What makes this the best vegan lasagna? How about layers of roasted veggies, zesty marinara sauce and creamy dairy-free basil ricotta! You won't miss the dairy in this hearty veganized version of an Italian classic.
I'm no stranger to vegan lasagna. I've even got a handful of recipes on this site, with various flavor variations and twists (check out my creamy mushroom lasagna, mushroom lentil lasagna, and lasagna primavera), but this one is by far my favorite — thanks to the killer marinara sauce, roasted veggies and vegan basil ricotta.
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What You'll Need
- Dried lasagna noodles. Almost all dried pasta is vegan (yay!), but check the ingredients to be safe.
- Olive oil.
- Cremini mushrooms. Regular white button mushrooms can be substituted if needed.
- Red bell pepper.
- Zucchini. Yellow summer squash works as well!
- Salt & pepper.
- Raw cashews. These are for your ricotta cheese, and it's really important that they're raw. Roasted cashews will make your cheese taste like cashew butter.
- Non-dairy milk. Just about any variety that's unflavored and unsweetened will work.
- Garlic.
- Extra-firm tofu.
- Fresh basil.
- Lemon juice.
- Marinara sauce. I like to use my homemade marinara, but the jarred stuff works too.
How to Make Vegan Lasagna
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll down if you'd prefer to skip right to the recipe!
Roast the Veggies
- Chop your veggies, drizzle them with some olive oil, arrange them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and then roast them until they're tender and starting to show some brown spots.
Make the Vegan Ricotta
- Place your cashews in a food processor bowl along with some non-dairy milk, lemon juice, salt and garlic.
- Blend everything to a relatively smooth paste.
- Add your tofu and some fresh basil.
- Pulse the food processor until the tofu is broken up into small chunks and the mixture has a consistency similar to ricotta cheese.
Assemble the Vegan Lasagna
- Ladle a bit of sauce into the bottom of a baking pan
- Arrange 3 or 4 cooked noodles over the sauce.
- Top the noodles with a layer of your vegan ricotta.
- Top your ricotta layer with a layer of roasted veggies.
- Repeat the layering arrangement once, then finish with another layer of noodles followed by a final layer of sauce.
- Cover your lasagna and bake it until the sauce gets bubbly.
- Uncover the lasagna and bake it for a few minutes more — feel free to add a layer of shredded vegan cheese on top at this point if you like.
I serve my lasagna with a sprinkle of homemade vegan Parmesan cheese.
Vegan Lasagna FAQ & Tips
- Can this recipe be made gluten-free? I haven't tried one myself, but I'm sure it could! Just use your favorite vegan and gluten-free lasagna noodles.
- Vegan lasagna makes for excellent leftovers (and some would even say it's better the second day). Kept in a sealed container, it will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for 3-4 months.
- Can this lasagna be made gluten-free? Yup! Just use your favorite vegan and gluten-free lasagna noodles.
- Can I use no-boil noodles? I haven't tested this recipe with no-boil noodles, but I think it should work.
- Feel free to switch things up by using different veggies, keeping in mind that softer veggies may roast up quicker, while harder veggies will take longer to cook.
- Can the veggies be omitted? They certainly can!
More Vegan Pasta Bakes
- Vegan Stuffed Shells Florentine
- Vegan Baked Ziti
- Vegan Cannelloni with Blush Sauce and Kale
- Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
- Vegan Chicken Tetrazzini
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The Best Vegan Lasagna
What makes this vegan lasagna the best? How about layers of roasted veggies, zesty marinara sauce and creamy dairy-free basil ricotta! You won't miss the dairy in this hearty veganized version of an Italian classic.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dried lasagna noodles (9 to 12 noodles)
- Dash olive oil
For the Roasted Veggies
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 2 cups diced red bell pepper (about 1 medium pepper)
- 2 cups diced zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the Vegan Ricotta
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 garlic cloves
- 7 ounces firm or extra firm tofu, broken into chunks
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
For Assembling the Lasagna
- 6 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
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Add the noodles and cook them according to the package directions.
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Drain the noodles into a colander, return them to the pot, and toss them with a few dashes of olive oil to prevent sticking.
To Roast the Veggies
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While the noodles boil, preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Arrange the mushrooms, bell pepper and zucchini on the baking sheet.
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Drizzle the mushrooms with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and drizzle the zucchini and pepper each with 1 teaspoon. Gently use your hands to rub the oil into the veggies, distributing it evenly, then sprinkle the veggies with salt and pepper.
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Roast the veggies until tender and browned in spots, for about 25 minutes. Leave the oven on when you remove the veggies.
To Make the Vegan Ricotta
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While the veggies roast, place the cashews, milk, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade.
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Blend the ingredients to a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Add the tofu, basil, lemon juice and salt to the food processor bowl.
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Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped and the mixture has a chunky, ricotta cheese-like consistency.
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Taste-test and adjust the amount of salt and/or lemon juice if you like.
To Assemble the Lasagna
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Check to make sure the oven is still heated to 400°F.
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Ladle about 1 ½ cups of marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
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Arrange 3 or 4 lasagna noodles over the sauce, to cover the bottom.
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Spread half of the ricotta over the noodles.
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Distribute half of the veggies over the ricotta.
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Repeat the layers of sauce, noodles, ricotta, and veggies one time.
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Top the veggies with another layer of sauce, followed by another layer of noodles, and then a final layer of sauce.
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Cover the lasagna and bake it for 30 minutes, until the sauce is very bubbly.
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Uncover the lasagna and bake it for 10 minutes more.
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Remove the lasagna from the oven and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
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Slice and serve.
Great job
Thank you!
This was very good. I couldn't believe how delicious the ricotta was I licked the bowl dry! Can't wait to make this for Christmas for everyone to try.
Yay! I always do that with the ricotta too! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Anastasia!
We made this yesterday, and I’m so happy there’s still some left for lunch! It is absolutely delicious. I think anyone would love this, even if they’re not vegan. Well, if I decided to share... This is going in my file of 5-star favorite dinners, thank you so much!
I'm so glad you like it! This is one that I actually even enjoy more as leftovers. :) I hope you do too!
I agree, the basil ricotta was so good, but I really could have used maybe twice the amount of vegetables. But still, I loved it.
AND, I used no boil noodles!!
Venturing into eating less meat, I discovered your site and was quite surprised at how tasty this dish was!
I did not miss the real ricotta one bit! I used whole wheat lasagna and it came out really well! Roasting the veggies in the over prior also made the dish very flavorful.
I plan on freezing half of it...do you recommend freezing in servings and reheating in oven?
Thank you!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I usually do as you said and freeze the leftovers as individual portions - it makes reheating easier and less time consuming. You can reheat them by microwaving, but I think the oven should work just fine. I'd place them in a baking dish, cover them and bake them at 350°F until they're heated through. Thanks Inna!
I followed your advice and it tasted even better the second time! Thank you Alissa!
Yay! Very welcome!
Hi! Can I use silken tofu instead of extra firm?
I think so! The texture might be a bit different though. I find that extra firm tofu is better for getting a chunky consistency like ricotta, but I think it'll still be delicious with silken.
Ahhhhmazing!! I made this last night for big family dinner (most of whom are not vegan) and they all LOVED it! Winner!! I'm actually making another today to freeze for when my sister comes in. I'm doubling the veggies on this next one, but that's just a personal choice... fabulous recipe - THANK YOU!!
Woo hoo! I'm so glad it was a hit! Thanks so much Claudine!
Can I make this the day before and refrigerate?
Yup! It should reheat well in the oven - try 400 degrees. I'm not sure how long it will take so you'll need to keep an eye on it. Enjoy!
This is so good. I doubled the veggies and wilted spinach in when they came out of the oven. I served it to my non vegan extended family and more than one asked for the recipe. Really Really good. I topped it with vegan Parmesan
Thank you! It is the best.
Awesome!! I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks Michelle!
Very good! The ricotta and sauce were delicious. Only thing that we felt was missing was a bit more protein or "meatiness" in flavour. Might throw in some more vegan ground next time to make the marinara more of a bolognese.
So delicious. I didn’t have lasagna noodles so I used penne instead and it’ still turned out great.
Hi, Alissa. I have just begun to use your site and am interested in making this lasagne and freezing half. My question is: do you think it is better to freeze before it has been baked or after? I generally feel that when it is after, the dish ends up being cooked twice and is not as fresh. Maybe there is something I am missing. Any thoughts? Thank you.
Hi Oriana! I've only frozen the leftovers after baking, but I think it would work just fine to freeze it before baking, and you're probably right that it would taste fresher. I'd just thaw it completely and then bake it according to the recipe instructions. I'd love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
I would like to make this for Easter. Do you think I could assemble the lasagna the night before and cook it the next day? It looks so good! Thank you!
I haven't tried this myself, but I've seen other lasagna recipes that say you can do this - I don't see why it wouldn't work for this one!
You’re right. This is the best lasagna ever. I also loved your ricotta cheese recipe. i rarely add any comment but this recipe deserves many praises. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Alissa, what a great recipe. I didn't have marrow, so I substituted with oven baked eggplant slices. Turned out wonderful. Definitely a "for keeps" recipe. Thanks!
Seems complex but is very easy and delicious!
Absolutely love this recipe. It has become our yearly Christmas dinner, just as good with GF lasagna noodles. Also I 100% recommend the homemade Marinara sauce, you can totally taste the difference!