Red Meat Allergy Friendly Vegan Cashew Ricotta
Creamy, tangy, and surprisingly close to the real thing, this cashew-based ricotta is a plant-powered alternative that works beautifully for anyone navigating a red meat allergy — especially when store-bought dairy products can carry hidden risks from shared processing lines. Raw cashews are soaked until plump, then blended with bright lemon juice, lemon zest, nutritional yeast, and a touch of garlic to build that savory, slightly funky depth you'd expect from traditional ricotta. The nutritional yeast is the quiet hero here, lending a cheesy, umami quality without any animal products in sight. A short rest in the refrigerator lets the flavors settle and the texture firm up into something genuinely spreadable and satisfying. Fresh basil folded in at the end adds a herby lift that makes it feel restaurant-worthy. Use it layered into pasta, dolloped onto flatbread, or simply spread on crusty bread — it holds its shape on a spoon and tastes like you put in way more effort than you actually did.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3–4 tbsp water, plus more as needed
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with cold water by at least 2 inches. Soak for 2 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator, until the cashews are plump and noticeably softened.
- 2
Drain the cashews through a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water.
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