Best Substitutes for Ricotta Cheese in Lasagna

Halfway through layering your lasagna and realize you're out of ricotta? It happens. The good news: several common ingredients work just as well—and some arguably make a better lasagna. Here are six tested substitutes with exact ratios and prep instructions.

Quick Comparison

Detailed Breakdown

1. Cottage Cheese — The Go-To Swap

Cottage cheese is the closest match to ricotta in both price and protein content. The key step most people skip: blend it. Nobody wants visible curds in their lasagna. Pulse it in a food processor for about 30 seconds until it's smooth but not liquefied.

Use full-fat cottage cheese for the best results. Low-fat versions release more water during baking, which can make your layers soggy. If you only have low-fat, drain it through a fine mesh strainer for 15 minutes before blending.

Ratio: 1 cup cottage cheese = 1 cup ricotta. Mix with 1 egg and a pinch of salt, exactly as you would with ricotta.

2. Cream Cheese — Richer and Denser

Cream cheese gives lasagna a heavier, more indulgent feel. Think of it as turning your weeknight lasagna into something closer to a special-occasion dish. The trade-off is density—cream cheese doesn't have ricotta's lightness.

Let it come to room temperature before mixing, or you'll fight lumps the entire time. Beat it with an egg to loosen the texture. Without the egg, cream cheese bakes into something closer to a solid block than a creamy layer.

Ratio: Use 3/4 cup for every 1 cup of ricotta the recipe calls for. It's richer, so you need less.

3. Mascarpone — The Luxury Option

If you've ever had really good tiramisu, you already know mascarpone. It's essentially Italian cream cheese but milder and silkier. In lasagna, it melts into a buttery layer that feels almost decadent.

Mascarpone is soft enough to spread straight from the container, but it needs structure. Whisk in one egg per 8 oz to help it set during baking. Without the egg, it stays too loose and can seep into your pasta layers.

Ratio: 3/4 cup mascarpone per 1 cup ricotta. Season with salt and a crack of black pepper—mascarpone is bland on its own.

4. Tofu — The Vegan Winner

Firm or extra-firm tofu, crumbled and blended with the right seasonings, genuinely passes for ricotta in a layered lasagna. The trick is the seasoning. Plain tofu tastes like nothing. You need nutritional yeast (2 tablespoons per block), lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt.

Press the tofu first. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel, set a heavy pan on top, and leave it for 20 minutes. This removes excess water that would otherwise make your lasagna watery. Then crumble it into a food processor and pulse until it looks like ricotta—slightly textured, not a puree.

Ratio: One 14-oz block of firm tofu replaces about 2 cups of ricotta. Check out our lasagna recipe guide for a full vegan version.

5. Béchamel Sauce — The Classic European Way

Here's something that surprises a lot of American home cooks: most Italian lasagna doesn't use ricotta at all. In Bologna, lasagna is made with béchamel—a simple white sauce of butter, flour, and milk—layered between pasta and meat ragù.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter, whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour, then slowly pour in 2 cups of whole milk while stirring constantly. Cook until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, white pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Ratio: Spread about 1/3 cup of béchamel per layer where you'd normally spread ricotta. Make a full batch (2 cups) for a standard 9x13 pan. This approach works especially well if you're already making a traditional lasagna.

6. Goat Cheese — Bold and Tangy

Goat cheese is for people who want their lasagna to have personality. It brings a sharp, tangy flavor that pairs particularly well with vegetable lasagnas—think spinach, roasted red pepper, or mushroom.

Crumble the goat cheese and mix it with one beaten egg per 6 oz of cheese. The egg binds everything and mellows the tang slightly. If the flavor feels too strong, blend it half-and-half with cream cheese for a more balanced layer.

Ratio: 3/4 cup goat cheese per 1 cup ricotta. Start with less if you're new to goat cheese in cooked dishes—the flavor intensifies in the oven.

Tips for Any Ricotta Substitute

Always add an egg. Regardless of which substitute you pick, mixing in one beaten egg per 2 cups of filling helps the layer set during baking instead of sliding around when you cut into it.

Season separately. Mix your substitute with salt, pepper, and any herbs (Italian seasoning, fresh basil, parsley) before layering. Tasting the filling raw gives you a chance to adjust before it's buried under pasta and sauce.

Don't overfill. Rich substitutes like cream cheese and mascarpone are heavier than ricotta. Use slightly less than you think you need. You can always add more next time.