Ricotta cheese is such a wonderful, delicately flavored staple so it is hard to abandon when eating a plant based diet. I’ve tried Kite Hill brand store bought vegan ricotta and I love it, but at $8 per 8 oz. container, it’s not something I keep on hand. Making it at home is simple and equally delicious, just a bit more effort to make it than buy it, of course.
This is such a simple, lovely recipe that works well in sweet and savory applications; either with lemon and honey whipped into cake frosting or with Italian herbs and spices in traditional pasta recipes. Or use as-is as a tangy spread on toast with strawberries and balsamic glaze and pepper.
Below are instructions to make this recipe starting with raw, unsalted almonds, but you can skip the soaking and peeling by purchasing slivered almonds. Doing it from scratch is a bit less expensive, but slightly more time consuming.
A high speed blender works very well, but I prefer using the food processor to keep the ricotta from getting too pureed. The food processor provides a fluffier product.
Making ricotta at home using almonds is much healthier and easier than regular dairy ricotta and saves a considerable amount of money over store bought vegan ricotta.
You may notice the calories are slightly higher than skim or low-fat dairy ricotta, however there is a significant reduction in sodium and saturated fat, which are highly inflammatory and contribute to obesity. Additionally, almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E, magnesium, protein and healthy unsaturated fatty acids.
You can use the ricotta right away, but is better after being refrigerated overnight. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days; do not freeze.
Vegan Almond Ricotta (Base)
Delicious, tangy, fluffy vegan almond ricotta.
- 1 1/4 cup blanched, soaked almonds
- 5 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3/4 cup water
- salt, to taste
To blanch and skin the almonds:
Add almonds to boiling water for 1 minute.
Strain almonds in colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Blot with a towel to dry.
Squeeze the skins off of the almonds and return to a clean bowl. Soak for 2 hours in clean water.
To make the ricotta
Drain and rinse the almonds and add to a food processor or high speed blender.
Add additional ingredients and process until mixed and fluffy. Scrape down sides as needed and adjust salt/seasonings to taste.
- Skip the blanching and soaking process by purchasing slivered almonds, which are already skinned and soaked.
- For use in a sweet application, such as dessert, use this recipe as written as a base. Refrigerate over night and add any additional flavors like lemon, lavender, honey, etc. according to your recipe.
- For use in a savory application, such as lasagna, add 1-2 additional tbsp of nutritional yeast for additional cheesy flavor. Add seasoning and herbs like garlic powder and parsley to taste.
