Whipped Tofu Ricotta

By Nisha Vora

Updated July 22, 2025

Whipped Tofu Ricotta
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
15 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(581)
Comments
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With the same luxe creaminess and savory notes of ricotta, my signature tofu ricotta from my book “Big Vegan Flavor” (Avery Books, 2024) works smashingly well in any recipe that calls for ricotta. For a slightly looser texture, use firm tofu. Use this ricotta to add big flavor to any and all stuffed pastas, like lasagna. It’s also great as a sandwich spread or spread onto pizza dough. Dollop leftovers onto grain bowls or salads for a creamy element. For an easy spicy variation, stir in a few teaspoons of Calabrian chile paste. (Watch Nisha make this recipe on YouTube.)

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 2 ½ cups (450 to 550 grams)
  • 1(14-ounce/400-gram) block extra-firm tofu
  • 4 to 6tablespoons/20 to 30 grams nutritional yeast
  • 2garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2tablespoons white miso paste
  • ¾teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 to 1½teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1½tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1medium lemon, zested
  • 2 to 3tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

170 calories; 10 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 353 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Drain the tofu and dab away the excess water with a clean dish towel.

  2. Step 2

    Crumble the tofu into a food processor. Add 4 tablespoons of the nutritional yeast, the garlic, miso, onion powder, 1 teaspoon of the salt, a generous amount of pepper, the olive oil, lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Blend until creamy and smooth.

  3. Step 3

    Taste for salt, acidity and cheesiness. As needed, add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast. The ricotta will stay good in the fridge for up to 1 week. (It can also be frozen for up to 2 months; defrost in the fridge before using.)

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Ratings

5 out of 5
581 user ratings
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Comments

Lori Hurley

It's long past time the NYT hired a vegan recipe developer and you picked the right one in Nisha Voran. I love this recipe, easy and tasty.

Purna

So many tofu "ricottas" add nutritional yeast which is cheesy, not milk fresh like ricotta and misses the mark by a lot. In my pre-vegan days, I used to make fresh ricotta. Ditch the nutritional yeast and instead put in soaked cashews, almonds, or macademia nuts. Lemon and miso are great. Also a little olive oil for richness.

Robin DeLong

Nisha is a star when it comes to adding flavor and taste to --- well, to anything! This is just another example of her always-delicious recipes.

PerpetualMotion

Hands down, the best biscuits Ive ever b

Kinga Bathory

If you freeze your tofu, you can squeeze out all the liquid from it after you defrosted the block. In my country we don’t have different firmness of tofu, we just have “tofu”, so i do this to get out most of the water.

Holly

I have now made this recipe many times and adapted for many meals. It’s my go-to sub in for vegan lasagna and stuffed shells. Maybe I’ve been vegan too long but when used in these applications I certainly can’t tell the difference between it and the old ricotta I used to use! Plus it comes together super easy and can be prepped ahead of time.

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