The Best Vegan Lasagna is an amazing meatless, dairy-free lasagna packed with a hummus tofu ricotta that'll please any carnivore!
This is one those "there's no way in heck that's vegan" moments. THE MOST MOMENTOUS OF MOMENTS.
It was a proud, proud moment when my carnivorous boyfriend and I first sank our teeth into this luscious, best ever vegan lasagna. The truth is that I've been making a version of this delicacy for years, and if you're a loooooong time Hummusapien reader, you remember.
Then there were the Summer Vegetable Lasagna Rolls. Because isn't everything more fun when it's all portioned out?
Now we're back to the good ol' casserole version. The old favorite. I don't know how or why or where or when or what but the combination of garlic hummus and tofu and nutritional yeast is SO much like ricotta that it's honestly bizarre. Uncanny.
It tastes more like ricotta than ricotta does. Is that a thing?
Many mouths have enjoyed (and that's a vast understatement) this best vegan lasagna. I 100% guarantee that you could serve this to meat mongers and die-hard dairy fans and they would lick their plates! Aaaaaand ask for thirds.
How to make vegan lasagna
To make this epic lasagna, I use local Oasis roasted garlic hummus, an entire 40oz jar of my favorite Rao's marinara from Costco (I love sauce!), and either whole grain lasagna noodles or these lentil noodles, but there's lots to play around with here.
If your kids hate mushrooms or spinach, leave it out. If they won't go within ten feet of anything whole grain, use regular noodles (or brown rice noodles for gluten-free!).
Sadly, this vegan lasagna recipe will not work without tofu (I've had this press for years and it's the best), hummus, and nutritional yeast. You can purchase nutritional yeast at most grocery stores in the natural section so I assume they have it at most other grocery chains.
It really helps with that cheesy flavor, not to mention that's it's high in protein and energizing B vitamins.
Do I need to pre-boil the noodles?
Yes. I use whole grain lasagna noodles that I boil just until al dente. You can definitely use no-cook noodles to save time and skip boiling, just be sure to check the packaging to confirm.
Is vegan lasagna healthy?
The nutrition stats on this best vegan lasagna are off the wall awesome. This is one HEALTHY lasagna! One big slice has a whopping 17 grams of protein, not to mention all the calcium from the tofu and filling fiber from the veggies and whole grain noodles. Plant-powered protein, oodles of veggies, and healthy fats---gang's all here.
I added some extra greens into this gorgeous and super easy recipe but it tasted just as fantastic without them. I'm so, so, so freaking excited for you to try this!
More vegan Italian-inspired dishes:
Please let me know how this vegan lasagna turns out for you by leaving a star rating and/or comment! I hope you adore it as much as I do.
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Best Vegan Lasagna Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 60 mins
- Yield: 9-12 1x
- Category: Main Meal
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Best Vegan Lasagna is an amazing meatless, dairy-free lasagna packed with a hummus tofu ricotta that'll please any carnivore! You'd never guess it wasn't packed with cheese.
Ingredients
For the lasagna:
- 12 whole grain lasagna noodles
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped (optional)
- 8oz pkg sliced mushrooms
- 12oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed (can sub a few handfuls of fresh spinach)
- 7-10 cups marinara sauce (2-25oz jars, I like mine saucy!)
For the tofu ricotta:
- 2-14oz pkg extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 10oz tub roasted garlic hummus (1 heaping cup)
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook just until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once hot, add zucchini, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. Add spinach and sauté for another 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
- Place drained and pressed tofu in a large bowl. Crumble with hands. Add hummus, nutritional yeast, basil, salt, and garlic powder. Stir together with your hands until it's semi-smooth and resembles ricotta.
- Place about 1 ½ cups of marinara in the bottom of a 9x13in baking dish. Top with 4 noodles (3 lengthwise and 1 widthwise to cover the gap at the end). Next add half of the ricotta mixture and half of the vegetable mixture. Top with a heaping 1 ½ cups or more of sauce. Repeat with more noodles, tofu mixture, and veggies. Then top with one last layer of noodles and another 1 ½ cups or more of sauce; I went heavy on the sauce because I love sauce! Top with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Notes
TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE: I love using this brown rice pasta or this green lentil one.
TO FREEZE: This lasagna reheats beautifully from the freezer. You can 1) freeze tightly wrapped/bagged freeze individual portions and reheat from frozen in the microwave OR 2) freeze the whole pan, then when you're ready to bake, let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight and bake the next day. Note that it may take longer to bake depending on how thawed it is.
TO MAKE IN ADVANCE: Assemble the lasagna per the recipe. Instead of baking, wrap tightly with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. If possible, remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking to allow lasagna to get back to room temperature.
I originally included 1 cup of peas in this recipe but removed them for simplicity. Feel free to add!
Kristine says
This is our go to lasagna recipe now! It is so good. We make it for special occasions and holidays meals. Thank you so much for this recipe!! Can't wait to try the lasagna soup!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Yayyy!!!!
Toby says
Made this last year for a vegan Thanksgiving guest. I was astonished by how delicious it was. Repeating it this year, it was that good.
Alexis Joseph says
Thanks a ton, Toby!
Katie Daniels says
I’ve been vegan for over seven years, which means I’ve tried a lot of lasagna recipes. This one is by far the absolute best! Everybody loves it, even meat eaters.
Joan Reding says
I make this a lot! My meat-eating family and vegan friends alike rave about it! So delicious! I use Barilla gluten free oven-ready lasagna when I make it gluten-free
Joan Reding says
I make this a lot!! My meat-eating guests as well as vegan friends, rave about it. So delicious!
Kim Lippy says
1st, I'm MOST grateful for this recipe and its creator. We were the recipients of a tray of this from the lasagnalove.org movement on 8-15-21. It was absolutely the BEST vegan recipe we’ve ever had. I'm also grateful for those that took the time to mention how they "individualized" it. I have read down all 5 years/715 comments. This is a conglomeration of what readers said. Whether they are accurate or not, I do not know. Just sharing. "Trader Joe's Roasted Eggplant Hummus works well. If you are not an oil user, water sauté the veggies in a non-stick pan or par-cook them in the microwave or grill them. Eggplant can be substituted for zucchini or used in conjunction with. You can add/substitute whatever additional veggies you like, such as grated carrots, bell peppers, riced broccoli, onions, artichoke and even pumpkin. You can’t have too many mushrooms in this recipe. MUCH better if baked the day before and reheated before serving. I make a vegan gooey cheese sauce (or mushroom cream sauce) that I coat on top. Readers suggest adding a LOT more Italian seasonings, a teaspoon of ground fennel and heat (cayenne pepper, etc.). I added a little bit of red pepper flakes to my mushroom/zucchini/spinach mix, I drained some of the liquid from my veggies through a strainer and I added just a little no cheese on the top of the finished meal. Double the recipe to make 2 so I can eat one and give the other to a friend. Tofu can be used w/out pressing for added liquid. Try sautéing 3-4 large gloves and adding that in in place of or in addition to the garlic powder. I added a tablespoon of olive oil to the boiling water for the noodles to keep them from sticking together and then ripping. Can use sautéed fresh baby spinach in place of frozen. Or use pulp from your juicer--kale, spinach, & parsley. Press tofu for ~ 20-30 min or however long you have time! You CAN use no-boil noodles. Feel free to add in veggie-beef crumbles for more protein and a more meat like texture. Substitute for store bought marinara sauce: tomato sauce, diced Italian tomatoes, a bit of tomato paste and a cup of TVP. Put a whole head of roasted garlic in the "ricotta" mixture. If you have access to a dehydrator, dehydrate your veggies before making this. That way they soak up the sauce much better. Anyone who makes this recipe for the first time should prepare to spend 30-40 minutes (assuming you have most of the ingredients ready). I baked for 50 min at 375 and it came out bubbly and perfect. 50 minutes covered + 15 uncovered got the desired result."
★★★★★
Alexis says
How amazing, thank you for compiling these! My best advice is to use a high quality marinara sauce made with whole tomatoes (not tomato puree/paste), extra virgin olive oil, and onions. It makes the flavor so divine! Thanks again for taking the time, Kim.
Charlotte says
I want to try this but am not able to eat garlic. I can eat garlic infused oils. Could I use regular hummus and maybe add the oil in? Thoughts on things I could try?
Thanks!
Alexis says
Yes regular hummus works just fine, no need to use garlic!
Kelly says
This looks so delicious! Can't wait to try. Have also printed up "Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets" recipe of yours to try.
One suggestion though....is there any way for you to change your text color to all black in your recipes? The gray ingredients, instructions, etc. are hard to read when printed out in gray. It might be my printer.... but I can read the title, headers which are in black just fine.
Thanks for sharing the awesome recipes!
★★★★★
merrill says
I have made this lasagna multiple times. It is fantastic! As I do not use oil I left the oil out and water sautéed the veggies - - - and it is great! I recently had to make this without the nutritional yeast - and it still came out perfect! I just added some extra herbs and spices to give extra flavor. (My preference is to use Trader Joe's Roasted Eggplant Hummus - Yum!)
★★★★★
Alexis says
Wonderful!! I'm thrilled that it works without the nutritional yeast for ya 🙂 And YUM to eggplant hummus!!
Jillian says
The name isn’t lying. I made this recipe on a whim during COVID and it has become a go to for get together, holidays, etc. Even my meat loving family members enjoyed it. Don’t sleep on this one.
★★★★★
Alexis says
Yayyyy! I just made this for dinner tonight and I can't wait 🙂