Best Vegan Lasagna
Who knew vegan lasagna could be so delicious? This dairy-free lasagna recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients and tastes amazing! It's the best!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
I used to be skeptical of vegan lasagna—could it really be that good? This recipe is proof that yes, it really can. This vegan lasagna tastes as good as it looks.
My husband, who has a major weakness for creamy pastas, also found the concept of a cheese-less lasagna questionable. I figured this recipe would convince him, so I brought some home and put it in the fridge. I soon found the man in the kitchen, going back for seconds. Then thirds.
If you’ve been paying very close attention to my recipe substitution notes over the years, you may have tried this technique already. It’s based on the vegan variation of the cheesy roasted eggplant lasagna in my cookbook, Love Real Food (page 163). I shared the concept in my classic vegetarian lasagna recipe, too.
Today, I wanted to show you the results with photographic proof. If you’re in the mood for a dairy-free alternative to traditional cheesy lasagna, this recipe is for you.
How to Make the Best Vegan Lasagna
You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s why this recipe works:
1) Cashew cream in lieu of dairy
We’re replacing traditional mozzarella and ricotta with cashew-based sour cream. It’s easy to whip up in a blender. I’m still amazed by how well this “sour cream” concoction replaces all kinds of creamy, dairy-based cheeses and sauces. Some other recipes suggest blended tofu for this component, but cashew cream tastes much, much better.
One caveat—if you don’t have a heavy-duty blender, you’ll need to soak your cashews for a few hours before blending. If you’re blessed with a Vitamix (affiliate link) or similarly powerful blender, you don’t need to bother with the soaking step.
2) Vegetables for flavor and nutrition
We’re also building flavor by sautéing lots of vegetables and spinach. I used onion, carrots and mushrooms, but feel free to use whichever vegetables you have on hand (zucchini, bell pepper, or even butternut squash would work). Mushrooms are particularly good because they offer some umami depth to this meatless lasagna.
3) Garnish with more cashew cream, vegan Parmesan and fresh basil
We’ll layer up and bake this lasagna just like a regular lasagna. Once it’s out of the oven, we’ll drizzle a little leftover cashew cream on top. The cashew cream on the inside condenses as it bakes, so this adds a nice touch of irresistible creaminess.
Lastly, we’ll sprinkle on some vegan Parmesan, which is made with hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, and garlic and onion powder. It’s the perfect salty flavor booster. Add some fresh basil leaves if you have them!
Wondering what to serve with your lasagna? I’d pair it with roasted Brussels sprouts or broccoli, a simple side salad with balsamic dressing, or my Greek lentil salad for some additional protein.
If you’re craving more hearty vegan meals, here are a few delicious options:
- Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans) or Classic Minestrone Soup
- Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils & Marinara Sauce
- Ratatouille
- Mujadara (Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)
Or, browse all of my vegan recipes here.
Watch How to Make Vegan Lasagna
Best Vegan Lasagna
Who knew vegan lasagna could be so delicious? This dairy-free lasagna recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients and tastes amazing. It’s the best! Recipe yields 8 servings.
Ingredients
Cashew cream
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours if you do not have a high-powered blender
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Vegetables
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-to-large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 large or 3 medium carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 8 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 to 6 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
Everything else
- 2 ½ cups marinara sauce, homemade* or store-bought (I used Rao’s)
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles**
- Suggested garnishes: vegan Parmesan (or a light sprinkle of nutritional yeast) and fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If you soaked your cashews, drain and rinse them until the water runs clear.
- In a blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and mustard. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. If you’re having trouble blending the mixture, slowly blend in up to ½ cup additional water, using only as much as necessary. Set aside.
- Then, we’ll prepare the vegetables: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the onion, carrots, mushrooms, salt and several twists of black pepper. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until most of the moisture is gone and the vegetables are tender and turning golden on the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add another splash of olive oil if necessary to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
-
Add a few large handfuls of spinach to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
-
Spread ¾ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9” by 9” baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top (snap off their ends to fit, and/or overlap their edges as necessary). Spread 1 cup of the cashew cream evenly over the noodles. Top with half of the veggies. Top with ¾ cup tomato sauce.
-
Top with 3 more noodles, followed by another 1 cup cashew cream (save the leftover cream). Then add the remaining veggies.
-
Top with 3 more noodles, then spread ¾ cup tomato sauce over the top to evenly cover the noodles.
-
Wrap a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil around the top of the lasagna, making sure it’s taut so it doesn’t touch the top. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180° and continue cooking for about 5 to 10 more minutes, until it’s steaming and lightly bubbling at the corners.
-
Remove the pan from the oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes, so it has time to set and cool down to a reasonable temperature. Drizzle leftover cashew cream on top (if it’s too thick to drizzle, thin it out with a small amount of water first). Sprinkle vegan Parmesan and fresh basil on top, if using, then slice and serve.
Notes
*Homemade marinara sauce note: You’ll need to double my marinara recipe to yield enough for this recipe, and then you’ll have extra. If you don’t think you’ll use it up within a few days, you can freeze it for later.
**Lasagna noodle recommendations: I like to use DeLallo’s Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (affiliate link) and Whole Foods’ 365 No-Boil Lasagna Noodles. See below for gluten-free suggestions.
Make it gluten free: Substitute gluten-free lasagna noodles. Choose no-boil (oven ready) noodles if possible; if not, cook them according to package directions. (Fair warning, I tried using DeBoles brand of no-bake lasagna noodles and they weren’t quite done cooking in the time specified here. Reheated leftovers were ok, though.)
Change it up: Feel free to play around with the vegetables here. You’ll want to use about 3 cups chopped veggies total (excluding the onion). Butternut squash might be nice, or try one zucchini and one red bell pepper in place of the mushrooms.
Storage suggestions: Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Gently reheat individual servings in the microwave or oven as needed. Or, freeze it for later—it’s generally easier to reheat single servings than to defrost a big block of lasagna!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
WOW! Thank you for the recipe for the cashew cream!!! I have a severe dairy allergy and haven’t had a lasagna since I was a kid. I subbed in your cashew cream recipe into my Italian family recipe lasagna and it was absolutely heaven in a dish ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Who are you? This is voodoo! I made 1 major substitution (zucchini for the mushrooms) because of an allergy, but this recipe was amazing. This may have been one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life. My only regret was that I didn’t stumble across this recipe sooner. Do your thang, this lasagna is everything
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing, Melissa.
I would love to make this as I love all your recipes, but I have 2 children with severe cashew allergies. Is there a substitute or is this what makes the recipe?
Hi Nicola, I’m sorry to disappoint but I haven’t found a great alternative to get the same consistency without using cashews.
Nicola, I also wanted to make this without nuts. I substituted silken tofu for the cashews. I don’t know how it compares to the cashew version, but what I made was delicious.
We love this lasagna at my house, and we also serve it to company – vegan or not. It is sooo good; I always double it, now.
After trying many vegan lasagna recipes this is the one! Made a few changes to the recipe; added some cauliflower and fresh basil to the sauce, used yellow lentil noodles and added some buckwheat pasta in between. Love it!
I’ve made this and it’s amazing! I would like to adapt it as a “vegan eggplant lasagne”. Suggestions? Think I can roast some eggplant slices and substitute for some or all of the veggies? Or substitute the eggplant for half of the pasta?
Hi Diane, you can follow my Italian Eggplant Parmesan as a guide! See the notes below the instructions. Hope this helps!
Thanks for this recipe! We’ve made it about 4 times now and it’s always a hit. We are not vegan, however, we are trying new veggie/meatless recipes and this has moved into our monthly rotation.
You’re welcome! I’m excited you love it.
This was absolutely delicious, thank you! My first attempt at a vegan lasagne and I’m so pleased and impressed at the taste! For us the top layer of tomato wasn’t quite thick enough to keep the top pasta layer soft during cooking, so next time I’d add another layer of something, but will definitely make again.
Wow! I finally had time and made this recipe. Its Delicious! I didn’t have lasagna noodles and used rotini whole wheat noodles instead. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. Thank you! Will definitely make it again.
I’m glad you loved it, Vanessa! I appreciate your review.
I made this lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner and it was the best I have ever tasted! The cashew ricotta cheese was absolutely delicious. I shared it with my steak eating family and then had to hide it so they wouldn’t eat it all up! Thank you for this recipe, it made Christmas Eve special.
This was my first time making something with a cashew cream component and it was sooo good! My boyfriend wasn’t convinced that it would be as good as ricotta but we both agreed that it was the best homemade lasagna we had ever tried. Every part was delish, from the cream to the sautéed veggies to the marinara. We also added some red pepper flakes for heat.
This was soo good, thank you! The only change I made was to add some leftover cannellini beans to the veg mixture and it was delicious. It got 4 thumbs up in my house, which is rare and no complaints that it is vegan, which is also rare :D
Delicious! I made this for Christmas Eve dinner and my husband didn’t even realize there was no cheese. Will definitely make again. Thanks Kate!
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Michele.
Wondering if there’s any special reason you don’t use cooked noodles instead of using the no cook that are not recommended by very many chefs. Only reason I ask is whenever I resort to using the no cook noodles the texture or tooth feel of the noodles after the lasagna is done, is not the same as would be if using pre cooked noodles. I’ve been making lasagna for well over 60 years so definitely not a novice but I’m always game to try different versions of making it especially now that we have two adult grandchildren who’ve decided they will be strictly vegan for the rest of their lives.
I simply don’t understand why you’d use no cook noodles a short cut that’s not the best in my family and friends opinion not to mention the Italian Chefs in our area, unless it was because you had so many other recipes to post on your blog that needed your immediate attention?
Thank you
Take care
Stay well
Hi Joycelyn, Thank you for your comment and sorry you feel frustrated. I found this worked well with over end result with flavor and didn’t feel it sacrificed the flavor or texture. If you prefer to use regular noodles, you can follow my gluten free note and it should end up well. I didn’t take a short cut here, and I’m sorry to hear that is your impression. I spend a lot of time coming up with recipes, researching them and testing them until I post to make sure they are delicious. This one took some time, as well as other recipes on my blog.
OMG! This is absolutely delicious! The only changes I made were to roast the veggies in the oven versus the skillet and added some parsley and garlic powder to the cashew cream. If you love lasagna you have to make this! You won’t be disappointed! Thanks Kate!
Hi – do you think this would work if we substituted the cashews for almonds? We have cashew allergies in our house. Just wondering if that might work? Thanks
Hi Stacie, that’s a good questions. I’m not entirely sure. Definitely soak the almonds in advance if you want to give them a try. Your sauce will likely have more texture than mine, but maybe that will be just fine.
This turned out so delicious. The cashew cream sauce was a little unlike the ones I’ve made before, doesn’t have nutritional yeast mixed in, but creamy and satisfying nonetheless. Not hard to make. I’ve also made your vegetarian lasagna which gets rave reviews in our house.
This is soooo yummy! Thank you Kate for perfecting :)
You’re welcome, Kelly!
Great recipe. Added a handful of black beans to the vegetable mix for some extra filling and melted some vegan cheese atop the tomatoes the final 10 mins. Small tweaks to a fantastic recipe. Well done.
Really great recipe! Thanks so much – I put lots more spinach and added pumpkin instead of carrots. And used gluten free lasagna sheets. Cashew sauce really good
Thank you for sharing, Catherine!
This was so good! I love how the veg can be however with what you have! I used red onion, spinach, mushrooms and red bell pepper for my filling! My not vegan hubby had 3 helpings and took it to work today! Score!!!
Hooray! I love it.
This is amazing. I used this recipe as a base of my lasagna. I don’t use the exact ingredient in the recipe, except for the cashew crew. For the fillings, I used dried shittake mushroom for the meaty chew, tvp, red bell peppers, brocolli and tomato sauce with the mushroom water. I also make it vegetarian by adding cheese. I am food dancing with this lasagna. This is maybe the best thing I have ever made.
Best lasagna ever! My family has requested I make it weekly. First time I made it, I had to wait two days after to bake it and it was delicious. Thank you so much!
I have made this recipe three times now! My go-to lasagna recipe!
I boil a cup of red lentil and add it to the marina sauce.
Honestly the best!!
My store did not have no boil lasagna noodles. Is it okay to boil the noodles and then layer as instructed. I am a bit nervous about this because I have never even made a vegetarian or a traditional lasagna. Any tips greatly appreciated. Thanks!
So good!! My daughter is vegan (my husband and I are not) she is home from college and we just made this. Two meat eaters give this 5 stars! Excellent!
This is now one of our absolute favorite vegan recipes! Thanks so much. My daughter is vegan and my husband and I are trying to eat more vegetables- this makes it so easy. Delicious!
This lasagna. OMG. My mom makes it now for most special occasions. It is the BEST lasagna I’ve ever had (better than any one with cheese I’ve had even in Italy). It tastes like there’s cheese in it: The cashew cream has enough funk from the vinegar. It’s so so so so good. Definitely recommend it with the mushrooms for the umami.
Great to hear, Madeleine! I appreciate your review.
I just made this for my son who is vegan, and his girlfriend. I knew it would be so good because we eat a lot of meals from your recipes, but this was beyond my expectations. It was creamy flavorful and delicious! We yum yummed all the way through it. This will be a definite repeat. Who needs cheese? Thank you for this recipe. Now even my son can enjoy lasagna.
Fantastic, Karen! I’m delighted you made it and it was a hit with everyone.
Used your recipe for a base, thank you so much! It was the first lasagna I made in over 10 yrs. Came out delicious!
I appreciate your recipes.
Thank you, Cari! I’m happy you love them.
Love this recipe, really simple ingredients and straightford to make, thank you
This is the first vegan lasagna recipe I have made, I decided to go with this recipe as I swore by Kate’s Vegetarian Lasagna. Absolutely in love with the recipe, she’s done it again. I haven’t tried any other vegan lasagnas, but this is so simple and delicious I have no need to. I’ve tried different vegetables and today put lentils in my marinara to try different variations. I hated meat lasagna, the vegetarian recipe made me love lasagna so this very much satisfies my lasagna cravings. Thank you Kate, please keep creating these amazing vegan recipes!
Thank you, Adriana! I’m delighted you loved it.
Hi Kate, if I freeze the veggie lasagne, do I need to defrost overnight before I bake or do I bake from frozen??
Thanks,
Deborah
Hi! I haven’t got the method down just yet. I would let is set some of sure. Timing, I just don’t have precise yet.
Yum! Added some black beans that I had leftover. The cashew cheese is great. I definitely recommend making the vegan parmesean for the topping.
I’ve made this multiple times and it really is the best ever vegan lasagne!!
Thank you, Holly!
Okay, so I don’t rate recipes much. But I went vegan about six weeks ago because of some fairly consistent heart pain I was feeling. So two days ago I came across this recipe, bought the ingredients and cooked it about as perfectly as I could have. I stink with a knife when it comes to the dicing but that’s neither here nor there. This recipe was absolutely kick ass. So damn good. If I was at a high-end restaurant I’d rate this an A or A+. The only thing I added to it was a little bit of vegan bread crumbs around the side (where there was excess sauce) and mixed in with the vegan Parm, which I also decided to cook for about 12 minutes which the recipe did not stare to do iirc. I like a little bit of that crispness. The change in texture adds some depth imo. For the sauce, I didn’t use anything fancy. I live by a Wegmans and used one of their own kinds, Grandmas vegetarian or something. Very good. The only thing I would consider doing when cooking it again would be to cook a little bit more vegetables so that it was even healthier and more flavorful. It was insanely flavorful, don’t get me wrong. I just think this could add to it. I might also try to go with five layers of lasagna noodles rather than the four I did. Either way, absolutely great freakin recipe.
I’m so excited you loved it so much you felt the need to leave a review! I appreciate you taking the time.
This was brilliant..
This isn’t the best vegan lasagna… It’s THE BEST LASAGNA period!!!! Wowie wow! Every time I make this for my family, we are shocked at how tasty and packed with flavor and comfort it is. We cannot get enough! No adjustments necessary at all. Thank you so much for this incredible and yet simple recipe!
Hooray! Thank you for your review, Dani.
Since I went vegan about a year ago, my family has been skeptical, almost baffled in a “surely you can’t be satisfied eating like that?” way. I convinced them to let me cook for them for my birthday meal, and ended up trying this recipe. Only alterations I made were to add red lentils to the sauce and dried herbs and nutritional yeast to the cashew cream. (Did use brown rice noodles).
They were actually shocked, I think! It turned out amazing, and my mother was incredulous about how filling it was. She suggested without prompting that it was something I could bring to family gatherings. Even my father, a big meat eater who’d been openly apprehensive, genuinely seemed to enjoy it. Think it was the first time they considered I wasn’t fibbing about how much I love the way I eat. Thank you so much for the lovely recipe!
Hooray! I’m glad you convinced them and the loved it. I appreciate your comment and review, Stevie.
I love this lasagna. I would love to make a double batch – what size pan would you use and how would this alter the rest of the recipe?
Hi Claire! I would suggest breaking the double batch into two pans. I’m not sure a 9×13 would be big enough.
This is the BEST vegan lasagna recipe. Everyone enjoys it whether they are vegan or not! The “cheese” is super creamy and so easy to make.
Damn! This lasagna is AWESOME! I’ve made so many different versions of vegan lasagna, using tofu ricotta, store bought vegan cheese and this one is honestly the best I’ve had! Can’t wait to make it for my non-vegan pals!
This lasagna and cashew cream was great – gooey & flavorful & packed with veggies. It was a good deal of prep, though not over-the-top. I’m also just slow at first time recipes.
I added lentils to my marinara, to even out the protein v. fat + sugar ratio. I should have accounted for them better in my sauce measuring as I was layering my dish. I think I ended up short on the red sauce, which would have packed a little more punch (Kate, your homemade marinara recipe is a home run!).
I will add a dollop on top as I heat up leftovers & I bet this recipe will sing!!
Definitely give it a try!
Please, if you will, provide the Nutrition Information for this recipe. Perhaps you have, yet I could not locate it. I did read your Nutrition Disclosure, thank you. What I choose to know specifically: what is the serving size? What are the calories, saturated fat, sugar, and protein per serving? Again thank you for your time. It is deeply appreciated!
Hi Kanta, The nutrition information is below the notes section of the recipe. You will need to click to expand. I hope that helps!
I tried this recipe on the weekend and I am blown away. I have no words for how good the lasagne is. Couldn’t recommend it higher. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
You’re welcome, Lu! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
Hello
Your recipe looks amazing and I would love to make it for my daughter that is Vegan but she also has allergies to a few different nuts and cashews are one of them. What other nut can I replace it with?? Almonds, macadamia maybe?
Hi! I haven’t found a great alternative to cashews just yet, sorry!
Made this for dinner tonight for my self and family went down so well. I love the fact there is no vegan cheese alternative just the cashew white sauce! Makes an absolutely beautiful lasagne very impressed will most definitely make again! Thanks for the recipe x
You’re welcome! I’m excited it was a hit with everyone, Megan.
Wow, just wow! This lasagna is ah-mazing, I can’t stop going on about it. We are new to the vegan scene (we’re still ‘vegan-lite’, not all in) and although this was very filling it still felt lighter than a meat and cheese traditional lasagna. The cashew cream was incredible. Of course I took liberties with the veggies, using butternut squash, mushrooms, red peppers, thinly sliced zucchini, and tomato sauce with onions & garlic. Then I sprinkled in between layers vegan mozzarella, nutritional yeast, and vegan parm. But the cashew cream was PERFECT.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you, Nana! I appreciate your review. I’m glad you got creative!
Can you make this recipe ahead of time
Hi! It does make great leftovers.
Thank you for responding. My question really was can this be made in advance? I would like to make it before so I’m not cooking when my company is here.
Thought I would also tell you that you are my go to for great vegetarian/vegan meals. I Haven’t made anything I haven’t liked. Thank you
It depends how far in advance. My experience as it tends to release water as it sits and doesn’t have the same result. I’m glad you are enjoying the recipe!
This is the best lasagna I’ve ever had. I never really miss the meat in lasagna, but I love ricotta cheese, so I really thought I would miss it, but this cashew cream is even better than ricotta. I used red bell pepper, carrots, onions, zuchinni, and spinach, which was a great combination but I think next time I’ll add some roasted eggplant too. Thank you for this recipe, I can’t wait to make it again!