Gluten Free A-Z

Elevate Your Dishes with Homemade Tofu Ricotta Cheese: A Versatile Vegan Delight

Do you love cheese but are trying to cut back on high fat foods and inflammatory dairy?

One of the challenges of healthy plant-based eating is finding innovative plant-based substitutes for traditional dairy ingredients.

I discovered (by accident) that an ordinary block of extra firm tofu, blended with a few other simple ingredients, can provide a soft smooth product with a similar flavor and texture to ricotta cheese. So Crazy!!

How I Discovered it !

Origianlly, I was making my "tofu" mayonnaise which calls for soft silken tofu. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, I only had a block of extra firm tofu so I used it instead of the silken tofu. I ended up with a different product entirely. When I tasted it, I realized it was similar to ricotta cheese!!

For me "tofu ricotta" is truly a game changer! I use my "ricotta" substitute to make a wide variety of pasta dishes, appetizers, pizza topping, spreads, etc. 

Who Might Like This Substitute?

Those who are lactose intolerant, those looking for kosher parve foods, those who follow Weight Watchers and want a zero point food, or anyone simply looking to explore new culinary horizons.

How Can You Use Tofu Ricotta?  

1. Pasta: Use tofu ricotta as a filling for GF pastas such as stuffed shells, manicotti, or lasagna. Layer it between sheets of GF pasta with marinara sauce or toss it with shells and broccoli.
2. 
3. GF Toast Toppers: Spread tofu ricotta on GF toast or GF crackers and top with roasted vegetables, fresh herbs, or a drizzle of balsamic glaze for an elegant appetizer or snack. We are fortunate to have a gluten-free bakery here in Florida with all kinds of GF breads.

1. Pizza Perfect: Dollop tofu ricotta onto GF pizza dough before baking for a creamy, cheesy alternative to traditional mozzarella. Pair with your favorite toppings for a personalized pie.

1. Dips and Spreads: Whip up a batch of tofu ricotta dip by blending it with herbs, spices, or roasted garlic. Serve with crudité, GF crackers, or warm GF bread for a crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Recipe: You will be delighted to find out how easy this recipe is to make. It's only 2 ingredients: extra firm tofu and dijon mustard.

Ingredients:

1 block of extra firm tofu, slightly drained

1 and 1/2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon (at a time) of water, only if needed to mix

Directions:

Remove tofu from packaging and allow to drain slightly for about 10 minutes. Next, add the tofu to the heavy duty blender. Add mustard and begin to blend. Add 1 teaspoon of water if needed and continue to blend. Remove when still gritty (not completely smooth).

Use in recipes as needed.

My Notes:

When making dips and spreads, mix by hand using a large spoon. Mixture may become too thin and creamy if it mixed again in the blender. OR add parsley and herbs to the original batch.