Vegan Almond Ricotta Cheese made with slivered almonds, vinegar, yogurt, water and salt. So easy and tastes so authentic and like True Food Kitchen’s ricotta cheese! It is creamy, smooth, rich, thick and heavenly.
VEGAN ALMOND RICOTTA CHEESE
Does the fact that ricotta cheese is made with dairy stop me from creating the most amazing, authentic vegan ricotta? Nope. It’s fantastic and so real that I was giddy with how delicious it turned out, all without any oil either. I sneakily asked a close reader to taste test it yesterday to see if she thought it was just as good as we did. She said “spot on” and loved it. Vegan almond ricotta for the win.
We love the vegan almond ricotta cheese at the restaurant, True Food Kitchen, so that was the inspiration here. And, I’m happy to report, that it tastes even better. It has more flavor. I knew I had a winner.
The great thing about this Vegan Ricotta Cheese is that it has no nutritional yeast.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
For this Vegan Almond Ricotta Cheese you will only need 5 ingredients total, including the salt/water: (exact measurements and details on the recipe card below)
- raw, slivered almonds
- plain coconut or soy yogurt (or whatever you like as long as it is not sweetened/flavored)
- white vinegar (key to the best cheesy flavor, as evidence in my Best Vegan Queso and my Cream Cheese Alfredo)
- salt
- water
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN RICOTTA CHEESE
Tip: You will need a food processor for this, a blender will not work, not even a vitamix because of the small amount of water used. Trying to use a blender will yield gritty ricotta and trying to add more water to compensate will yield a really bland taste, so a processor is a must here.
Step 1: Add the almonds to a large bowl and cover completely with boiling water. You must use boiling water here. Soak for a minimum of 6-8 hours or simply overnight.
Step 2: Add the soaked almonds to a food processor along with the yogurt, water,white vinegar and salt. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
This is how the texture should look. Smooth and creamy with a classic ricotta texture, but not gritty.
The combo of the vinegar and yogurt give it the perfect subtle ricotta cheese flavor. I love ricotta because it is a subtle cheese flavor, unlike mozzarella or other cheeses, yet the amazing creamy, thick texture makes it such a delicious addition to so many dishes.
WAYS TO USE VEGAN RICOTTA CHEESE
- Now, one amazing way is to use this vegan ricotta on pizza, of course!
- My favorite way to use it is in these Vegan Stuffed Ricotta Shells with Spinach.
- Spread the cheese on toast and add green onions for a delicious breakfast.
- Add dollops of the ricotta over pasta for a delicious cheesy touch!
HOW TO USE VEGAN RICOTTA ON PIZZA
Before baking…add desired toppings or any veggies you like. I usually don’t like too many toppings, olives and basil or spinach. I wanted basil but when I went to Kroger, they had NO basil, can you believe that? Weird. So, I used spinach instead. Still yummy. I always use my favorite 5 minute pizza sauce.
BAKED and delicious.
The first bite into that delicious smooth and creamy ricotta had both my daughter and I so happy! I mean, look at that texture.
MORE VEGAN CHEESE RECIPES TO TRY
- Vegan Pimento Cheese
- Smoky Black Pepper Cream Cheese
- Baked Smoky Cashew Cheese
- Baked Herbed Cashew Cheese
- Easy Vegan Mexican Cheese Sauce
- Nut-free Fat-free Vegan Cheese Sauce
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If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Almond Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients
- You will absolutely need a food processor to make this cheese, a blender will not work.
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) SKINLESS slivered almonds (not whole!)
- 5 tablespoons (75g) HOT water
- 2 teaspoons (10g) white vinegar
- 6 tablespoons (90g) unsweetened plain dairy-free yogurt (I like the So Delicious plain coconut yogurt, as well as the Kite Hill almond plain yogurt, both are SO good.)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- optional for extra tang: 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
NOTE
- If you absolutely cannot find a plain, unsweetened yogurt anywhere you live, you can try a vegan sour cream. OR sub for full-fat coconut milk, starting with 2 tablespoons and adjusting only if needed.
- I use this food processor
Instructions
- You will need a food processor for this, a blender will not work, not even a vitamix because of the small amount of water used. Trying to use a blender will yield gritty ricotta and trying to add more water to compensate will yield a really bland taste, so a processor is a must here.
- Add the almonds to a large bowl and cover completely with boiling water. You must use boiling water here. Soak for a minimum of 6-8 hours or simply overnight. You MUST soak them this long and do not try to rush this step by doing a quick 30 minute boil. Since so little liquid is used to blend up the almonds, the long soak is required. This is what will yield a richer, flavorful ricotta, as opposed to having to add a bunch of water to get it soft during blending.
- After soaking the almonds, drain and rinse them and add them to a food processor.
- Process the almonds into small pieces, but not fully. Add the 5 tablespoons hot water, vinegar, yogurt, salt and process until it resembles ricotta and scraping the sides several times, as needed. It will seem too dry at first, but keep processing until it is smooth and no longer crunchy bits of almond remain. Please understand that food processors can greatly vary in both size and power, so yours may take several minutes to get smooth. You just simply need to be patient. Do NOT stop processing until it's smooth. The recipe works perfectly to get smooth if you do this. I literally let mine go a few minutes without stopping and it gets creamy and fluffy and perfect. Once it reaches the smooth texture, taste and if you desire more tang, add more yogurt or salt. If using the coconut milk, it will not taste as tangy or cheesy so you may want to add a tiny bit more vinegar if needed. The ricotta should be subtle but have a nice mild tangy cheesy flavor.
- To use this on pizza, just add it with your other toppings before baking. If you want it to stay thick and round, just use rounded spoonfuls. If you want it more flat or spread out, that works too, just press it down a bit before baking. It bakes lovely.
This is the absolute besttttt vegan ricotta cheese recipe I have ever made. I have been dairy free for 3 years and in search of a good vegan ricotta but never found one (I tried kitehill because I love their yogurt and some of their cream cheese but their ricotta did not taste authentic). This recipe actually taste like ricotta and that means a lot because I am extremely critical and hate almost all dairy free alternatives when it comes to cheese products. I baked this into my lasagna the other night and it baked perfectly (texture was great), my mom and boyfriend literally had no idea that it was not real ricotta. I added fresh basil, salt and pepper to the ricotta for the lasagna but it is delicious as is. Thank you so much for this recipe that has brought back a food that I have been missing! 🙂
Oh wow, you made my day Natalia!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this fantastic review, so glad it more than met your expectations!
This sounds amazing, but alas, I’m sensitive to almonds, cashews, and peanuts. Wondering if this might work with sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, or macadamias? Or can you think of another alternative?
Hi, im going to try making this what kind of vinegar do you use? apple cider? white? also a fermented amaranth provides a good tangy cheesy flavor, but takes time to make. i couldn’t find non dairy plain yogurt today without going to 2 stores, but i did find a cashew kefir at Trader Joes, so i will try that…
Hi Mary! It says white vinegar on the recipe, so that is what you will need to use. Just a white distilled vinegar.
This was awesome!!! I was skeptical because I have hated store bought vegan cheese and faux dairy products. Put this in lasagne and you could not tell the difference between this and the real thing! Thanks for a great recipe!!!
I’m so happy you loved it Erin!! Thank you for making it!
Just made this for Easter dinner to go in stuffed shells. My cousin and his gf are vegan and I’m trying make a meal where they have a main dish with everyone. It was very simple and tastes good. It does have a bit of a coconut flavour but I think that’s because I used cultured (unsweetened) coconut vs yogurt? Still tastes great and will add spices that will minimize the coconut taste. Can’t wait to serve and see the response. I doubled the recipe and it was fine. Can the extra be frozen?
Hi Nicole, so glad it was a hit! Yes, you do need to use the yogurt, the So Delicious unsweetened plain coconut yogurt is best and has zero coconut taste. Nobody has ever tasted coconut when I serve it. It just tastes like tangy yogurt. I’ve never tried freezing ricotta since we always use it right away, so I can’t say for sure!
Everything I hoped it would be! I used the full 4 tbsp of yogurt, I think it really needed it. I used it for a vegan white pizza, which is one of my all time favorite comfort foods and it was DELICIOUS. So glad to have it back in my life! I can’t wait to use it for stuffed shells next, thank you so much!!
So awesome to hear that Emma! Yes, I always use the 4 T as well!
What a great recipe ! I used your Ricotta and Pizza sauce recipes in a whole grain lasagne with spinach and zucchini… Fantastic flavor and texture.
Yay, so glad you loved it Roger! That sounds really delicious!! I’ve been meaning to try it in a lasagna since several readers are having success!
Hi Brandi. Just wanted to tell you that since first making this, it has become the most repeated recipe in my kitchen . Thank you so so much for giving us back our beloved Italian food.
I just made this ricotta and tried it on pizza…and it is amazing! So delicious! I ended up using 4 T. of the So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk yogurt and it was perfect…a subtle tangy flavor, and so, so good. Can’t wait to try this in lasagna! Thank you!
Yay, so thrilled you loved it so much Allyson! Yes, I always use the 4 T as well! Thank you for the lovely review!
That’s looks amazing! I can’t believe that I haven’t made the Pimento Cheese again.
Thank you Johanna!
I guess I need some suggestions! While the flavor of this ricotta is great I just can’t seem to make it smooth, like ricotta. It always has small pieces of almond to chew on. I have soaked the slivered almonds for over eight hours, and the second time even microwaved them in the soaking water at the end to make them more soft. I run my food processor for 20 plus minutes and it still won’t get smooth! I am using the Ninja Professional system which has a food processing attachment and am wondering if that’s the issue. Anyone have suggestions?
Hi Raquel! That’s very odd, I’m giessing it’s your food processor. I make it all the time and it’s always smooth. What size is your food processor?
I made this today and used it to make a roasted vegetable pizza….AMAZING…thank you!
Wow this looks AMAZING! All I could think of was a veggie calzone made with this in it! YUM
I made this today for friends for the first time and am so glad it worked out really well! I have a small little Oscar food processor so it was pretty full but I was able to to the whole recipe in it. I have to give credit to you for the very good directions–without your notes and exolanations on what might happen or how it would seem, I probably would have under-processed it and found it grittty and not good. I kept going until I got the fluffy texture and smoothness I was looking for. I was really impressed with it!!! My friends who I invited for lunch also really enjoyed it and were surprised that it was made from almonds (non-vegan) and that I MADE it myself (vegan friend who thought I bought it). WIN!!
This is such a keeper!! Thank you. Genius!
I just made this tonight, really great tasting. I used my Ninja food processor but it did not yield the ricotta consistency so I transferred it to a blender. I was afraid it would not come out as you indicated in the recipe but I simply pulsed it and it worked well. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Awesome, so glad you loved the recipe! Thank you for making it!
LOVE THIS RECIPE!!!! I’ve made it so many times, it’s defin become a family favorite 😍 One thing I wanted to know, if we wanted to make the cheese and fridgerate it for the following day (i.e. if I make the cheeese tonight but don’t make the meal until tomorrow night) how does the ricotta hold up? Is it okay to refrigerate it for the following night or does it need to be made and used the same night?
Can’t wait for your cookbook!
So happy to hear that Courtney!! Oh yes, it holds up perfectly in the fridge so you can definitely make it in advance 🙂
I made the vegan ricotta cheese for the stuffed shells this weekend. This by far was the very best recipe I have made since going wfpb in 2012. We have had them for 3 meals with 2 family members and everyone just loved the flavor. The flavor of the ricotta is deep, savory and very well suited for the shells. The pizza sauce was excellent as well. This was truly a big winner. Many thanks for your hard work in developing delicious recipes.
Wow, that is the best feedback ever, thank you so much for letting me know Judy!
It turned out great! I made lasagna today with spinach and mushrooms, and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Could I use cashews or other nuts in place of the almonds in this recipe?
Thanks!
This recipe is a game-changer for my plant based lasagna. I love your recipes!
Oh my! I’m waiting for my lasagna to come out of the oven. I tasted the ricotta and it is spot on! Thank you so much for developing such a great and wonderful cheese! Love following your recipes and I can’t wait to try the stuffed shells. Yummy!!
OMG you’ve done it again! This ricotta is fabulous! I’ve just made it for my manicotti tonight. I was going to cook the jumbo shells, but can’t find any locally that I know are GMO free. I love your recipes, Brandi! Thanks for having your page 🙂
*side note – I highly recommend for anybody making this to follow her instructions exactly. I started off with 2 Tbl of yogurt and finished off with about 3 for my liking.
So sorry…meant to give it 5 stars!!
I LOVED this recipe and it was super tasty. Even my meat eater friends loved it! Thanks so much for the tasty recipes you share all the time!!
That is awesome Tara, love hearing that it was a hit all around! Thank you for the feedback!
Thank you so much for this recipe!! I tried True Food Kitchen’s Butternut Squash Pizza a couple months ago and was obsessed with their almond ricotta. I emailed them asking for the recipe but they wouldn’t give it up. Your recipe is amazing and I just used it to recreate that pizza from True Food Kitchen….it was delicious! Can’t wait to try this ricotta in other recipes!
Woohoo! So glad it lived up to the True Food Kitchen’s Pizza, yay! Thank you AnnMarie for the wonderful review!
Brandi, your recipes are always good and always dependable. But THIS time you have outdone yourself!
It’s amazing to me how much this looks like ricotta! And it tastes great, too.
Last night I made cannelloni with spinach, spices and your ricotta If my family hadn’t known better they would have sworn they were eating an old favorite with dairy ricotta. I doubled your recipe and it was absolutely perfect.
I salute you, my ricotta queen.
Oh Sue, you have made my day! Thank you so much for the glowing review! I’m so very happy to hear how much you loved the ricotta cheese! Thank you Sue!