Vegan Ricotta

Italian Vegan Ricotta Cheese

Vegan Ricotta is the plant-based substitute to dairy ricotta cheese. It’s a fresh and soft cheese made with soya milk.

Ricotta is a key ingredient for many Italian recipes. But you can also eat it on its own or spread on bread.

Stay tuned because next weekend we will publish a great traditional recipe that includes our Vegan Ricotta! Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram.

Origin of Ricotta Cheese

The origin of traditional dairy ricotta dates back even to the Sumerian and Ancient Egyptian civilisations.

In the renowned poem The Odyssey, the one-eyed giant Polyphemus is actually making ricotta when he first meets Ulysses! This proves that ricotta was common during ancient Greek times and, later on, during ancient Rome times.

During the Middle Ages, ricotta was a really popular food.

How to Make Vegan Ricotta Cheese

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Vegan Ricotta Cheese

Prep Time 10 minutes

Resting time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Servings 140 g (approx.)

Soya-based substitute of the Italian ricotta.

Equipment

• pot
• wooden spoon
• strainer
• big bowl/pot
• cheesecloth/clean kitchen towel
• ricotta mould – optional

Ingredients

• 1 l unsweetened soya milk* (33.81 fluid oz)
• 1 tsp magnesium chloride (nigari)**

Instructions 

• In the pot, bring the milk to boiling point. Turn off the heat and add 1 level tsp of nigari, previously dissolved in 30ml of water. Gently mix with the wooden spoon for 1 minute. Cover with a lid and let it cool down for about 15 minutes.

  Be careful: do not add a heaping tsp of nigari otherwise the final result will be slightly bitter (edible but bitter).
  
• Place the strainer over a big pot or bowl and cover it with the cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel. Pour the curdled soya milk into the strainer and wrap it with the edges of the cloth/towel.

  Make sure that the bottom of the strainer doesn't touch the draining liquid.

  Let it drain in the fridge for 2 hours. Once it is well drained, your ricotta is ready to be consumed or used both in savoury and sweet preparations.
  
• If you like, you can transfer the ricotta in the traditional ricotta mould to give it the traditional shape.

Notes

*We recommend you to use a milk with a high percentage of soya (7% or more) – you can check it on the ingredient list of the product.

**You can substitute magnesium chloride with 30ml of lemon juice. Just add it to the milk once it has reached the boiling point, without dissolving it in water.

Course: Snack, Starter

Cuisine: Italian, Vegan

Keyword: cheese, gluten free, milk, soy

Get in Touch!

If you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag @myitalianvegan on socials. We would love to see the result!

If you have any questions or feedback, don’t hesitate to leave a comment in the section below. We love hearing from you!