Vegan Ricotta Pie with apples or pears - it’s like a hybrid between apple pie, custardy ricotta cheesecake and a crumbly tart. No chilling dough, no cutting butter or rolling crust skills required. The perfect dessert to add to your Thanksgiving and Christmas spread
Make the Ricotta: Soak the cashews in hot boiling water for 20 minutes then drain. Add the cashews, lemon juice, water and powder sugar to a powerful blender and blend until creamy. Set aside. (If using a Vitamix you can skip the soaking process).
2 cups raw cashew pieces, 1.5 juicy lemons, 1/2 cup powder sugar, 3/4 cups water
Preheat your oven to 350”F.
Prepare a 9-inch round springform pan. Lightly oil the inside bottom and sides of the pan. Line with parchment paper then lightly oil again.
Peel and slice the apples or pear into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange the slices in the bottom of the cake pan in a circular pattern.
2 green apples or pears
Spoon the ricotta cheese over the apples and spread it carefully over the top preferably without messing the apple design too much.
Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients.
1.5 cups all purpose flour, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 3/4 tsp baking soda, Zest from 1 lemon
Wet Ingredients: Whisk together the wet ingredients and pour over the dry mix. Use a spatula and fold the two together until combined trying your best not to overmix it. You will end up with quite a thick batter but do not panic this is perfectly normal.
1/2 cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 6 Tbsp plant milk
Spoon the batter over the ricotta mixture and use your hands or a flat spatula to pat it down in a uniform layer over the top.
Place the pan on top of a rimmed baking sheet and bake your pie in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until the ricotta cheese it set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool down. Once cool enough to handle run a butter knife around the sides of the pan to loosen any bits that might have stuck. Release the spring form ring and remove from around the cake. Allow to cool further.
Place a plate over the top of the pie and carefully flip it upside down. Remove the bottom of the spring form pam, peel off the parchment paper and allow the top to cool off completely before dusting with powdered sugar or cinnamon.
Notes
Flour - You can use all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour in the crust, whichever you have handy or prefer will be just fine.
Brown Sugar - Light brown sugar loosely scooped from the bag is the best. I’ve also made this with granulated sugar and found it too sweet and without that caramel-like flavor that brown sugar gives.
Olive Oil - This will bring a subtle floral aroma to the “pie crust” but also really give that crumb layer the perfect crispness that stays that way for days even after being refrigerated. You can use any vegetable oil you prefer, I just love the olive oil touch.
Springform Pan - You will need one 9-inch round springform pan. It’s important to lightly oil the bottom and sides before lining it with a circular piece of parchment paper. You’ll also need to oil the parchment paper again to prevent the pears or apples from sticking as they release moisture during baking, this is important.