Vegetarian Gastronomy

Painting With A Green Palate...100% Vegan & 80% Gluten-Free Cooking

Painting With A Green Palate...100% Vegan, & Gluten-Free Cooking

5-Ingredient Garlic Basil Vegan Tofu Ricotta

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Looking for the perfect all-around flavorful spread or vegan cheese to make and use throughout the week? This 10-minute, 5-ingredient, protein-packed, quick and easy Garlic Basil Vegan Tofu Ricotta is your answer! Enjoy it with some toast or crackers, spread it on a sandwich, make a variety of different Italian dishes, or dip your favorite veggies into it! 

Side photograph of vegan tofu ricotta spread plated in a blue bowl and surrounded by slices of french bread.

Think Rich and Creamy…

Full of fresh Herbs…

and Garlic…

Spreadable on anything and everything…

like a Ricotta cheese, but VEGAN…

AND It’s Delicious, Easy to make, and Healthy.

It’s my 5-Ingredient Garlic Basil Vegan Tofu Ricotta ‘”cheese” spread! And it’s here to stay… literally… I have so many recipes that use this awesome spread!

Overhead photograph of vegan tofu ricotta. It's plated in a light blue bowl and served with slices of french bread.

This recipe was inspired by a family friend, who went out of her way to make a quick vegan version of a feta-cheese spread at a baby shower I attended. Not only am I a sucker for toasted french bread and anything spreadable that goes with it, but the ingredients were simple and healthy.

The base of this spreadable vegan cheese is tofu. I added in some fresh herbs and spices. I also wanted to perfect the texture so that it felt like more of a spreadable tofu ricotta “cheese” rather than a crumbly seasoned tofu. After a few trials, I came to this PERFECT blend of 5 main ingredients.

  1. Tofu
  2. Garlic
  3. Basil
  4. Olive Oil
  5. Lemon Juice

…add in some salt and freshly ground black pepper and THAT’S IT!

A collage of 3 photographs showing steps on how to prepare tofu ricotta with 5 ingredients in a food processor.

This is my very first attempt at developing a vegan cheese spread at home, so I was pretty excited with the end result.  It’s also nut-free (for those of you with nut allergies). Don’t get me wrong…I love using nuts to make cheese sauces and as a creamy substitute, but coming up with something other than nuts as the base was a nice change.

How To Use This Garlic-Basil Vegan Tofu Ricotta?

Now that you have this quick and easy 5-ingredient vegan ricotta cheese on hand, what can you use it for? I’ve made several batches of this vegan ricotta cheese spread already. It’s great to keep in the fridge to use throughout the week!

  • Spread it on toasted french bread as a quick appetizer or snack
  • Use it in a sandwich
  • Add a few dollops of it to your favorite pasta dish
  • Use it as a dip with your favorite veggies
  • Devour it with a spoon or cracker

The options are endless.  If you need a few more recipe ideas on how to use this vegan tofu ricotta, check out these favorite vegan & gluten-free recipes:

Crispy Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches
Mushroom Crostini w/Garlic Basil Vegan Ricotta Cheese Spread
Vegan Lasagna Recipe w/Roasted Veggies
Eggplant Parmesan Stacks
Spinach Pesto Lasagna w/Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Zucchini & Corn Stuffed Lasagna Rolls

This recipe is also very kid-friendly and a great way to introduce tofu to their diet. My kids love it, and it makes for the perfect spread on sandwiches for school lunch.  So grab some sprouted tofu and try this recipe out. I’d love to hear what you think and how you use it. I guarantee you’ll fall in love with it.

If you like this recipe or post, be sure to leave a comment and use the rating field! You can also tag me on Instagram with any re-makes, @vegetariangastronomy #vegetariangastronomy so I don’t miss it, as I love sharing them on Re-Make Fridays! Or you can help me spread the word about my recipes on Pinterest and Facebook! Thank you!

A side photograph of vegan tofu ricotta plated in a blue bowl, with slices of french bread and garnished with fresh basil.

5 from 8 votes
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Garlic Basil Vegan Ricotta “Cheese” Spread
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

This 10-minute vegan cheese is perfect for sandwiches, Italian dishes, and to enjoy with crackers! It requires no cooking, is protein-packed, and really easy to make!

Course: Appetizers, Condiment, Party Food, Sandwich, Spread
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Italian, Vegan
Keyword: vegan cheese, vegan ricotta, vegan tofu recipe
Servings: 4 servings (1/2 cup each)
Calories: 104 kcal
Author: Anjali Lalani
Ingredients
  • 15.5 oz. Sprouted Tofu , or standard extra firm tofu
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves , packed
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teasp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2 tbsp water more or less depending on consistency
  • 1 teasp salt
  • freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Instructions

  1. Cut the sprouted tofu in half. Soak as much water out from each sprouted tofu half as possible. I use paper towels to squeeze out the water, especially since you don't need to worry about keeping the tofu in tact. Depending on how much water remains in the tofu after squeezing it out, you may or may not need to add additional water into the mix while blending.

  2. Add the tofu, along with all the other ingredients, except for the additional water, into a food processor.

  3. Pulse a few times until you come to a thick, yet somewhat smooth consistency. The basil leaves should not be completely blended in and the tofu should not become a puree (in other words, the final mixture should still be white in color from the tofu with the basil very finely chopped and mixed in).  

  4. Feel free to add 1-2 tbsp water if needed for consistency or to aid with the blending process. The final consistency should be a very thick, spreadable mixture and NOT pour-able (if it is, then your mixture contains too much water and/or you blended for too long).

  5. Season with additional salt/fresh lemon juice if needed, and add freshly ground black pepper if you prefer.

  6. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge and enjoy! Spread it on toasted french bread or crackers, dip your favorite veggies into it, use it in your favorite pasta or lasagna dish, or use it as a sandwich spread!

Recipe Notes

Tofu - use either extra firm sprouted tofu or extra firm regular tofu. The sprouted tofu is slightly different in texture than regular extra-firm tofu, but either will work great. 

Nutrition Facts
Garlic Basil Vegan Ricotta “Cheese” Spread
Amount Per Serving
Calories 104 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 9%
Sodium 621mg 26%
Potassium 242mg 7%
Total Carbohydrates 4g 1%
Sugars 1g
Protein 7g 14%
Vitamin A 3.2%
Vitamin C 5.9%
Calcium 4%
Iron 6.8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  1. Rashmi says

    January 25, 2016 at 12:34 AM

    This looks so yummy Anjali and creamy, cant believe its base is tofu, well-done to you for yet another awesome recipe...im sure the fresh herbs in take it to another level... I love dips and crackers :-)
    Reply

    • anjali says

      January 25, 2016 at 1:44 PM

      Thanks Rashmi! I love that this spread is tofu-based and not nut-based since most cheese sauces i've made uses cashews or other nuts. Fresh herbs, especially basil, is a favorite of mine!
      Reply

  2. Reshana says

    January 25, 2016 at 5:36 AM

    This looks absolutely great! And i agree... Creaminess to the finishing line :) I loveeeee it... It would definitely work with anything and everything x
    Reply

    • anjali says

      January 25, 2016 at 1:43 PM

      Absolutely! In fact, I have a recipe coming up doing just that. And actually I would probably keep the same amount of lemon. Make the spread and try it out to adjust the amount of salt and lemon if needed, but it should be fine just as is! I've also added a large spoonful into my favorite marinara over pasta and it tastes great. Let me know if you try it!
      Reply

    • anjali says

      March 25, 2016 at 10:39 PM

      I'm so excited you tried out this recipe! It's so simple and a great way to use sprouted tofu. I add it to everything or even just eat it plain on toasted french bread. Thanks Lucy!!
      Reply

    • anjali says

      May 6, 2016 at 8:46 PM

      sprouted tofu is basically tofu made from sprouted soybeans. they are typically more nutritious and easier to digest, and for this case, I buy the sprouted tofu at Trader Joe's and find it to be a little less watery as well. You could probably make this with regular firm tofu also. Just take out the water and add if you need.
      Reply

    • anjali says

      September 9, 2016 at 11:07 AM

      Awesome! So glad you loved it...so easy, simple, and tastes delicious! I'll have to try the lemon zest next time! Thanks! I have a lasagna recipe coming out soon where I used this ricotta and it came out wonderful!
      Reply

  7. Jen Fought says

    September 16, 2017 at 5:20 PM

    LOVE this recipe! I not only use it in my lasagna but in my meatball(meatless of course) subs! It's a great replacement for cheese in it :) Addicting. *I use regular extra firm tofu
    ★★★★★
    Reply

    • anjali says

      September 17, 2017 at 7:48 PM

      Thank you SO much for the great review and trying it out! It is SUCH a great replacement...and so few ingredients but super flavorful. I love making a huge batch and using it in everything throughout the week. I love it also with my eggplant parm sandwich recipe. I have a few more recipes coming soon using this ricotta! And yes...can totally sub extra-firm tofu...i've done it before several times as well (and i should probably modify the recipe to add that as an option, so thanks for reminding me!)!
      Reply

  10. Lucy says

    December 16, 2017 at 12:13 PM

    Hi, I'm new to your website, I'm excited to try the lasagna recipe and that brought me here. Is there anything other than tofu I could use for the cheese spread? I a newly converted vegan and am just beginning to make recipes I find.
    Reply

    • anjali says

      December 18, 2017 at 12:03 AM

      Thanks for following! I'm sure you'll LOVE this lasagna recipe. Although I don't have any other non-tofu based vegan ricotta recipes, there are a bunch of almond based or non-tofu based vegan ricotta recipes on the web! Let me know if you can't find one! Otherwise to be honest, you can spread just about anything here...even just another layer of roasted veggies would work well. Also, if you ever need any of my most popular easy vegan recipes to get you started, let me know! Email me vegetariangastronomy@gmail.com or contact me through my website page and I'll send you over a few to get started!
      Reply

  12. Jen says

    February 21, 2018 at 6:10 PM

    This recipe sounds amazing. I love that its super simple to make. Yum. Can't wait to have this with crackers! Also, that is a very sweet friend you have. I've gone to many baby showers with zero vegan options haha.
    ★★★★★
    Reply

  16. Hanne says

    February 26, 2018 at 5:22 AM

    Glorious! This recipe is so darn easy and tasty. I made it for brunch and it was gobbled up. Why don't you tell us to hide some for later???Lol. Thank you -Hanne
    ★★★★★
    Reply

  18. KareninStLouis says

    June 24, 2018 at 9:13 AM

    I just prepared this and I followed your recipe exactly. It turned out perfectly! Taste is great. Now I am going to start on your vegan lasagna recipe. I will probably put the casserole in the refrigerator and then bake it this evening. Thank you so much for these recipes, especially a cheese substitute that is not made with junk.
    Reply

    • anjali says

      June 25, 2018 at 10:01 AM

      Thank you so much with all the awesome reviews! so glad you tried this recipe! You'll have to check out my others that use it...the eggplant parmesan or just toss a dollup of it into your favorite pasta!
      Reply

  19. SH says

    September 9, 2018 at 4:56 PM

    I just used your recipe for a dairy free lasagna. It was amazing. I doubled the garlic and basil to add extra flavor. We loved it!
    Reply

    • anjali says

      September 9, 2018 at 5:19 PM

      Awesome!! So great to hear! More garlic and herbs are always a win in my books...this tastes great with so many recipes, you can even add a dollop of it to your favorite pasta dish! Thank you!
      Reply

  20. LauraM says

    November 3, 2018 at 12:02 PM

    Thank you for this recipe. I am testing out vegan appetizer recipes in advance of Thanksgiving. I will have a mixed crowd of plant based eaters and omnivores. I wanted the appetizers to be appropriate for everyone.I just made it and it passed the test with my husband. I ate it on wheat toast, with tomatoes, for lunch and it was yummy.
    Reply

    • anjali says

      November 4, 2018 at 9:48 PM

      That's so awesome to hear!! thanks Laura! You can use it for so many different things...as a spread, in lasagna, a dollop of it in pasta, etc! If you need more thanksgiving appetizer recipes that are popular on my site, please don't hesitate to message me at vegetariangastronomy@gmail.com and i'll send you a few favorites!
      Reply

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