Creamy, savory spinach and dairy-free ricotta filling wrapped in golden, flaky puff pastry. These Vegan Spinach and Ricotta Rolls are perfect as party finger food, quick snacks on the go, or for packing in lunch boxes. Can be easily adapted to be gluten-free and are freezer-friendly. Make up to 2 months in advance.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious, crispy, golden and savory! They taste just like a non-vegan version, and you’d never know the ‘ricotta’ is actually made from tofu. It’s made using my popular Tofu Ricotta – which is very versatile, so check out that recipe for more meal ideas 🙂
- Filling and protein rich, from the tofu and almond meal.
- Easy to make ahead, plus they’re freezer-friendly for up to two months.
- Great for parties, meal prepping, or packing in lunch boxes. My toddler, Oliver, LOVES this recipe, he’ll even eat the filling by the spoonful without the pastry.
- Can be made gluten-free with a simple swap of puff pastry.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll find the specific quantities for each ingredient listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but for your convenience, here’s a shopping list of everything you’ll need:
- Extra firm tofu
- Almond meal
- Lemon
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Dried basil
- Salt
- Nutritional yeast
- Ground black pepper
- Frozen chopped spinach (or fresh spinach if preferred)
- Vegan puff pastry
- Vegan mayonnaise
- Dried oregano (optional)
Instructions
Step One: Break apart the tofu into large chunks and add to a food processor.
Step Two: Add all remaining ingredients (except spinach) to the food processor: almond meal, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dried basil, salt, nutritional yeast, and a pinch of ground black pepper.
Step Three: Blitz the mixture on high for about 1 minute or until everything is well combined. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. The final consistency should be thick and creamy, with some small lumps being fine.
Step Four: Squeeze the thawed spinach to remove as much water as possible. Mix the thawed spinach with the tofu ricotta to combine.
Step Five: Place thawed pastry sheets onto a work surface. Divide the filling between the two sheets of pastry and shape it into a log, ensuring it is well compacted.
Step Six: Slice each roll into four or six pieces (depending on how large you would like the rolls). I like to use the dental floss trick from the Kitchn to slice my rolls – it gives a nice clean cut without squishing the soft filling.
Step Seven: Brush the tops with mayonnaise and sprinkle with oregano. Make a small slice on the the top of each piece (optional – decorative).
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Step Eight: Place the rolls onto the baking tray, leaving at least 1 inch between them (so the pastry browns well).
Step Seven: Bake for 35-40 minutes until pastry is golden and crispy.
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Substitutions & Variations
- In case you need to avoid nuts, sunflower seeds can replace the almond meal. They’ll still give a creamy texture. Make sure to blend them first in a blender to form meal consistency. Note: a food processor won’t work for this additional step, the sunflower meal will be too gritty.
- To make this recipe gluten free, simply swap the puff pastry for a gluten free alternative.
Equipment
To make the tofu filling, you’ll need a food processor or a blender. I love my Breville Sous Chef Pro – I’ve had it for over 12 years and it still works perfectly. It’s powerful and can hold up to 16 cups. But as this recipe is made of reasonably soft ingredients, any basic blender or food processor will work.
Storage
These Vegan Spinach and Ricotta rolls taste best immediately out of the oven when the pastry is crispy and golden. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 60 seconds on high, or to get that crispy texture – reheat in the oven at 180°C / 350°F for 10 minutes or air fryer at 160°C / 320°F for 5 minutes.
One of the great things about this recipe is that it can be made in advance. It really takes the pressure off if you’re hosting guests. You can also freeze then unbaked rolls for when you need a quick snack. Freeze the rolls in an airtight container after slicing them into pieces for up to 2 months. Then bake when ready to eat – no need to thaw beforehand, just add an extra 2-4 minutes to the total bake time.
Expert Tips
Tofu – it’s very important you use extra firm tofu for this recipe, otherwise there will be too much liquid and the rolls will be soggy. Look for tofu that is labelled as hard or extra firm. Anything labelled as firm or classic will be too soft.
FAQ
No, for this recipe, it is important to use extra firm tofu. Softer tofu (like ‘classic’ or ‘firm’) will have too much liquid. They will not hold their shape and the pastry will be soggy.
One you have made the rolls and sliced them into pieces, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking. You can also Freeze the rolls in an airtight container at this point for up to 2 months. Then bake when ready to eat – no need to thaw beforehand, just add an extra 2-4 minutes to the total bake time.
Video – Watch Me Make This Recipe
Creamy, savory spinach and dairy-free ricotta filling wrapped in golden, flaky puff pastry. These Vegan Spinach and Ricotta Rolls are perfect as party finger food, quick snacks on the go, or for packing in lunch boxes. Can be easily adapted to be gluten-free and are freezer-friendly. Make up to 2 months in advance.
These Vegan Spinach & Ricotta Rolls are one of my favorite savory hot snacks – perfect for parties and lunch boxes. Remember, you can make them in advance too and store them in the freezer so you always have a back-up snack or light meal waiting for you. Let me know what you think of these by leaving a star rating and review below. Feel free to also tag me on Instagram @glowdiaries___ – DM me a photo of your cooking and I will re-share it to my story 🙂
Vegan Spinach & Ricotta Rolls
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
Filling
- 450 gram extra firm tofu
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- Pinch of ground black pepper
- 8 oz frozen chopped spinach (250 g), thawed, see note 1
Rolls
- 2 sheets puff pastry vegan, thawed if frozen
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise vegan
- Dried oregano optional
Instructions
Filling
- Break the tofu apart with your hands into your food processor.
- Add all remaining ingredients (except the spinach) and blend on high for 30-60 seconds or until well combined. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides if needed.
- The finished result should be a thick, creamy ricotta-like consistency. Some small lumps are fine.
- Squeeze the thawed spinach with your hands to remove as much water as possible. Place the spinach onto a clean tea towel (one you don't mind getting stained) and wring it well to remove any last drops of water.
- Remove the blade attachment from the food processor. Add in thawed spinach and mix with a spoon (or your hands) to combine.
Rolls
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C (160°C fan forced). Line a large baking tray or grease it lightly with vegetable oil.
- Place thawed pastry sheets onto a work surface. Divide the filling between the two sheets of pastry and shape it into a log, ensuring it is well compacted.
- Brush the tops with mayonnaise and sprinkle with oregano, then slice each roll into four or six pieces (depending on how large you would like the rolls). Make a small slice on the the top of each piece (optional – decorative).
- Place the rolls onto the baking tray, leaving at least 1 inch between them (so the pastry browns well).
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until pastry is golden and crispy. Eat as soon as they are cool enough to eat and serve with tomato relish or ketchup.
Video
Notes
- Spinach – you can use fresh spinach in this recipe but I prefer frozen as it is convenient and affordable. To use fresh, chop 1.2lb / 600g of fresh spinach into small pieces. Blanch for 45 seconds, then drain and rinse under cold water. Squeeze out excess liquid, then measure out 8 oz / 250g of spinach and proceed with the recipe. If using frozen spinach, keep in mind the quality varies between brands – some are so finely chopped it is more like minced spinach. The recipe will still taste fine, but the filling will look more like aa green paste rather than having distinguishable spinach pieces. If you’re in Australia, I like the Nature’s Nutrients brand of spinach from Coles supermarkets.
- Tofu – it’s very important you use extra firm tofu for this recipe, otherwise there will be too much liquid and the rolls will be soggy. Look for tofu that is labelled as hard or extra firm. Anything labelled as firm or classic will be too soft.
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