Vegan Lasagna | The Best Dairy Free Lasagna You Can Make

This vegan lasagna is loaded with healthy veggies, flavorful seasonings, and a creamy, cheesy-like sauce that ties it all together. It is so good that even non-vegans like it better than regular lasagna! Honestly, you won't find a better dairy free lasagna than this. 

THE BEST VEGAN LASAGNA 

If you come from an Italian family, you know how big a role pasta plays at family meals. And when I think of Sunday dinner, I think of a big tray of lasagna. 

But of course, regular lasagna has cheese and has a meat sauce more often than not - if only everyone knew how good dairy free lasagna could be.

Well, after you make this recipe, they will. 

This vegan lasagna recipe puts a delicious plant based twist on classic Italian lasagna. It combines sauteed veggies with roasted eggplant to create a plant-based tomato sauce. And the creamy cashew sauce gives this lasagna a subtle cheesiness that is oh so good. 

Seriously, everyone who tries this vegan lasagna says they'd prefer it over regular lasagna any day of the week! 

And the best part about this recipe might be that it takes just over an hour to make - typically, lasagna takes all day to make! 

INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN LASAGNA

You will need quite a few ingredients to bring this dairy free lasagna recipe together.

But the combination of all the ingredients is what I think makes it so good!

Here's what you'll need for the veggie sauce:  

• 2 medium eggplants (cut in half)
• 3 tablespoon oil
• 3 cloves of garlic (crushed and sliced)
• 2 onions (chopped)
• 3-4 carrot sticks (chopped)
• 2 celery sticks (chopped)
• 1 ½ cup of mushrooms (chopped)
• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon of dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon of dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

For the cashew "cheese" sauce:

• 1 cup of raw cashews, soaked
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ cup of water
• Just over 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Vegan cheese for sprinkling

And to complete the lasagna:

• 6 lasagna noodles

By the way, make sure to pick up extra cashews if you go to the store. You can use them to make this vegan mac and cheese and vegan alfredo sauce next!

Also, if you are not a fan of one of the veggies or seasonings, feel free to leave them out!

HOW TO SOAK THE CASHEWS 

As you may have noticed when looking over the ingredients, you will need to use raw cashews that have been soaked - this will soften the cashews up to blend more easily. 

And if you've never done this before no need to worry. I have three tested methods you can use to make it a simple process. 

Method 1: Soaking In Hot Water

The first method is to soak your cashews in hot water.

This is my preferred method since it only takes 30 minutes, and you can do it right before you cook.

To do this, bring a pot of water to a boil. Then once it boils, turn off the heat, toss in the cashews, and cover the pot - keep the cashews in the pot for about 30 minutes. Then you'll drain and rinse the cashews and will be ready to go. 

Method 2: Boiling the cashews

The second method you can use is to boil the cashews.

This will be the quickest option and works well if you are in a hurry or just want to make this lasagna ASAP.

First, put your cashews in a pot and fill it with enough water to cover them. Then bring the water to a boil and continue boiling the cashews for 15 minutes. That's it - then again, you'll drain and rinse the cashews before you start the recipe. 

Method 3: Soak Overnight

The last method is soaking the cashews in water overnight.

To do this, just put the cashews in a bowl of room temperature water and leave them in it overnight. Then before you need them, you'll rinse and drain the cashews. 

With all of these methods, keep in mind that the longer you keep them in the water, the softer they'll be. So don't take the cashews out before the time is up.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN LASAGNA

Lasagna can seem like an intimidating and challenging dish to make, but I'll be with you every step of the way.

This recipe is broken up into super simple components, and you'll be able to make the perfect lasagna that will give you some serious bragging rights. 

So, what are we waiting for? Let's get cooking! 

STEP 1: PREPARING THE VEGGIES

The first thing you will do is prepare your eggplants. Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C), then cut your eggplants in half and brush the sides with olive oil. 

Next put your eggplants cut-side down on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the size of your eggplants - you will roast them just until they start to shrivel and are tender to touch with a fork. 

Once they are as described above, remove them from the oven and let them cool. 

STEP 2: COOKING THE VEGGIES

Next, add oil to a pan and put it over medium heat. Once the oil starts sizzling, toss in the chopped onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook the veggies until the onion becomes translucent.

Then, scoop out the flesh from the eggplant - discard the skin - and add the eggplant along with your mushrooms to the pan. Cook until the veggies are golden on the edges, and then add the tomatoes and all the spices.

Simmer for about 30 minutes, occasionally stirring - then lower the heat until you are ready to assemble the lasagna. 

While the veggie sauce is simmering, you can make the cashew sauce.

STEP 3: MAKING THE CASHEW CHEESE SAUCE

So, you should have soaked your cashews liked we talked about earlier, and at this time, you can drain them. 

Then combine your cashews with the lemon juice, water, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender. 

Blend at the highest speed until the ingredients have turned into a silky smooth mixture. If the mixture is too thick, add 2-4 tablespoons of water and blend again. 

STEP 4: COMPLETING YOUR VEGAN LASAGNA

Now it's time to assemble this vegan lasagna! Before assembling, preheat your oven to 360°F (180°C). 

First, cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish or lasagna tray with a thin layer of vegan butter or olive oil. 

Then spoon just enough of the veggie sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Next, add a lasagna noodle on top, cover it with the cashew sauce, and sprinkle the top with vegan cheese. 

Repeat the layers of veggie sauce, lasagna noodles, cashew sauce, and vegan cheese until you're out of lasagna noodles. Then, once you're finished, cover the top with more veggie sauce, cashew sauce, and vegan cheese. 

Lastly, cover with foil and bake your lasagna in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. 

Make sure to let it cool a little before serving and enjoy! 

STORING YOUR VEGAN LASAGNA 

Something I love about this recipe is it makes 10 servings and tastes incredible leftover! 

So if you and your family, friends, or whoever you share this recipe with didn't polish off the dish, you can enjoy it for the days to come. And this recipe is also great for meal prep if you plan to save it all for yourself. 

You can keep your vegan lasagna in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or, to keep it longer, you can freeze it for up to 6 months - just thaw in the fridge before reheating. 

REHEATING YOU LASAGNA 

Then to reheat, my favorite way is to heat the lasagna in a skillet. To do this, place a slice or two in a large skillet and add ¼ cup of water. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat until the water starts to simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook until warm. 

You could also reheat in the oven - just put the amount you want in a baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil. Then warm in the oven at 325°F (160°C) for about 15-30 minutes, or until it reaches your desired temperature.

And for the quickest method, place in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed all the way through. 

WRAPPING IT ALL UP

That is how you make the best vegan lasagna!

Next time you have a family dinner or get together, you have to whip up this dairy free lasagna - everyone will be impressed that you made lasagna from scratch and be blown away by how tasty it is.

And you might just turn a few people vegan after they get a taste of this plant-based deliciousness. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this vegan lasagna recipe as much as I do! Make sure to leave a comment below if you make it - I'd love to hear how it turns out. 

Print