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.
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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.
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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.
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Top with 3 more noodles, followed by another 1 cup cashew cream (save the leftover cream). Then add the remaining veggies.
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Top with 3 more noodles, then spread ¾ cup tomato sauce over the top to evenly cover the noodles.
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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.
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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.
I have made twice and an absolute hit!!!!!!The second time I doubled the recipe and my husband ate almost the whole thing! He hates mushrooms but chopped them up until they were unrecognizable!!! Thank you for this amazingly great recipe!!I am a vegetarian and felt like I was cheating with this wonderful entree! My son and daughter were the first to try it when I visited them in California! They were fighting over the leftovers! I made the 9×9! I promised to make it when I return in July!
That’s great! Thank you for sharing.
Have made this many times and it’s amazing. I recently made the switch to gluten free noodles on the recipe, which I recommend boiling for a 3-4 minutes and drying prior to baking so they don’t get overly crispy.
Thank you for sharing, Spencer!
Hi Kate, This is hands down my favorite vegan meal! Tonight I need to omit the spinach since my mom can’t have that with the meds she takes. Could I use brocolli or cauliflower as a substitute? (I can pick up anything you think would be best). When do I add it to the mix? Thank you!
Hi, you can use those! Just make sure it matches the quantity recommended and cook like you would the other raw vegetables.
Thank you!! Just adore this recipe and every recipe I’ve made from your site! I double this lasagna and freeze huge single portions so I have it at the ready when no time to cook. It nukes up wonderfully in a flash. True comfort food! Ps if it matters to anyone, my scale always seems to reward me with a weight loss after I’ve eaten this for dinner, which is crazy wonderful! Thank you Kate!
I’m happy to hear that, Karen. Thanks you for sharing!
My husband said he never needs a meat and cheese lasagna again! I was super impressed with how flavorful and moist this was. I did use an 8×11 dish instead of 9×9 and it turned out just fine.
I love that! Thank you for your review.
I made it with Lacinato Kale and it was fantastic!
Thank you for this recipe. It was so fun, delicious, and healthy, and I will most definitely make it again! Like always, I tripled the garlic :). Gluten free recommendation: I used Simply Nature Yellow Lentil lasagna sheets (from Aldi) and they worked perfectly.
Hi Kate,
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us! I have just made it for the first time and loved it so much! I will definitely be making it again.
I added in sliced sweet potato, zucchini and lentils and it turned out great.
I am looking forward to eating my leftovers for lunch tomorrow at work!
Wonderful to hear, Katie! Thank you for your review.
This was SO good! We’re new to plant-based eating and your recipes are making it so much easier! Every time we try one we love it. My whole family gave an immediate thumbs up to this and it was amazing how much the cashew cream tasted like ricotta! Thank you. Keep up the great work!
You’re welcome, Teri! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Fabulous! In order to enjoy on a school night, I did prep work over the weekend & put it in the oven on a Tuesday. A keeper! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing, Elieen! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Holy crap–thisis amazing!!! I decided to go vegan in February and have been doing great with it but I keep getting cravings for your veggie lasagna. This is the perfect replacement. Thank you!!!
I’m happy to hear that, Karen! Thank you for your review.
This is one of the few recipes in my repertoire where I don’t change or substitute a darn thing, and that is RARE for me. This lasagna is a repeat favourite for us – I have made it many, many times for vegan and non-vegan guests, and as a regular family meal for our little family of three. The flavour and texture is perfection!
Hooray! I’m glad you enjoyed it as is. Thank you fo your review, Brenda.
Hi I made this recipe as is and when I make it again, I will skip the cashew cream and instead use silken tofu for the cheese. The cashew cream is a little tart for my tastes. Otherwise thought your directions were good and the recipe was super easy and tasty!
I love this recipe!
I want to report a bug: when I pull up the recipe the cashew cream part actually displays the 2x ingredients list. When I press 2x then back to 1x it corrects to the 1x amount. Its not a huge problem bc it just makes it suuuuper creamy, but I thought I would let you know!
Thank you for pointing this out! 2 cups of cashews seemed a lot for me, so I’m glad I checked out the comment section and saw your review from May. Error hasn’t been corrected, still the same problem.
It was my first time trying a vegan lasagna. My brother absolutely loved it. I will definitely do it again
Thanks for sharing
That’s great! Thank you for sharing.
HUGE hit with my whole family (myself, husband and two year old) and possibly the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I could honestly eat the entire thing. Absolutely amazing recipe!
Can i use a food processor instead of blender ?
You can try it! Let me know how it works for you.
This is one of our favourite vegan meals – it is ridiculously good – we team it with homemade garlic bread and timon (sliced cucumber sliced red onion chillis and sugar all mixed together and sat in the fridge for an hour) – amazing!
I just made this lasagna for the first time and it is fantastic!! It’s our new favorite lasagna (by a mile – in fact several miles!). I made the recipe as written except I added more carrots and spinach, a couple sliced zucchini, an additional jar of marinara (and Italian seasoning as the one I use is salt-free). My lasagna-loving partner gave it the ultimate compliment as he said that he would put it up against ANY lasagna any time. Thanks very much for sharing this recipe!!
I love it! Thank you for your review, Marcia.
PS – I forgot to say in my review just now that I scaled the recipe to 1.5 times the original amounts. With the addition of the extra veg, marinara, and the scaled up number of noodles, it filled a 15×20 baking dish. I did use the vegan parmesan that you recommended as a topping. SOOOOO good!!!
My goodness. This lasagna is amazing!!
I did add zucchini to mine as I gave a glut of zucchini in the garden.
I also added about 100g of chickpeas to the veggie mix.
I tore basil and parsley and placed them in the layers also.
That cashew cream just absolutely set this dish apart.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
Thank you, Katie!
My husband has made this recipe 5+ times and we love it! We usually make it with brown rice noodles (cooked before) which works best. We did it once with quinoa noodles (no cook) and they were still crunchy so I wouldn’t recommend that method due to not long enough cooking time or maybe not enough liquid. We love it as is, and also with butternut squash added (mmm veggies!). A new staple in our house!
I was truly doubtful about this recipe and was going to embelish it with other vegetables but in the end, went with the original. So glad I did. Everyone raved about it and I wished I had doubled the recipe. Even the one person who was very against vegan food, had to admit that he had enjoyed it! I will definitely make this again in a much larger quantity. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Carol! Thank you for your review.
I made this lasagna for the second time and it is now officially our family favourite. I used GF lasagna pasta to accommodate my husband and added a few basil leaves to the cashew cream. Super simple and supper yummy. Thank you.
That’s great, Vanda! I’m happy you loved it.
This is the BEST vegan lasagna I have made so far. My husband and I love it so much that it has been added to our weekly dinner rotation. Simple to make with an amazing flavor!
Absolutely delicious!! And easy enough to make on a weekday! Thanks so much for a great recipe my whole family enjoyed!
I’m glad this was such a hit with your entire family, Christy! I appreciate your review.
Can this be put together and baked the next day?
Hi, I would recommend to assemble and bake right away as the vegetables and sauce can release moisture as they sit impacting your results.
I did not see your reply before I made the lasagna. I did make it the day before and baked it the day we were eating it. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!
Great! I’m glad you loved it.
Have made the Vegan lasagne twice now!! Deeelish!! A vegan friend of mine suggested adding puree’ed cauliflower with cashew cheese , a great addition and gives more yummy sauce to smother it with! Thanks for this fab recipe!
That’s wonderful to hear, Ellie. Thank you for your review!
So good! Sadly, I’m the only one in my house who will be eating it. I’m going to freeze half of it for later and hope for the best.
Thank you!
I would recommend freezing individual portions so you can pull out what you would like. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Andrea!
Oh my gosh!!!
Just heaven
My mother and I both love this recipe so much. This will be my go to lasagne recipe every time now
Thanks so much
I love that this recipe is a go-to for you! Thanks for sharing.
I made the recipe just as written, 1 c of cashews …but when it came to putting it together there was only one cup of cashew cream…so I made more, There wasn’t any left over for drizzling on top. Did I do something wrong? I think it will still turn out great. Just wondering about the measurements.
Thanks!!
and btw it is amazingly delicious. Do not miss cheese at all!!
Hi! If you made it to the measurements, you should have still had some left over. It called for two cups of cashews for the cream sauce.
This came up for us as a bug; if you double the recipe, the amount of cashews doesn’t change (it still says two cups). Then if you go back to the 1X, it changes to one cup. So we just manually doubled. Fixing this could avoid some confusion though.
Hi GW, I’m sorry to hear that. I will take a look. Thank you for brining it to my attention!
Do not be hesitant to try this recipe.
I made it tonight and it was fabulous! Even my skeptical family liked it. I’m trying to use more plant-based recipes, but it is hard to find ones my family will eat. This one is a keeper!!
For what it’s worth: I used Tinkyada brand brown rice lasagna noodles, but instead of cooking them, I soaked them in hot tap water while I prepared everything else and then used them as is. They had a great texture. (I use this trick with regular pasta noodles, but I wasn’t sure how it would work with GF, but it did!)
This is better than a lot of regular lasagna! I especially love the cashew cream. Healthy, sumtuous, flavorful, comforting – it’s perfect for vegans and nonvegans alike. It is impossible to not love this!
I have an 8 X 8 pan, but not a 9 X 9 pan and if I can avoid spending money on a new pan, that’d be great. Suggestions as to how to adapt this to an 8 X 8 pan?
Hi Andy, you could try to double it for a 9×13. It won’t quite fit in an 8×8. You could try adjusting some of the ingredients to fewer, but I can’t say how much without trying it.
Hi…Blessings on the new life coming to you. A little girl, how lovely!
I have been a follower for a couple of years now and have your cookbook which I use almost daily. My partner who is totally blind also appreciates the vegetarian recipes. One of our favorites is the breakfast artichoke and spinach quiche. In fact I used the almond flour crust for another filling using red peppers and mushrooms and substituting a cup of yogurt for the milk. It was delicious!
The only problem with the cookbook is that the binder has come free from the pages. I was thinking about ordering another if the binding has been improved. What do you think?
Thanks again and prayers for a healthy baby and a great healing for your brother.Linda
Thank you, Linda! I appreciate your support and following along.
Was loved by all the kids and the husband. I asked my daughter what she wanted for a celebration meal and she said that really good vegan lasagne please mum
Yum! Made this yesterday and while, like most lasagna’s are (for me), it takes a bit of time, it is super good and I will make it again. I used zucchini with the mushrooms, no complaints.
Someone else noted here that there’s a bug with the servings. Glad I caught it beforehand. 1x serving presumably should only need 1C cashews, etc., yet by default is showing the amounts for 2x. Only when one changes the 1x/2x/etc. thing does it right itself.
Also, 1x says 9 servings but thw Nutritional info says 8. I can do the math of course, but thought worth mentioning if there’s a bug.
BEST lasagna ever!!! Thank you for the delicious recipes!
You’re welcome, Claudia! I appreciate your review.
Hi Kate
This really is the “Best Vegan Lasagna!!!” If there are leftovers in the fridge I wake up thinking about them and have an early lunch!! :)
Do you think I could freeze the cashew cream before cooking if I do a larger quantity and split it up?
Thanks for all your lovely recipes, I don’t usually think about writing reviews but this was beyond delicious!
Thank you
Jayne
I love it! I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. But I would be interested to hear how it turns out for you, if you try it!
Thank you for your tips. I have recently been a vegan. So, I found so hard to choose food and prepare without meat and dairy. I add up almonds and dates with cashew which made it a bit interesting.
Thank you for your tips. I have recently been a vegan. So, I found so hard to choose food and prepare without meat and dairy. I add up almonds and dates with cashew which made it a bit interesting.
Thanks from other side of globe
Nepal(it is a country)
This lasagna is amazing. I was skeptical but the cashew cream does not disappoint. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Heidi! Thank you for your review.
I would like to make this for a Bridal shower next week, the shower is On August 28, so I have to make it the day before. Will there be a difference to reheat the day of the shower?
Hi! It does make good leftovers. You could try reheating it in the oven or individually. Although, I have only reheated individual portions in the microwave.
My husband said he never needs a meat and cheese lasagna again! I was super impressed with how flavorful and moist this was. I did use an 8×11 dish instead of 9×9 and it turned out just fine.
Hi! My daughter is vegan and I’d love to try this but normally lasagne noodles are not vegan! I guess I could try this with zucchini slices in place of the pasta…. If I do I’ll let you know:). Absolutely love your blog and have been cooking your recipes for several years now. Thank you
Hi Tamara, you should be able to find some. Let me know how it turns out!
Thank you Kate! I absolutely will. ❤️
Most lasagna noodles in the store are free of eggs or dairy, and the bake-ready by Ronzoni are super easy to use (I like them better because they aren’t as thick).
Hi Kate is there any reason why you use no boil lasagne pasta instead of fresh? I absolutely loved this recipe but the pasta didn’t seem the best maybe it was the quality of it ♀️
Hi Jannie, I found they worked well and one less step. You could try a different brand or use regular and just follow my notes on gluten free noodles. Let me know what you think!
Would like to know can you predo early and freeze. I have a wedding to cater in 2 weeks would like to pre make and freeze we only have 3 vegan guests..just would like to know if it can be done early and frozen
Hi Sherry! I haven’t tried to freeze this recipe. But, I believe others have and didn’t mind the results.
So good every time we make it. My meat lover son even liked it! Thank you for such a great meal!
You’re welcome, Karen! I appreciate your review.
Unreal recipe!! Thanks for sharing it!
It was my first time making it and unfortunately I didn’t see the notes about doubling the sauce quantity at the bottom of the page until I had the lasagne in the oven! So mine did come out a bit dry haha whoops! Maybe worth editing that into the recipe?
I’m looking forward to making it again – so good we’ve nearly eaten the whole thing in one day!
Thanks again
Wow! What a hit. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Rach! I appreciate your review.
Just made this and it was so good, this will be my new favourite dinner
I made this yesterday- it was one of the best recipes I’ve ever tried. Restaurant worthy for sure. Thank you! btw, I am gluten free and so used the GF noodles, but took your advice and cooked first. It was an amazing meal!
Thank you for sharing, Susan!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you very much for the recipe, my new favourite dinner meal.
Your’e welcome, Krystal!
Very good and I even HATE mushrooms. I made it like the recipe.
I’m glad you loved it, Karman! Thank you for your review.
Congratulations on your new baby girl…she’s just beautiful!
My niece (vegan) and I (not vegan) enjoy cooking together and we tried this recipe last weekend. She suggested subbing vegan ricotta for the cashew cream to save time, and it was a winning (though pricey) alternative. We added shredded vegan Parmesan to the top before baking, rather than sprinkling it on top at the end. The final result was delicious! Will definitely make it again, with a bit more tomato sauce on top or on the side. Thank you Kate!
Thank you, Jan! We are pretty happy. I’m glad you love this recipe!