Herbed Almond Ricotta Yield about 1 cup Prep Time 15 minutes     Cook Time n/a                     Tweet	Recipes are rated from 1 to 5 forks, with 1 fork being the easiest and 5 forks the most challenging.
This is a flavorful vegan alternative to ricotta cheese that can be used as a substitution in any dish that calls for savory ricotta. Instructional images follow the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds (raw or blanched)
• 1 medium lemon (for juice and zest)
• 2 Tablespoons plain non-dairy yogurt (almond, oat, or cashew work best)
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1 Tablespoon white miso paste (substitute yellow miso)
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (click to view)

Herbs:

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (substitute dry thyme leaves)
• 1 teaspoon fresh marjoram (substitute dry marjoram or oregano)
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary - finely chopped

Special Equipment:

Food processor or blender   (example food processor)     (example blender)

Microplane (optional)   (view here)    

Citrus reamer (optional)   (view here)    

 

Preparation Method:

Prep work:

Soak the almonds and remove the skins per the instructions below
Zest the lemon using a microplane or fine grater.
Cut the lemon in half and use a fork or citrus reamer to juice the lemon into a small bowl or cup.
Use herbs that you enjoy. Even though the recipe calls for thyme, marjoram, and rosemary; you can be flexible with the herbs to suit your taste.

Putting it all together:

If using raw almonds, place the almonds in a heat proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours. After soaking, pinch the almonds to remove the skin. If using blanched almonds with the skin already remove, place the almonds in a bowl and cover with boiling water and let sit for 15 minutes.

Strain the almonds and place them in a food processor or blender along with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, the lemon zest, and all remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until the mixture is the consistency of ricotta cheese. You may need to occasionally scrape the sides of the blender or food processor (while it is not running).

If the mixture is too thick, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water or additional yogurt to aid in blending until you achieve the desired consistency.

If the mixture is too thin and runny, you can line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and strain the excess moisture from the ricotta until it reaches the desired consistency.

Mise en place:

It is helpful to always measure and have your ingredients ready for a recipe (mise en place)

Strain if necessary:

If the resulting "ricotta" is to moist, strain using a fine meshed strainer lined with cheescloth.

Finished product:

Finished vegan almond ricotta.

Enjoy!