total Time11 mins
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    ingredient tag: tofu
    Servings: 6 (about ¼ cup per serving)
    Calories: 90kcal
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 yellow onion, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 block (350g) extra-firm tofu, drained
    • ¼ cup lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 1 tablespoon white miso paste
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    • Heat the oil in a skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add in the onion and garlic and sauté until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown. 
    • Break the tofu into four pieces and add it to a food processor (recommended) or blender. Add the sauté onions and garlic, along with all of the remaining seasonings. Blend until smooth and creamy stopping to scrape the sides as needed. If your ricotta is too thick, add 1 - 2 tablespoons of water as needed to reach desired consistency.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 90kcal
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam.


    Enjoyed this recipe? Try these:

    Macadamia Ricotta and Haskapa Crostini! This makes such a cute and easy vegan appetizer. Recipe for vegan macadamia ricotta, toast baguette slices, then top with a haskap berry relish! #itdoesnttastelikechicken

     

    « 25 Game-Changing Vegan Taco Recipes
    Vegan Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. sindy says

      September 14, 2018 at 10:20 am

      Can this be used in cake? I found a sweet peach cake recipe that calls for ricotta cheese and I'm trying to find an appropriate substitute and make it vegan. Not certain of the flavor profiles here and if this would work the same as regular ricotta!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 14, 2018 at 7:37 pm

        I haven't tried it myself but I don't think this would be the best substitution. It's very savoury and it won't melt like traditional ricotta would. I would recommend finding a vegan recipe for the peach cake. Best of luck!

        Reply
    2. stefanie says

      July 29, 2018 at 4:32 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely easy, fast and delicious! My new ricotto go-to! My husband who is a self-touted tofu hater, absolutely loved it, even just by tasting a spoonful... that speaks volumes 🙂 I added 2 long red chilis during the sautee phase to give a bit of a kick and it was awesome! Added it to a zucchini sheet lasagna along with the sauce and it was amazing and the perfect texture. Thank you so much for this!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        July 31, 2018 at 8:57 am

        So happy you enjoyed it, stefanie 🙂

        Reply
      • Patricia says

        April 01, 2020 at 7:36 pm

        This has nothing to do with
        Sam 's ricotta (which my crew loves)...how do you make zucchini lasagna?! I am forever trying to lower our carbs and love zucchini. How do you keep it from turning to mush? Currently on quarantine and have 4 zucchini!

        Reply
    3. Monica says

      March 28, 2018 at 1:16 pm

      5 stars
      Sam, this tofu ricotta is AMAZING. I have made it a few times now and even my moody, judgmental, "I don't want to eat tofu/vegan" teen liked it! I made veggie lasagna and she said it tasted like the "real lasagna". Of course, I'm like IT IS REAL lasagna! *eye roll* 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        March 30, 2018 at 9:55 am

        Bahahaah! Love it! Thrilled you are enjoying it so much, Monica 🙂

        Reply
    4. Robyn Scott says

      February 17, 2018 at 9:25 pm

      I am very sad to say that I found this just horrible - the umami flavors from the yeast and miso were WAY too overpowering, And there was about 4X too much lemon. I am a certified plant-based chef and am always looking to add recipes, but this one was a huge disappointment, Had to toss a whole lasagna because no one found it edible. I should have known better. Ricotta is clean and simple tasting, and this is much too complex to be a reasonable substitute. Even worse when mixed with tomato sauce - ugh! It is not ANYTHING resembling ricotta except in texture. Sad b/c I really wanted to love it. I am glad others enjoyed it. It has a unique interesting flavor but it ain't ricotta!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        February 18, 2018 at 3:56 pm

        Sorry you didn't enjoy it, Robyn. 🙁

        Reply
        • SloaneyD says

          February 21, 2018 at 9:49 pm

          Way to handle that nasty comment with class ‍♀️- big props to you for sharing your recipes on a freely accessible platform for us all to enjoy. Thank you!!!

        • Sam Turnbull says

          February 22, 2018 at 9:39 am

          Haha, thank you, and you're most welcome! It's my pleasure. 🙂

        • Amber says

          March 11, 2018 at 10:03 pm

          5 stars
          Sam, I think this ricotta is the bomb, especially I the cannelloni which was the first recipe I tried from your blog and have since made it over and over and is my go to meal when I have Omni company. I plan to make shells with it for an upcoming potluck filled with omnis too. ❤

        • Sam Turnbull says

          March 12, 2018 at 8:49 am

          Haha! That's awesome! Thrilled you enjoy it so much, Amber 🙂

      • Geneva Ayte says

        August 22, 2018 at 5:39 pm

        If you are a "certified plant-based chef", then having read the ingredients you should have been able to more or less predict the flavor and could have adjusted in advance instead of preparing and then disposing of an entire lasagna. I think you need to get a refund from whomever certified you.

        Reply
      • Rod says

        August 24, 2018 at 9:59 pm

        5 stars
        Very gracious reply to a distasteful comment. A simple, "wasn't my cup of tea" type of comment would have sufficed...

        Reply
        • Gina says

          March 20, 2019 at 4:37 am

          Actually her comment was very helpful to me because I came to the comments to find out if the miso paste was necessary as I thought it would give the ricotta a weird flavor and apparently I was right. I am not an expert on umami flavor but I’m pretty sure ricotta cheese does not have that. I think this recipe would work in certain recipes but not the one I’m intending it for. Thank you for posting!

      • Michael says

        March 28, 2019 at 6:56 am

        Robyn Scott, If you're a certified chef, and you knew it was 4x too much lemon why would you use that much? More than that, why would you make a big lasagna without trying it first to see how it tastes? I would think you would taste it when it was being made to see if you wanted to put it in. I've never known ANY chef who didn't sample all ingredients, especially those made from scratch, before adding them to something bigger. Don't blame Sam for your mistakes.

        Reply
    5. Meg says

      February 09, 2018 at 10:07 pm

      5 stars
      OMG! This is delicious. I used it in a vegan lasagna and no one knew they were not eating cheese. Thank you! You have a new fan 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        February 11, 2018 at 2:15 pm

        Hahahaha! Love it! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Sam says

      February 06, 2018 at 12:26 pm

      5 stars
      Love this! I am very new to Vegan cooking but I am trying to cook meals that I can make for everyone (my daughter is Vegan, son and husband are not). This was fantastic in a veggie lasagna! Much better flavor than the pan I made for my son and husband with ricotta!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        February 06, 2018 at 6:22 pm

        Haha wonderful!! So happy you enjoyed it. I'm all about making recipes that everyone will enjoy, vegan or not, so I hope you continue to find many more recipes to enjoy on my site or in my book 🙂

        Reply
    7. China says

      January 21, 2018 at 3:57 pm

      5 stars
      This was so delicious!!!!! Thank you!!!!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        January 24, 2018 at 12:02 pm

        You're welcome 🙂

        Reply
    8. Lovely says

      January 05, 2018 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      How long does this keep in fridge? I made this today and it's yummy!!!!

      Reply
    9. Kim Aubin says

      November 15, 2017 at 7:48 pm

      5 stars
      Soooo delicioous! The texture is PERFECT! Love it! I was preparing it to eat with pasta - but I am now thinking to eat it on bread for breakfast. One thing, my tofu block was almost 400 g. Excellent alternative. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Kim Aubin says

        November 15, 2017 at 7:50 pm

        Also, I put half lemon juice, I felt that it was a bit too much.

        Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 16, 2017 at 9:11 am

        Thrilled you love it so much, Kim! 😀

        Reply
    10. Anissa says

      November 08, 2017 at 4:51 pm

      Which one of the recipes resembles real ricotta the most? Taste and texture.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 09, 2017 at 11:28 am

        They are both pretty equal, but I would say the cashew is a little richer. 🙂

        Reply
    11. Deana says

      October 19, 2017 at 6:59 am

      Will make again, but with modification. I felt the lemon flavor overpowered it (and I like lemon) as I wanted to use in lasagna and don't want it tasting like lemon. Perfect texture though! Thank you so much for sharing this!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 19, 2017 at 9:42 am

        For sure, adjust to taste. Enjoy!

        Reply
    12. Srivani says

      October 02, 2017 at 7:53 pm

      5 stars
      This was so Sam-Easy! (New word, "sam-easy", meaning: easy, simple, delicious, specific to idtlc) And so delicious. I did use a butternut squash (because, well, no pumpkin) and added about 1 TBSP more curry since we LOVE curry dishes. Also added about a half can of chickpeas that were just sitting in the fridge yelling at me to use them (added after I used the hand-blender). The 9 month old boy LOVED this too. Thanks Sam!

      Reply
      • Srivani says

        October 03, 2017 at 10:39 am

        Oops... this is under the wrong recipe! Should be for the Pumpkin Cashew Curry. Anyway you can delete this Sam?

        Reply
        • Sam Turnbull says

          October 03, 2017 at 10:53 am

          Haha! Why would I delete such a lovely comment? Wrong recipe or not, I love the concept of Sam-Easy!! 🙂

      • Karry says

        January 12, 2021 at 12:08 am

        5 stars
        Omg. I just made this to put in to my lasagna and its sooooo good. I added italian seasoning as well and omg. It would be great as a bagel spread as well. I love it. Thanks so much

        Reply
    13. Dora says

      September 13, 2017 at 6:55 pm

      how much does it weight a block of tofu?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 14, 2017 at 9:09 am

        Great question! Mine was 350g, and I updated it in the recipe too 🙂

        Reply
    14. Srivani says

      June 24, 2017 at 1:25 pm

      5 stars
      I totally knew where this recipe was going before reading your mom's comment! I make a variation of this frequently (cannelloni or lasagna roll-ups), so I was quite excited to see what you had in store. Anyway, the ricotta is super simple and very tasty (signature Sam for sure). My daughter was licking the bowl after I made the cannellonis (so kid-friendly!).

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 26, 2017 at 9:47 am

        Hahaha! Love that! Love how you have become a mind reader as well 😉

        Reply
    15. Courtney says

      June 12, 2017 at 2:41 pm

      What size block of tofu do you use?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 13, 2017 at 9:36 am

        Mine was 350g 🙂

        Reply
    16. Lindsay says

      June 08, 2017 at 6:29 pm

      4 stars
      Add one to two tablespoons of ?.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 09, 2017 at 10:14 am

        So sorry about that! Fixed. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water....maybe one day I will be able to hire an editor! haha

        Reply
    17. Bethery says

      June 08, 2017 at 1:28 pm

      oh yeah, now you're talkin'. Sometimes ricotta recipes look the same as sour cream recipes. I'm gonna try this one.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 09, 2017 at 10:12 am

        Haha! I hope you like it. I have a vegan sour cream recipe in my cookbook, but it's very different that this recipe 🙂

        Reply
        • Bethery says

          June 09, 2017 at 12:04 pm

          Can't wait for the book.

        • Sam Turnbull says

          June 10, 2017 at 9:10 am

          Woohoo!!

    18. Gina Caracci says

      June 07, 2017 at 6:22 pm

      Sounds great! Are there any substitutes for the miso paste? Looking forward to making lasagna now!!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 08, 2017 at 9:31 am

        Miso paste gives an umami flavour to the cheese, there are no really good substitutions so I recommend picking some up. It keep for a looong time! Enjoy! 🙂

        Reply
    19. Kristen says

      June 07, 2017 at 12:41 pm

      Should I also press the tofu, or just drain the water from the package?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 07, 2017 at 2:04 pm

        No need to press, just drain excess water. 🙂

        Reply
        • Kristen says

          June 07, 2017 at 2:08 pm

          Thanks, Sam!

    20. Carolyn says

      June 07, 2017 at 11:15 am

      5 stars
      And then I made cannelloni with a simple tomato sauce. Yum, excellent and just as good as my favourite restaurant version. Lemony but clean tasting and fast eating. Thank you Sammie. (that's what I call her)

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 07, 2017 at 11:19 am

        Mom! Shhhhhh.... you're giving away the surprise of Sunday's post! Haha.

        Reply
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