🥔 Sides & extras
Vegan cashew ricotta
Creamy, tangy, spreadable magic for pasta, toast, and little snack plates
⏱️ Time estimate: about 10 minutes, plus soaking and chill time
Raw cashews, lemon, pickle juice, nutritional yeast, miso, and garlic come together into a rich ricotta-style spread that works anywhere regular ricotta would normally swan in.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) raw cashews
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) water
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice, or distilled white vinegar
- Zest of 1/2 medium lemon, or more to taste
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (20g) nutritional yeast
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon white miso paste
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Soak the cashews. Cover the cashews with cool water and soak overnight, or at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse. For a quicker option, boil them for 15 to 20 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- Blend the base. Add the soaked cashews to a food processor with the water, pickle juice, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Blend until the mixture is as smooth as possible.
- Finish the ricotta texture. Add the nutritional yeast, garlic, miso, onion powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pulse repeatedly until the mixture resembles ricotta, scraping down the sides as needed. Blend longer if you want it smoother.
- Taste and adjust. Add more pickle juice for tang, more salt for savoriness, more lemon zest for brightness, or more olive oil for richness if you like.
- Chill if you want a thicker texture. Use right away, or refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to firm it up a bit more.
Lovely ways to use it
- Stuff into shells or layer into lasagna
- Spread on toast with tomatoes, basil, or a drizzle of olive oil
- Serve as a dip with crackers, crostini, or vegetables
- Dollop into grain bowls or salads
Pickle juice is the tiny trick here. It gives the ricotta a very convincing salty-tangy sparkle.