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    Home » Vegan Dairy

    10-Minute Macadamia Ricotta

    Published: Mar 4, 2022 by Poppy Hudson

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This amazing fluffy macadamia ricotta only takes 4 ingredients and less than ten minutes to process. The flavor is clean and light, made without tofu or nutritional yeast.

    Wooden ramekin of fluffy white ricotta cheese with macadamia nuts in shell.

    It's the perfect replacement for traditional ricotta in Italian lasagne recipes and quick pasta meals. That's because rich macadamia nuts have a mild taste, snow-white color, and grind to a texture very similar to regular ricotta.

    Jump to:
    • ⭐ Why it works
    • 🏆 Top tip
    • 📋 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Steps
    • 🥣 Equipment
    • 🌳 Why macadamia nuts?
    • 💭 FAQ
    • 🥞 More macadamia recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    ⭐ Why it works

    • 4 ingredients
    • 10-minute easy process with pre-soaked nuts.
    • Macadamia nuts replace cashews for a more refined taste and better texture.
    • No tofu, nutritional yeast, miso, apple cider vinegar, or overwhelming flavors.
    • Oil-free
    • Freezer-friendly.

    🏆 Top tip

    Begin blending homemade macadamia ricotta cheese at medium-low speed. Once the nuts are a uniform texture about the size of lentils, turn the machine up and finish to a fine-grain texture.

    📋 Ingredients

    The ingredients for this recipe couldn’t be simpler. The preparation technique transforms soaked raw macadamia nuts into a barely sweet, utterly delicious, fresh ricotta.

    A pinch of nutmeg and quality sea salt flavor the cheese. The result is ricotta that would fool anyone into thinking it’s made by an artisan Italian cheesemaker.

    Macadamia nuts, sea salt, nutmeg and lemon.
    • Raw macadamia nuts - are rich in healthy fats and can be ground to a fine-grained texture that mimics traditional fresh ricotta cheese.
    • Nutmeg - adds a subtle, unique taste that works beautifully in recipes like lasagne, cannelloni, and gnocchi, as well as cheesecakes and desserts.
    • Sea salt - a touch adds the savoriness desirable in cheese.
    • Lemon juice - keeps the tang mellow.

    🔪 Steps

    Soak untoasted, unseasoned macadamias overnight in plenty of water. Then you can make fluffy, snow-white macadamia ricotta cheese in minutes.

    Soak macadamia nuts, drain, add salt, nutmeg and lemon and process.
    1. Soak raw macadamias overnight.
    2. Rinse and drain well.
    3. Combine with sea salt, nutmeg, lemon, and water.
    4. Process in a Vitamix with a tamper.

    🥣 Equipment

    The real magic of this ricotta cheese substitute is the perfect mouthfeel of the finished recipe. The right equipment will help you achieve this ideal texture.

    • Vitamix - or an equivalent high-powdered blender with a tall canister work best.
    • Tamper - helpful to move mixture while blending.

    🌳 Why macadamia nuts?

    You might be wondering why cashews are used in place of cheese in many recipes. Just like macadamia nuts, they are a nutritious replacement with a neutral taste that conveniently takes on seasonings.

    Cashews make marvelous, smooth, and silky vegan cheeses like my Cultured Cashew Cream Cheese or Healthy Smoky Gouda.

    However, if you want the characteristic, superfine grain that is unique to ricotta, macadamia nuts will make all the difference.

    Macadamia nuts are harder than other nuts, with two-thirds as much heart-healthy fat, which is a plus in this recipe without any added oil.

    Additionally, blended cashews thicken when cooked, and macadamia nuts don't. Since ricotta is usually baked in recipes, it's helpful to have a vegan cheese that won't alter the recipe as it cooks.

    We love having a nut for every recipe from Vitamix Almond Milk and Cream to Artisan Vegan Goat Cheese .

    Fluffy ricotta cheese made from macadamia nuts.

    💭 FAQ

    Can you freeze ricotta?

    Yes! This vegan ricotta cheese made with macadamia nuts freezes and thaws very well. Give it a brief stir, and you can use it in all your cooked recipes, just like freshly made macadamia nut ricotta.
    The color will alter slightly, and the cheese won't be quite as creamy. So, keep this in mind if you want to use it in delicate recipes that aren't cooked. We recommend a fresh batch for its subtle difference when basically eating cheese off a spoon.

    Why doesn't ricotta made with dairy milk freeze well?

    The curds and whey in cow's milk separate during freezing, and the water turns to ice. Unfortunately, it won't stir back to its original consistency after it's thawed. Some people won't mind this in baked foods. However, homemade vegan ricotta made from macadamia nuts freezes and thaws much better.

    🥞 More macadamia recipes

    • Half a papaya filled with cooked oats and topped with sweet granola.
      Papaya Oatmeal With Macadamia Granola
    • Plate of blackberry crumble with ice cream melting over the top.
      Vegan Blackberry Crumble (Apricot, Pear, Raspberry)
    • Passion fruit tart with macadamia cream in a pastry shell.
      Passion Fruit Tart
    • Buckwheat Banana Pancakes Vegan

    Enjoyed this post? Leave a comment, rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it, and follow @poppyswildkitchen on Instagram. Aloha!

    📖 Recipe

    Fluffy ricotta cheese made from macadamia nuts.

    10-Minute Macadamia Ricotta

    Macadamia ricotta is creamy, fine-grained, fluffy, and fresh tasting. Use it in all your recipes in place of dairy-based ricotta. Vegan, oil-free.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 16 Servings 2 TB each
    Calories: 91kcal
    Author: Poppy Hudson
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    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups raw macadamia nuts
    • ¾ cup water less one tablespoon
    • ¼ tsp. quality sea salt
    • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
    • 1 ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

    Instructions

    Soak macadamia nuts

    • Place nuts in a quart jar and fill it with water. Soak overnight for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

    Make ricotta

    • Rinse and drain nuts well. Place in a Vitamix with the remaining ingredients. Measure water carefully, and don't add too much.
    • Turn Vitamix on to medium-low speed and grind briefly until nuts are a uniform coarse meal.
    • Turn Vitamix up to the highest speed and use the tamper to assist with blending. Blend until the mixture is fluffy, creamy, and smooth but still has a bit of fine-grain like traditional ricotta cheese.
    • Likely the mixture will be slightly warm at this point. Don't blend past a lukewarm temperature, and keep a bit of fine grain in the cheese rather than blending perfectly smooth.
    • Your ricotta is ready to eat as is or use in any recipe you like.

    Store

    • Store freshly made ricotta in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for up to three months.

    Notes

    Flavoring macadamia ricotta
    Savory dishes - The sea salt and pinch of nutmeg in this recipe are what make it taste so fantastic in savory dishes. 
    Sweet recipes -If you are planning to use the ricotta exclusively for desserts, you can leave out the salt and nutmeg and have good results. Then it can be flavored with vanilla, almond extract, or sweet spices as desired. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @poppyswildkitchen or tag #poppyswildkitchen!

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