Dairy-free Ricotta ‘Cheese’
A cheesy, creamy Dairy-free Ricotta ‘Cheese’ recipe that you’ll be making again and again. This simple ricotta cheese recipe is creamy and nutty and even has a cheesy taste from the added nutritional yeast.
Sometimes you just need a little cheese
As I’ve said before, I’m not a huge fan of re-creating dairy products. If something calls for yogurt, sour cream, or cream cheese, I’ll either sub my favorite canned coconut milk or nix the recipe. Often when recreating something you can’t eat (whether it be an allergy/intolerance/elimination diet) it just makes you crave the food you can’t eat even more! That being said, sometimes I’ll make an exception. This Dairy-free Ricotta ‘Cheese’ is one exception.
It really tastes like cheese
Can it be true? Cashews and nutritional yeast can truly create creamy cheesy ricotta. To get the cashews creamy, we soak them for an hour OR for a quicker version we boil them for 5-7 minutes. Once the cashews are soft, into the food processor they go! Nice and creamy cashews make for the perfect ricotta ‘cheese’!
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Creating a dairy-free ricotta
In a mixing bowl add the raw cashews and enough warm water to cover the cashews. Let sit for an hour to soften the nuts. OR place the raw cashews in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover the nuts. Heat over medium-high heat until they boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue a soft boil for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain the cashews using a colander. Place the softened cashews in a food processor. Add the water, nutritional yeast, freshly squeezed lemon juice, minced garlic, onion powder, and sea salt. Pulse a few times, scrape down the sides, then process for 20-30 seconds until the ricotta is nice and smooth. Use right away, or place in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed (about 1 Tbsp lemon juice)
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup water
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In a mixing bowl add the raw cashews and enough warm water to cover the cashews. Let sit for an hour to soften.
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OR
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Place the raw cashews in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover the nuts. Heat over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue a soft boil for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
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Drain the cashews using a colander. Place the softened cashews in a food processor. Add the nutritional yeast, freshly squeezed lemon juice, minced garlic, onion powder, sea salt, and 1/4 cup water. Pulse a few times, scrape down the sides, then process for 20-30 seconds until the ricotta is nice and smooth.
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If the ricotta is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to the food processor and pulse a few times to mix the water in. Only use up to 2 additional tablespoons of water.
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Use the ricotta 'cheese' right away, or place in a covered container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
