Get ready, I’ve worked hard on tweaking this recipe to make the best vegan ricotta! If you are in need of a dairy-free ricotta, this one is for you. This vegan almond ricotta recipe has become a staple in my cooking. Not only is it an extremely easy recipe, but it is the perfect replacement for traditional ricotta if you need to eliminate dairy. It took me a while of tweaking to perfect it to our liking, and now it’s a go-to recipe in my home. It aligns with a plant based diet and can be used in a variety of recipes.

I made this for a large family gathering full of people who are far from vegan, and they absolutely loved it. Afterwards, I received several requests for my homemade almond ricotta recipe.

One of my favorite ways to use it is in my Butternut Squash flatbreads. This almond ricotta recipe could also be used to make vegan stuffed shells, lasagna, or anything other recipe that calls for ricotta cheese. Even though this is a vegan recipe, you can also use it as one of your base ingredients in many other recipes. I love making a big batch and using it for various recipes throughout the week!

A few notes and tips on making this vegan ricotta cheese recipe:

Like many recipes, the ingredients in this recipe can be adjusted to taste. It uses simple ingredients that are pantry staples in our home. I have listed the recipe exactly how we like it after many attempts and tweaks.

Blending Almond Ricotta Recipes for Best Results with a High-Speed Blender

You can use any high speed blender or food processor. I have not yet tested with my immersion blender, but I imagine it would work just as well. You’re just looking for a smooth texture, blended enough that there are no gritty almond pieces left. If it’s too gritty, you could try adding a tiny amount of water, or more nut milk. Just add small amounts at a time until you reach the right consistency. I actually use a Magic Bullet and it works perfectly.

Oat Milk is the Perfect Plant Based Milk to make a Creamy Ricotta

I tried all the plant based milks. For our taste, almond milk was too… overkill. Coconut milk threw off the flavor. You get the idea. Oat milk (plain, not flavored) proved to be the best, in my opinion, for this plant based ricotta recipe because of its general lack of strong flavor and the creaminess it brings to the recipe. Some recipes I’ve read use a cup of water, but I felt like it made it too runny, less creamy, and lacked flavor. Using oat milk is definitely our favorite way to do this recipe.

Using Blanched Almonds is Key for a Creamy Almond Ricotta

This recipe uses blanched almonds. This eliminates the need to soak the almonds overnight before using them to make a creamy recipe like this one. I buy blanched slivered almonds at our local Publix, and you can also get them on Amazon if you’re having trouble finding them near you.

Nutritional Yeast Provides the “Cheesy” Flavor for this Creamy Vegan Cheese

I love using nutritional yeast in any recipe that would normally have cheese. At first glance, you might be turned off by it’s resemblance to flaky fish food, but give it a chance! I found that 3 teaspoons was the perfect amount for our liking, but if you’re hesitant the first time you try it, add less. One of my favorite rules in cooking is, “You can always add more but you can’t take it back!”

Lemon Juice Provides the Acidity for the Ricotta, and Garlic Powder Kicks the Flavor up a Notch

Fresh squeezed lemon juice is always best. If you don’t like things too tangy, start with less lemon juice and adjust to your taste. If you like things extra tangy, try adding a bit of lemon zest as well! The garlic power is essential to the flavor in this recipe, but again, can be adjusted to taste.

How Long Does Vegan Almond Ricotta Keep?

I like to store my finished ricotta in a large jar or glass pyrex container. Any airtight container should work just fine. I have found that the ricotta will keep for 5-6 days in the refrigerator, but by then we’ve normally used it all up!

In fact, I love to make this ahead of time, because it tastes even better the next day after it has had time to refrigerate for a while. I don’t recommend using it just at room temperature.

Uses for Vegan Ricotta Recipes

This recipe is enough to make about 4 medium-large flatbreads. I based the amount on that because that was my original use for wanting to perfect this recipe. However, I normally make a double batch. Once we make flatbreads, we normally end up having left over roasted vegetables and flatbreads, so we need extra vegan ricotta on hand to have left-overs for dinner!

Other uses for this vegan ricotta include:

vegan lasagna
any pasta that typically has regular ricotta
white pizza vegan style
Crustinis with various toppings
any other recipes that use ricotta cheese

Other tweaks you can make to this recipe:

Flavor it up for different uses with fresh herbs like fresh basil
Try soy milk
For more acidity, try adding white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Add more nutritional yeast for a more cheesy flavor
Add black pepper if you like a more peppery taste
Add more sea salt to taste
Sweeten it up with a tad bit of maple syrup

This vegan almond ricotta cheese is so good, you won’t miss the real thing. It’s the real deal vegan alternative to regular ricotta cheese for those avoiding dairy products, or just wanting to try something new. I think you’ll find this to be a very easy almond ricotta to make, and the final result will yield rave reviews! I hope you love it as much as we do! Let me know in the comments.