This tofu ricotta is so easy to make and tastes amazingly close to the ‘real thing’. It’s perfect spread on crackers, baked into a lasagna, or as a filling for stuffed shells or cannelloni.
When you want to make some vegan ricotta but realize you don’t have any nuts on hand then it’s tofu to the rescue!
We already have a divine recipe for a vegan ricotta made with almonds so this tofu ricotta is a perfect alternate for those with nut allergies or just when you happen to have tofu on hand but no nuts.
You can use this ricotta in your vegan cannelloni or vegan stuffed shells or layer it in your vegan lasagna.
It really does taste amazingly close to traditional ricotta cheese, but with no dairy in sight. So it’s an all round perfect alternative that you can use in place of regular ricotta anywhere, and it’s high in protein too.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Ingredient Notes
- Nutritional yeast – this just adds a cheesy flavor. We used the flakes and not the powder.
- Lemon juice – should ideally be freshly squeezed for the best flavor.
- Firm tofu – you can use firm or extra firm tofu and it does not need to be pressed first.
How To Make Tofu Ricotta – Step By Step
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add crushed garlic to a bowl with fresh lemon juice and let it soak for 5 minutes.
- Add the tofu to a bowl and mash it with a fork.
- Add the mashed tofu, garlic and lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, oregano, onion powder, sea salt and black pepper to the food processor. Pulse it until the ingredients are well combined but the texture is still chunky.
- Serve topped with ground black pepper and a sprinkle of oregano with crackers or crusty bread on the side.
Chef’s Tips
Soak the raw garlic in the lemon juice. This takes the bite out of the raw garlic while keeping all the flavor.
Pulse it in the food processor. Don’t let the food processor run, you don’t want this to turn into a paste. Just pulse it a few times until your ricotta is chunky.
Make it without tofu. If you don’t eat tofu, then try our almond ricotta that is made with slivered almonds.
Recipe FAQ
You can serve it as a dip or spread, along with crackers or crudités, or dollop it on top of a vegan pizza before baking. It’s also wonderful baked into recipes like vegan lasagna, vegan stuffed shells or vegan cannelloni.
Keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy it within 5 days.
This freezes super well! In fact the texture may even get better after freezing and thawing. Freeze it in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and enjoy as usual.
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
- Vegan Camembert
- Vegan Cheese Ball
- Vegan Cottage Cheese
- Vegan Cream Cheese
- Vegan Cheddar Cheese
- Sliceable Cashew Cheese
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Tofu Ricotta
Ingredients
- 1 Clove Garlic Crushed
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice Freshly Squeezed
- 14 ounces Firm Tofu (400g)
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Add the crushed garlic to a bowl with fresh lemon juice and let it soak for 5 minutes.
- Add the tofu to a bowl and mash it with a fork.
- Add mashed tofu, garlic and lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, oregano, onion powder, sea salt and black pepper to the food processor. Pulse it until the ingredients are well combined but the texture is still chunky.
- Serve topped with ground black pepper and a sprinkle of oregano with crackers or crusty bread.
Notes
- Storing: Keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy it within 5 days.
- Freezing: This freezes super well! In fact the texture may even get better after freezing and thawing. Freeze it in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and enjoy as usual.
Excellent tofu ricotta recipe, dear Alison, and so easy to make! I used it in vegan lasagna and it turned out perfectly! Yum, yum. Thanks so much for a keeper recipe! 💖 Franny
Awesome! Thanks so much Franny!
Made this for first time and put most of it into a vegan lasagne. Great texture and so quick and easy to make. Was approved of by all! I felt I could still slightly taste the tofu taste though, so next time I am going to slightly increase the flavourings and taste test as I go. I think the tofu we get from the local markets here in indonesia is slightly stronger tasting than supermarket tofu which is probably the reason. Thank you again for another winner recipe!
Hi Mo, yes definitely feel free to increase the flavorings! Thanks so much for the great comment and review.
I made this the other day, but now realize I left out the olive oil. (forgot to write it on the card), but it tasted just like the real thing anyhow! I had another recipe with only 3-4 ingredients but wanted more flavor and wow it was amazing in my own version of eggplant lasagna!
Thanks for a keeper!
Awesome Gina! So glad to hear it worked well even without the olive oil! Thanks for the awesome review!
Extremely easy and quick.
I didn’t add oregano as I was using the ricotta to stuff mushrooms. Added 2 finely chopped scallions instead after pulsing. Crumbed and cooked the stuffed mushrooms in the Halogen convection oven.
Absolutely scrumptious !
Yet another “wonderful” recipe, thank you 😊
That sounds divine! Thanks so much for sharing Alison! 🙂
Love this recipe! I’m vegetarian, but I was thrilled to be able to use this to make spinach and ‘ricotta’ cannelloni for friends. It worked really well. And it’s also great since as I’ve always got tofu in the fridge.
Thanks Sharron!
Hi. This look delicious. You don’t mention pressing the tofu. Is that a given, that you always press the tofu, or does the recipe call for a more moist tofu? Thanks.
Hi Denise, there is no need to press the tofu in this recipe, so long as your tofu is firm or extra firm. 🙂