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I can already hear the comments, “Paula, you eat cheese. Why are you making vegan ricotta?” Because it’s delicious that’s why. 🙂 And with only 3 ingredients, not only is my Light and Creamy Vegan Ricotta scrumptious, it couldn’t be easier to make. Yes please…
Just like brown rice, I used to side-eye faux dairy products. But lately I’ve come to discover that homemade vegan ‘dairy’ is not at all pretentious. In fact, as I’ve been experimenting with more plant-based foods I’m finding it’s a great alternative.
Case in point, my Vegan Ricotta. Super nourishing and yum this spread is incredibly versatile and wonderfully uncomplicated.
I just love how the simple act of soaking raw nuts and blending them with a little lemon juice and garlic creates such a moreish spread. Having said that, make sure you leave out the salt. It completely changes the taste and texture of the ricotta – and not for the better. Yep, I learned this the hard way…
My Light and Creamy Vegan Ricotta can be used in a variety of ways. Think, vegan cheese platter, or vegetarian cannelloni. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. I just can’t wait to share some of the ways I like to serve it up.
Now you don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to enjoy my Vegan Ricotta. Trust me, I don’t know anyone more cynical than me when it comes to this topic. By which I mean; foods masquerading as other foods.
But I love when I’m proven wrong. It means I’m learning something and this makes me almost as happy as a yummy plate of food. 😉
Delicious, creamy, and unexpected. Give my Vegan Ricotta a go and hit me up in the comments with your thoughts.
Light and Creamy Vegan Ricotta
Makes around 300g
1 cup raw cashews
3 cups of cold water (tap or filtered)
the juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic (peeled)
Method:
- Start by soaking your cashews. Place your cup of raw cashews into a large clean glass bowl with the 3 cups of water. Cover and set aside to soak for at least 4 hours. Soaking overnight gives the best results
- When you’re ready to make the ricotta drain the cashews of all the water and place them in a small food processor. Now add your lemon juice and garlic.
- Blend ingredients on high until you have a thick, creamy consistency. This can take around 5 minutes or so depending on the strength of your machine. The mixture will go through several different stages but will eventually become completely smooth – so keep blending.
You can either store your Vegan Ricotta in a clean glass jar in the fridge or:
Follow these steps to create a ‘cheese wheel’:
- Line a small dome shaped container with a generous amount of cling wrap. Make sure it overhangs the container.
- Place your vegan ricotta into the cling wrap-lined container, packing it down as you go until full.
- Now, cover the top of the ricotta using the overhanging cling film and pop the container in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.
- When you’re ready to serve take it out of the fridge and open the top of the cling film to expose the ricotta. Turn your container upside down onto a serving platter and carefully remove the bowl, then the cling film to reveal the delicious Vegan Ricotta wheel.
