Recently, I started eating primarily vegan lunches as a way to lower my cholesterol and to be heart-healthy. My vegan cooking repertoire is limited, so I was happy when my friend Nancy of Adventures with Nancy Rose offered to come over and cook with me. I'm fortunate to know so many wonderful, generous people in the food blogging community. I knew my day with Nancy was going to be fun because she has a kind heart and a wicked sense of humor. And I knew the food was going to be delicious because I enjoy the food that Nancy brings to the Food Bloggers Los Angeles meetings and to Camp Blogaway. The hard part was narrowing down what we were going to cook because Nancy knows so many recipes after being a vegetarian for 25 years. We focused on a lunch menu.
Our cooking date was off to a great start when Nancy walked in my house with homemade limoncello as a gift.
Then, we gabbed, cooked, ate as we went along, and gabbed some more. Here's the incredible lunch that we made, and everything was delicious. I am so excited to expand my healthy, vegan lunch options.
Today I am sharing the recipe for Vegan Almond Ricotta because I love the creamy texture, and this recipe is full of flavor. Nancy got the recipe from Miyoko Schinner, who wrote the cookbook Artisan Vegan Cheese,
which is the bible for vegan cheese-making. I can't believe how quick and simple this recipe is to make once the nuts are soaked. The ricotta is everything you want a soft spread to be: fresh, creamy, and flavorful. This recipe is a dream come true for anyone like me who can't digest dairy but loves soft cheese.
The fun part was finding ways to enjoy the ricotta. It can be used any way that ricotta and soft cheese are used. Nancy and I enjoyed spreading the ricotta on baguette slices and crackers. We actually liked the ricotta best right out of the blender, so no need to wait for it to chill.
Later, I used the ricotta to make Butternut Squash Lasagna and Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce. Heaven. Then Nancy had this idea to try this ricotta in a sweet noodle kugel. To do so, we'll need to leave the basil and garlic out next time so that the ricotta can be used in a different direction. Nancy and I have another delicious project waiting.
Butternut Squash Lasagna With Vegan Almond Ricotta
| Vegan Almond Ricotta (Dairy-free) | Print |
- 2 cups raw, whole almonds or blanched almonds (soaked overnight)
- 5-¼ cups filtered water, divided
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- A few squeezes of fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup fresh basil, sliced thinly
- Put almonds and 4 cups of water in a glass bowl and cover. Soak overnight for 8 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse almonds. If the almonds have their skins on, pinch each one firmly to slip off the skins, and discard the skins.
- In a high-powdered blender (like a Vitamix), place the almonds, garlic, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and 1 cup of water. Process on high, scraping down the sides as needed. Blend until the ricotta is creamy and fluffy, but still slightly grainy, like dairy ricotta. Add a little more water (about ¼ cup) if needed to achieve a texture that is almost smooth.
- Transfer ricotta to a bowl and stir in the basil. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Let me know in the comments section what ideas you have for enjoying this delicious vegan ricotta.
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sharon sessler says
It is awesome to make something more wholesome than animal cheese, with less suffering, health consequences, and environmental impact in the process. I recommend leaving out the nutritional yeast and up the amount of lemon juice to 4 Tbsp to fully coagulate, and adding raw garlic is not a great idea unless you consume the cheese within a day, otherwise it puts off-flavors to what should taste like just clean cheese in my opinion. Also raw garlic if not consumed within a week or two can grow botulism, which is no Joke and a serious health risk. But all said, almond ricotta is the closest to cow-pus-milk, without all the horrible things associated with factory farming. Kudos for posting this recipe.
Hinda says
Plant strong!
Jack @ BBQ Recipez says
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!
Dana says
Glad to hear the recipe was easy. You have an interesting idea for making vegan ricotta with soy- I hope it turns out well.
Susan Hatzel says
Maybe my expectations were too high, but this didn't turn out much like dairy ricotta, in my opinion. I think I'm going to give up on vegan "cheese" that tastes and cooks like dairy cheese.
Dana says
Sorry to hear that the recipe didn’t meet your expectations. I agree that vegan cheese isn’t identical to dairy cheese. However, I do find this recipe to have a nice, smooth consistency and pleasant neutral taste, so I think it works well mixed with other ingredients. For example, if you make toast, spread on the ricotta cheeze, and top with something like fruit and balsamic vinegar, then the ricotta cheeze gives you that creamy layer that the dish needs. Another thought I have is that once I made this recipe with nuts that I had lying around a bit too long, and then I didn’t like how the cheeze came out. So another tip is to buy from a source that has a good turnover of ingredients to make sure that the nuts are fresh.
Carole says
Could you make ricotta with store bought Silk unsweetened almond milk?
Dana says
I haven't make ricotta with almond milk, so I'm not sure how that would turn out. I'm worried that there wouldn't be enough fat solids for that method to work, but I'm curious to know what would happen. Please let me know if you try it!
Katie says
Hi,
I'm ridiculously excited about this. My question is have you ever tried to make a large batch and freeze some for use at a later date?
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
I wish I had the answer, but I have not tried freezing it. Please let me know if you do and how it goes.
liz says
I made this last night for a baked ziti. Its really good! Normally I make my ricotta with tofu but wanted to try with the almonds. I think I like it better! Thanks for the recipe!
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
So glad to hear how well the almond ricotta worked in a baked dish. Sounds delicious.
Gillian Boardman says
I wrapped it in baked eggplant and baked it in a homemade tomato, garlic and her sauce and served with salad. Delicious.
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
Sounds delicious. I love hearing that it works so well in a baked application.
ShePaused4Thought says
This was absolutely delicious!
Soe Thein says
Wow this looks a lot easier than I thought. I will be making it sometime this week. I will let you know how it turns out 😀
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
Soe- this nut cheese recipe is great because as soon as you wiz a few ingredients in the blender, it's ready. It doesn't need to culture. You can even eat it before it chills. The easiest way to make this is with blanched almonds because then you don't need to go through the step of removing the skins. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Sabina says
could I use probiotic starter instead of nutritional yeast?. I have an allergy to yeast but love almond ricotta
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
You can leave out the nutritional yeast; it just adds a bit of extra flavor. There is no rising involved. I have made the ricotta without the yeast, and it still comes out well. I'm not familiar with the starter you are talking about, so I can't comment on it.
Judy at Two Broads Abroad says
I'm a die hard ricotta fan and this sounds absolutely yummy. I wonder if I could use it in the many Italian dishes that I make? Thanks for this.
Dana says
Hi Judy- yes, if you need to make any of your dishes vegan (like for your niece), this almond "ricotta" will work in cold and hot dishes. The only thing I haven't tried yet is baking with it. Let me know if you experiment with it. Dana
Kathy says
I new at this has anyone baked it in the oven for lasagna
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
Yes, it works. I would bake it for less time until it is warm.
Nancy Rose Eisman says
I may not be very objective, but the almond "ricotta" really is delicious (and easy), and our day in the kitchen was a lot of fun. Ready for session 2 whenever you're ready!
Dana says
Yes, I definitely want to schedule session #2!
tastingpage says
I've been playing with almonds lately making milk and almond flour, so I'm excited to try this as well. Thanks for sharing!
Dana says
Hi Kelly- I'll ask you about making almond milk when I'm ready to try it. For this recipe pre-blanched almonds are a big time saver. Hope you like it.