Facebook-square Pinterest-square Instagram

Tofu Ricotta Balsamic Beet Salad

This post may contain affiliate links.

This bold and beautiful Balsamic Beet Salad with Tofu Ricotta is everything there is to love about fresh, whole food cooking! Packed with massaged kale, marinated baby beets, homemade maple pecans, and fluffy dairy-free tofu ricotta, all topped with a creamy balsamic vinaigrette. This meal is one that will impress anyone you feed it to, they will never know it’s vegan, gluten-free and oil free!
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Beet Salad with Tofu Ricotta and Balsamic Vinaigrette

This salad is a full-on flavor moment, but let’s be real—the tofu ricotta steals the show. It’s creamy, savory, perfectly tangy, and packed with protein thanks to firm tofu, white miso, lemon, and nooch. It comes together in minutes, no soaking or prep required, and honestly tastes so much like traditional ricotta you might do a double take. And while we’re saving time, let’s talk about those Love Beets—pre-cooked, marinated, and ready to go right out of the pack. No beet juice mess, no roasting for an hour, no staining your hands pink. Toss everything with tender massaged kale, maple-candied pecans, and a seriously drinkable oil-free balsamic vinaigrette for a salad that’s easy enough for lunch but fancy enough for a dinner party.

This beet salad is pretty much summer in a bowl and the ideal meal for outdoor dining! It’s got layers of goodness, and the presentation alone will have jaws dropping! The fact that this recipe is totally dairy-free, gluten-free, oil-free is kind of wild because – LOOK AT IT! It’s also incredibly easy to throw together, making it perfect for dinner parties, weeknight meals, or prepping ahead for weekday lunches. The best part? This salad tastes indulgent while packing in nutrient-dense ingredients and plant-based protein. Let’s get into it!

Are Beets Healthy?

Oh yes, my friend they absolutely are! Beets are rich in fiber, folate, potassium, and antioxidants—particularly betalains, which give them that lovable deep red color. They support heart health, reduce inflammation, and can even help improve endurance thanks to naturally occurring nitrates. Whether you’re enjoying roasted beets, shredded raw beets, or pre-marinated beets like the Love Beets White Wine Balsamic variety used here, they’re a powerhouse addition to any meal!

massaged kale in a white bowl with lemon slices and olive oil nearby
Blocks of tofu in a glass bowl for homemade high-protein tofu gnocchi

Tofu Ricotta Balsamic Beet Salad Ingredients

There are a few moving parts to this salad, but I promise you it is not at all complicated, and my goodness, it is so worth it! This kale and beet salad is perfectly balanced with all the things you love; here is what you’ll need!

  • Tofu ricotta: A creamy, dairy-free cheese made from tofu and flavorful pantry staples. You’ll be making this baby from scratch – prepare to fall in love!
  • Marinated beets: I used Love Beets’ White Wine Balsamic variety for ease and flavor. You could totally use roasted beets or boiled beets if you can’t get your hands on these.
  • Kale: Tuscan kale is massaged until tender and tossed with lemon for brightness. If you need to learn how to massage kale, click here!
  • Maple candied pecans: Toasty, salty-sweet crunch with just three ingredients. You’ll also be making these from scratch, of course, you can skip them if you want to make this nut free.
  • Balsamic vinaigrette: Thick, creamy, and oil-free—made with tahini and maple syrup, you’ll have this vinaigrette recipe on repeat.

Easy Tofu Ricotta Cheese Ingredients

This vegan ricotta is nut-free and incredibly flavorful. Here’s what’s inside:

  • Firm tofu: The creamy base with plant protein and a neutral flavor.
  • Lemon juice + garlic powder: Add brightness and depth.
  • Tahini: Replaces oil or cashews while keeping the ricotta rich and smooth.
  • Nutritional yeast: Necessary to deliver cheesy, umami-packed flavor.
  • White miso paste: Adds saltiness and complexity.
  • Dried parsley, sea salt, pepper: For a balanced finish.

Ingredients for Balsamic Vinaigrette

This creamy balsamic beet salad dressing is oil-free and made with just a handful of ingredients:

  • Balsamic vinegar: Brings depth and sweetness while tying in the flavor of our marinated beets.
  • Maple syrup: Natural sweetness to balance the acidity.
  • Tahini: Adds body and creaminess without dairy or oil!
  • Dijon mustard: Perfect for emulsifying your dressing and adding a bit of tang.
  • Garlic powder: Essential for flavor and depth.
Creamy tofu mixture blended in a food processor for a savory spread or sauce

How To Make This Kale With Beets Salad

How to Make Vegan Ricotta

No nuts, no soaking, no mess. Just crumble the tofu into a food processor and blend with lemon juice, tahini, garlic, nutritional yeast, and miso. It’s a quick and easy non-dairy ricotta cheese recipe that you will come back to time and time again.

Make the Maple Pecans

Next, you’ll want to start on your maple pecans so that they have some time to cool off prior to adding them to your salad. Start by toasting chopped pecans in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in maple syrup, coconut sugar, and salt. Cook for 1–2 more minutes, then transfer to a parchment-lined plate to cool.

Candied pecans toasting in a cast iron skillet

How To Prepare Kale

While your maple pecans are cooling and your ricotta is chilling, it’s time to massage your kale and get the rest of the salad components into a bowl. Remove tough stems and finely chop the leaves. Massage with lemon juice and oil (if using) for 15–30 seconds. If you didn’t know, massaging helps break down the fibrous texture, making it easier to chew and digest—and also enhances the flavor. The smell that comes off of your kale as soon as you start to massage it is invigorating! Enjoy this process and then move on to the rest of the salad components.

How to Make Balsamic Vinaigrette

You can whisk this dressing in a bowl or shake it in a jar for convenience. For an ultra-smooth texture, blend it in a high-speed blender or use a hand whisk. Adjust water to reach your desired consistency, and don’t forget to taste and tweak salt, mustard, or maple as needed.

Assemble the salad

Now it’s time to put this beauty together! Layer kale on a serving platter. Add spoonfuls of ricotta, marinated Love Beets quarters, and candied pecans. Drizzle generously with balsamic dressing and serve. Watch the eyes around the table widen while everyone enjoys bites of this delicious salad!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Tofu Ricotta Recipe

Make this tofu ricotta once and fall in love for life! I promise you this recipe is so easy to make and it’s extremely versatile. Not only is this tofu ricotta nut-free and oil-free, but the most important part is that it is dairy free without compromising on flavor or texture! It’s packed with plant-based protein and has a fluffy, flavorful texture that’s incredibly versatile. Best of all, it comes together in just five minutes with no special equipment required. Use it as a creamy topping for toast, stirred into pasta, dolloped onto pizza, or anywhere you’d normally reach for cheese.

What to Serve With Beet Salad

This beet salad is hearty enough to stand alone, but it also shines as a side dish. Pair it with a warm bowl of tomato or lentil soup, serve alongside a grain bowl loaded with quinoa, or plate it next to vegan lasagna or a cozy pasta bake. It also complements tofu steaks, veggie burgers, or a slice of warm flatbread! It is one of those salads that your family will start asking you to make over and over again!

How to Use Leftover Vegan Ricotta

Have leftover tofu ricotta? Spread it on toast, use it in wraps, stir it into pasta, or add it to grain bowls. It also makes a great base for savory dips or dolloped onto roasted veggies.

How to Store Leftover Tofu Ricotta

Store tofu ricotta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Stir it before serving. For best texture, don’t freeze.

How to Store Leftover Beet Salad

This beet salad is best enjoyed fresh, but if you do have leftovers, just put it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Keep the dressing and pecans separate until serving for the best texture. 

Beet Salad Tips

  • Massage the kale: This step is key, essential for digestion, flavor and tenderness! Kale deserves all the love it can get. Read more about massaging kale here.
  • Don’t skip the maple pecans: Trust me, you’ll thank me later; they add incredible contrast to the salad.
  • Save time with Love Beets: These precooked marinated beets save you a lot of time and energy. Have you ever tried peeling a beet before? Not the most fun and can be detrimental to your clothing! Pre-cooked and marinated beets will help you master this salad!

Why You’ll Love This Salad

This kale beet salad checks every box—it’s tangy, creamy, crunchy, and loaded with color and texture. With a homemade plant-based tofu ricotta, deliciously marinated beets, and the best and simplest homemade maple pecans, it feels special but comes together quickly. Perfect for meal prep or sharing with friends, this balsamic beetroot salad is a beautiful way to celebrate simple, seasonal ingredients.

Tofu Ricotta Balsamic Beet Salad FAQ

What does beet salad go well with? It pairs beautifully with grains, soups, or grilled vegetables—perfect for a balanced plant-based meal.

Can I make this ahead of time? Yes! Prep the ricotta, pecans, and dressing in advance. Assemble just before serving.

Can I use regular beets instead of marinated? Yes. Roast or steam peeled beets, then toss with a splash of balsamic before serving.

Is this salad gluten-free? Yes, every component is naturally gluten-free.

Other Salad Recipes to Try

Love this one? Try these next:

Roasted Butternut Squash Spinach Salad

Kale Quinoa Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Strawberry Quinoa Spinach Salad

Jackie Akerberg

Author of the Clean Vegan Cookbook, Food Blogger and Recipe Developer from Des Moines, Iowa. 

Jackfruitful Kitchen has proudly been featured in Forks Over Knives, Vegan Bowls, Vegan Food and Living, and DSM Magazine.

Learn More

Get the Jackfruitful Meal Planner !

Say goodbye to meal time stress with the Jackfruitful Meal Planner! Get a weekly custom meal plan, grocery list, and access to exclusive recipes, tutorials, at-home workouts and more!
Learn More!
Recipe cover graphic reading “Layered Salads” over a colorful layered vegetable background

Get the Layered Salads ebook from Jackfruitful Kitchen for FREE!

Enter your email below and then check your inbox for the goodies.

Related Posts

Join my mailing list to get the latest recipes first!

Kale salad with tofu, roasted beets, pecans, and dressing
Jackie Akerberg

Tofu Ricotta Balsamic Beet Salad

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin to Pinterest!
This bold and beautiful Balsamic Beet Salad with Tofu Ricotta is everything there is to love about fresh, whole food cooking! Packed with massaged kale, marinated baby beets, homemade maple pecans, and fluffy dairy-free tofu ricotta, all topped with a creamy balsamic vinaigrette. This meal is one that will impress anyone you feed it to, they will never know it’s vegan, gluten-free and oil free!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course, Salad
Calories: 423

Equipment

  • skillet, oven
  • Food Processor

Ingredients
  

Whipped Tofu Ricotta Ingredients
  • 12 oz firm tofu
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp white miso paste
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • ½ tsp sea salt, more or less to taste
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper
Maple Candied Pecans Ingredients
  • ¾ cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
Beet Salad Ingredients
Oil-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 3 tbsp water, more or less for desired texture
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Break the tofu into pieces and add to a food processor with the rest of the ricotta ingredients. Pulse until combined, creamy but not overly smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. Next, prepare the pecans by adding them a cast iron skillet over medium heat and toasting for 5 minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently. Add in the maple syrup, coconut sugar and sea salt, stirring frequently until caramelized - just for about a minute or two. Immediately transfer to a baking sheet to cool.
  3. Add the kale to a bowl and drizzle with lemon juice and optional olive oil. Use your hands to massage for 15-30 seconds until tender.
  4. Then, add the ingredients for the dressing to a jar and whisk to combine, or puree in a blender for an extra thick and creamy result. Season to taste.
  5. Assemble the salad by adding the kale to a large shallow bowl or platter and topping with dollops of the ricotta. Add the chunks of marinated beets and sprinkle with the toasted pecans. Drizzle with the dressing right before serving.

Notes

*ricotta can be stored in the fridge for up to a week

Nutrition

Serving 1servingCalories 423kcalCarbohydrates 37gProtein 18gFat 25gSaturated Fat 3gPolyunsaturated Fat 10gMonounsaturated Fat 11gSodium 859mgPotassium 529mgFiber 9gSugar 19gVitamin A 6770IUVitamin C 74mgCalcium 331mgIron 4mg

*Macros are provided as an estimate for convenience. Your final numbers will vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and how you portion the recipe.

Did you make this recipe?

Let us know how it was!
Related posts

One Response

5 from 1 vote

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Want Jackfruitful Recipes sent right to your inbox?

Subscribe by submitting your email!