How to Make Vegan Lasagna: Easy Vegan Lasagna Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Dec 11, 2021 • 3 min read
This hearty vegan lasagna is completely free of animal products, thanks to a creamy ricotta cheese made from tofu and cashews.
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What Is Vegan Lasagna?
Vegan lasagna is a dairy-free, meat-free version of one of the most beloved Italian-American comfort foods. This particular dish incorporates layers of wide noodles, tomato sauce, and a plant-based creamy cheese that will satisfy vegans and non-vegans alike. Make vegan lasagna your own by adding veggies such as sautéed zucchini and fresh spinach or meatless proteins like cooked lentils or tempeh.
4 Essential Vegan Lasagna Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make the best vegan lasagna at home.
- 1. Lasagne: Lasagne, also known as lasagna noodles or lasagna sheets, are wide noodles used to make lasagna. They can be flat, ridged, or curly at the edges. The easiest way to make lasagna is with no-boil noodles. Check the package directions to see if you need to boil and drain your noodles before layering. Most brands of boxed noodles are vegan, but fresh noodles are sometimes made with egg, so check the ingredients list. To make a gluten-free lasagna, look for lasagna noodles made with chickpeas or brown rice instead of wheat.
- 2. Vegan cheese sauce: Traditional lasagna is often made with creamy ricotta cheese or béchamel sauce, plus mozzarella or parmesan for extra flavor. To make it vegan, blend tofu or cashews (or both) into a creamy vegan ricotta spread. For extra cheesy flavor, add nutritional yeast to the ricotta mixture, or sprinkle your favorite vegan cheese product, such as shredded vegan mozzarella cheese, between each layer.
- 3. Marinara sauce: Most marinara sauce is free of animal products, so you can use store-bought tomato sauce for this recipe. If you have the time, making your own marinara sauce at home is definitely worth the extra effort.
- 4. Fresh basil: After you take your vegan lasagna out of the oven, let it cool for about fifteen minutes. Then, decorate the top with fresh basil leaves. If you don’t have fresh basil, or you want to mix things up a little, try Italian flat-leaf parsley or oregano.
Vegan Lasagna Recipe
makes
prep time
1 hrtotal time
2 hrcook time
1 hrIngredients
For the marinara sauce:
For the tofu ricotta cheese:
To assemble:
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.
- 2
In a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering.
- 3
Sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 12 minutes.
- 4
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- 5
Add the canned tomatoes, and their juices, and season with salt, pepper, and sugar.
- 6
Add the basil and simmer for 10–15 minutes, tasting and adjusting the seasoning as needed.
- 7
For a thicker sauce, add tomato paste as needed.
- 8
Turn off the heat and set marinara sauce aside.
- 9
Using your hands, crumble the tofu blocks into the bowl of a food processor.
- 10
Add the soaked cashews, lemon juice, garlic powder, and sea salt.
- 11
Process into a chunky paste.
- 12
While processing, slowly add the ⅓ cup water, scraping down the sides as needed.
- 13
Add water if needed to reach the desired consistency.
- 14
For a cheesier flavor, add nutritional yeast one teaspoon at a time.
- 15
To assemble the lasagna, spread a thin, even layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- 16
Add a layer of noodles and top with a third of the cheese mixture.
- 17
Repeat until you have used all of the noodles and cheese, then cover the final layer with the remaining sauce.
- 18
Bake until the edges are brown and the sauce bubbles, about 40–45 minutes.
- 19
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10–15 minutes.
- 20
Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
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