How to Make Soya Ricotta

How to Make Soya Ricotta

Level: Beginner
You will need: 

1l Soya milk

4 tbsp lemon juice

Cheesecloth or strip of muslin

All you need to make this delicious replacement is soya milk and lemon juice!
All you need to make this delicious replacement is soya milk and lemon juice!

Vegan cooking beginner

Many of our hiking holiday guests are vegan cooking beginners. We often get asked to share some of our delicious vegan recipes for them to cook when they get home. If you are also a beginner - you’ve come to the right place! 

When you first start to cook vegan food, it is often easier to continue to cook what you know, but replace the animal products with plants. Don’t feel bad about doing this - make life easy for yourself! 

One of the easiest replacements to make is for ricotta. Ricotta is an often used ingredient in many dishes, from pasta main courses, to creamy desserts. The great news is, it is super easy to make a vegan version in under fifteen minutes!

Vegan Soy Ricotta with Austrian Alpine Herbs
Vegan Soy Ricotta with Austrian Alpine Herbs

What is ricotta?

Fact of the day - ricotta is not actually a cheese! It is in fact a ‘latticino’ , a dairy by-product made from whey. It is made by heating whey and using a coagulant such as vinegar or lemon juice, to force the proteins to bond together in stringy forms and separate from the water. Once it's separated, it can be drained and pressed to make what we know as ricotta cheese.

Traditionally ricotta is made using whey, a byproduct of milk production
Traditionally ricotta is made using whey, a byproduct of milk production

 So how do I make soya ricotta?

The cool thing is, we can carry out the same process with soya milk. Soya milk is super high in protein and by following the same process as the traditional ricotta makers, we can force those proteins to clump together. This will leave us with a yummy, protein rich, soya replacement for our dishes. And it only takes 15 mins!

The soya ricotta making process‍
The soya ricotta making process

Instructions for soya ricotta

  1. Pour one litre of soya milk into a pan. 
  2. Heat slowly until the mixture starts to bubble
  3. Take off the heat and add four tablespoons of lemon juice
  4. Stir briefly then leave for ten minutes to separate

*If your milk does not separate, don't panic, simply reheat it until it bubbles and then take it off the heat again. 

  1. Once your milk has separated, pour the liquid and curds into your cheesecloth and squeeze out the liquid.
  2. You will be left with a crumbly ricotta which can be firmly pressed into different shapes and used to replace ricotta in any recipe. 
Ricotta dish, ready to add flavourings
Ricotta dish, ready to add flavourings

Pro Tips for making soya ricotta

Try rolling your ricotta into small balls and pressing them into fresh herbs

Why not add some flavour to your ricotta - try a little salt and pepper or experiment with spices.

Roll your ricotta into a long sausage shape and press into garlic and herbs for a delicious creamy garlic cheese effect. 

Picked beetroot served with herby soya ricotta, with a delicious pomegranate dressing.

Picked beetroot served with herby soya ricotta, with a delicious pomegranate dressing. A recipe by @lotmulligan for our kitchen here at MoaAlm Retreat in summer.

Follow our instagram for more great vegan cooking tips and tricks. Or book your holiday and let us cook for you instead!

We would love to see your efforts to create Vegan Soya Ricotta. Leave us a comment or tag us in your photos @moaalmretreat

We are one of the only hike and yoga retreats in the alps offering a fully vegan experience. Why not join us this summer to experience our amazing vegan holiday in the Austrian Alps

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