Main Dishes

Vegan Cashew Ricotta

Plate with toast on it with cashew ricotta on top - 1

Prep

5 minutes

Yield

🧑🏽‍🍳 This Vegan Cashew Ricotta is creamy, protein-packed perfection! Way better than store-bought and ready to transform your breakfast toast!

Breakfast toast doesn’t have to be boring. There are so many ways to jazz it up and make it delicious, healthy, satisfying, and filling. This vegan cashew ricotta recipe is one of my go-to toasts for breakfast that I think you’ll love. But in this post, we’ll also talk about some other matches made in heaven when it comes to breakfast toast, so keep reading!

❤️ Why You’ll Love Vegan Cashew Ricotta

Easy: This cashew ricotta is simple to make with just a few basic ingredients you probably have on hand.
Vegan: This dairy-free ricotta alternative is plant-based, delicious, and satisfies all your creamy cravings.
Protein-Packed: You get a healthy dose of protein and heart-healthy fats from the nutrient-dense cashews.
Budget-Friendly: Much more affordable than store-bought vegan cheese alternatives and tastes fresher, too.

🍲 Ingredients

Raw Cashew Nuts – Cashews are rich in heart-healthy fatty acids and complete proteins that help boost your immune system. They’re loaded with antioxidants, contain no cholesterol, and create an incredibly creamy texture for vegan ricotta. When soaked and blended, cashews transform into a silky, dairy-like consistency that’s perfect for plant-based cooking.

BeeMaid Liquid Honey – Honey adds natural sweetness and pairs beautifully with the creamy cashew base, especially when combined with caramelized onions and thyme for savory-sweet toast toppings. BeeMaid honey is made by Canadian beekeepers and owned by a cooperative of over 300 beekeepers across Western Canada, making it a quality choice when you want to know where your food comes from.

Nutritional Yeast – One of my go-to pantry ingredients that’s loaded with B vitamins and iron. Nutritional yeast gives recipes that essential cheesy, nutty flavor while keeping everything completely plant-based. It’s what makes this vegan cashew ricotta taste authentically cheese-like without any dairy products.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Vegan Cashew Ricotta

For the Onions:

Into a cast iron skillet add a dash of olive oil and cook your onions, garlic and thyme on low-medium heat till caramelized, fragrant and tender. This may take up to 30-40 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning. The slower you cook these the better. Be patient. I suggest cooking extra to have leftovers for when you make this toast again!

For the Ricotta:

It’s that easy. Soo good, easy and perfect for a morning breakfast or snack!
Place all your ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until it resembles a Ricotta like texture. See notes.
To assemble, toast your sourdough bread, spread on some of that amazing ricotta, top with some caramelized onions, a generous drizzling of honey and a fresh dusting of thyme!

Cashew ricotta spread on toast with caramelized onions on top - 3

🪄 Tips and Tricks

Texture Control: Blend for longer to achieve an ultra-smooth and whipped texture, or pulse for a more traditional ricotta-like curd.
Sweet vs Savory: Omit garlic and onion powder when using for sweet applications and pair with jam or fruit instead.
Nutritional Yeast: While delicious, it adds savory notes, so complement with something sweet if baking with this ricotta.
Soaking Time: Longer soaking times create creamier results, but hot water soaking works in a pinch.

🗒 Variations

Cashews: Blanched almonds or macadamia nuts work, though cashews give the creamiest, most neutral flavor.
Nutritional Yeast: You can reduce or omit for a milder flavor, especially in sweet applications.
Seasonings: Adjust the garlic and onion powder according to whether you prefer a savory or sweet ricotta.
Liquid: Use lemon juice instead of water for a tangier, more authentic ricotta flavor.

🗒 Best served with

Greek Tomato Fritters (Tomatokeftedes)
Creamy Mushroom Pastry Bites
Homemade Potato Chips (Dill Pickle Flavor)
Phyllo + Prosciutto Wrapped Brie Stuffed Dates

Close up of cashew ricotta in a bowl with a spoon - 4

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover vegan cashew ricotta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. The texture may thicken slightly when chilled, but you can restore the original consistency by stirring in a tablespoon of water if needed.

🤔 Common Questions

Soak for at least 2 hours in cold water, or up to 24 hours for the creamiest results. For quicker results, soak in hot water for 30 minutes.

Yes, but nutritional yeast provides that essential cheesy flavor. Without it, you’ll have a neutral cashew cream that’s still delicious but less ricotta-like.

Add water or lemon juice one tablespoon at a time while blending until you reach your desired consistency.

Blanched almonds or macadamia nuts work, though cashews provide the most neutral flavor and creamiest texture for ricotta.

The mixture should be creamy with small, soft curds resembling traditional ricotta – avoid over-blending into completely smooth paste.

Spread generously on toasted bread, then top with caramelized onions and honey, fresh jam, or sliced vegetables for different flavor profiles.

Absolutely! It works wonderfully in lasagna, stuffed shells, or any recipe that calls for ricotta cheese – just adjust the seasonings accordingly.