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    You are here: Home / Dessert / Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cookies

    LAST UPDATED: January 25, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: December 22, 2017

    Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cookies

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These tender vegan ricotta cookies are made with a creamy cashew base, sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with zippy lemon. Perfect for holiday snacking!

    Close Up of Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cookies Covered with Frosting and Sprinkles

    Do you have a favorite holiday cookie that you'd like veganized? Tell me! I want ideas!

    Not that I have a hard time coming up with varieties of cookies (or any sweets for that matter), but I have trouble narrowing them down. There are only 31 days in December and I just can't handle that many cookies. Also, you guys seem to come here for dinner ideas, so I can't completely forget about that for a whole month.

    Hand Dipping a Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cookie into Glaze

    Another thing: my brain always goes straight to chocolate. (I guess you could have gathered that from the holiday treats I've blogger so far this year: mocha cheesecake and chocolate chunk blondies!) Chocolate is great, but a little variety is nice too, and I find that when I to branch out, things do tend to work out well.

    Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cookies and Lemon Wedges on a Baking Sheet

    Lemon ricotta cookies popped into my head very randomly the other day. I think I made them in a cooking class when I was young, but I can't remember for sure. I do remember what they taste like though, which is odd considering I don't actually recall eating or making them, but whatever. They were good, so let's leave it at that!

    Stack of Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cookies with a Bowl of Glaze in the Background

    I make vegan ricotta all the time for savory recipes, and it's usually more elaborate than this. But ricotta cookies involve beating the heck out of the cheese with a mixer, so you don't need to worry about replicating the texture. So I just used some raw cashews and non-dairy milk. Oh, and since the cashews need to go into the food processor for blending, I just went and blended all the dough in the food processor. Easy!

    Hand Holding a Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cookie

    If you've never had ricotta cookies before you're in for a treat! They're light, cakey cookies, which unfortunately makes it easy to pound a dozen or so in a sitting, but hey, what are holidays for?

    Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cookies
    5 from 1 vote
    Print

    Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cookies

    These tender vegan ricotta cookies are made with a creamy cashew base, sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with zippy lemon. Perfect for holiday snacking!

    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings 24 cookies
    Calories 179 kcal
    Author Alissa Saenz

    Ingredients

    For the Cookies

    • ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours and drained
    • ⅔ cup maple syrup
    • ½ cup unflavored non-dairy milk
    • ½ cup organic granulated sugar
    • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
    • ¼ cup aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • ½ teaspoon lemon extract
    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda

    For the Glaze

    • 2 cups organic powdered sugar
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

    Instructions

    1. Begin by making the cookies. Preheat the oven to 375° and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

    2. Place the cashews, maple syrup, and milk into a food processor and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sugar, coconut oil, aquafaba, lemon juice, zest, and extract and blend until fully incorporated.

    3. If you're using a relatively high powered food processor, you can continue mixing in there. Otherwise, move everything to a mixing bowl and stir by hand from here on out. Add the flour, about ½ cup at a time, and pulse or stir until each addition is fully incorporated. When you add the last batch, sprinkle the salt, baking powder, and soda on top. Pulse or stir. You should have a soft, sticky dough.

    4. Drop the dough by rounded 2-tablespoonfuls on the baking sheets. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until fluffy the cookies are and just starting to brown on the bottoms.

    5. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer the baking sheets to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.

    6. While the cookies cool, make the glaze. Add a bit of extra powdered sugar if it seems too thin, a bit more lemon juice or water if it's too thick.

    7. When the cookies have cooled, dip the tops in the glaze. Optionally, decorate them with sprinkles.

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cookies
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 179 Calories from Fat 48
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 5.3g8%
    Saturated Fat 3.1g16%
    Sodium 130mg5%
    Potassium 90mg3%
    Carbohydrates 32g11%
    Fiber 0.6g2%
    Sugar 19.7g22%
    Protein 2.2g4%
    Calcium 20mg2%
    Iron 1.1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    « Vegan Mocha Swirl Cheesecake
    Smoky Vegan Hoppin' John with Chard »

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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ashley says

      December 22, 2017 at 11:19 am

      Brilliant!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        December 26, 2017 at 9:40 am

        Thank you! :)

        Reply
    2. Ashley says

      April 22, 2018 at 12:30 pm

      I am not able to have cashews so I was wondering if you thought walnuts would be a good substitution? I'm having a hard time finding recipes for pastries without cashews or almonds (both of which I cannot have). I would LOVE to make these cookies! It is a family fave and one of the many things I miss eating.
      Love your blog. There are some amazing recipes on here that I can actually eat so, thank you!!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        April 22, 2018 at 9:09 pm

        Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes! I don't think walnuts would work here because they're quite a bit harder and more oily than cashews. My best guesses would be almonds or macadamias, but I can't say for sure without doing some experimenting in the kitchen.

        Reply
    3. Kate says

      January 21, 2020 at 9:20 pm

      Hi, could I use tofu instead of cashews, and how much would I substitute?

      Reply
      • Kate says

        January 21, 2020 at 9:21 pm

        Could I also swap in whole wheat flour?

        Reply
        • Alissa Saenz says

          January 26, 2020 at 2:15 pm

          I'd try using half whole wheat pastry flour, if that's an option.

          Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        January 26, 2020 at 2:16 pm

        I haven't tested the recipe with tofu, so I'm not sure!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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