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    Home » Entrees

    Vegan Cannelloni

    Published: Jun 4, 2021 Updated: Jun 28, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Cannelloni Pinterest

    This vegan cannelloni is stuffed with a spinach and tofu ricotta, layered with marinara sauce, topped with vegan cheese sauce and baked to perfection in the oven. It’s insanely good, surprisingly easy, and perfect for a fancy dinner!

    Vegan cannelloni topped with chopped parsley in a white dish.

    The wonderful thing about this vegan cannelloni is that it looks a LOT harder than it actually is. It’s actually a really simple recipe.

    There are a few moving parts: you have to make a double batch of tofu ricotta and some vegan cheese sauce. You have to stuff the cannelloni and layer it in your baking dish with marinara sauce and top it with cheese sauce, and then you have to bake it in the oven.

    But each step is surprisingly simple. It’s a little time consuming and takes around an hour and twenty minutes to make, but entirely worth it.

    It’s perfect for a fancy-ish dinner or dinner party. It also keeps really well so leftovers are no problem at all.

    Ingredients You’ll Need For Cannelloni:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan cannelloni.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Marinara sauce – you can use any brand, just choose a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. It saves heaps of time to use a store-bought option for this instead of making it from scratch.
    • Firm tofu – forms the base of our tofu ricotta. You can use firm or extra firm tofu. It does not need to be pressed first.

    Ingredients For Vegan Cheese Sauce

    Ingredients needed to make vegan cheese sauce for cannelloni.

    Sauce Notes

    • Soy milk – you can switch this out for pretty much any non-dairy milk that heats well.
    • Dijon mustard – this adds cheesy flavor to your sauce. Any prepared yellow mustard will work though.
    Sliced vegan cannelloni in a white baking dish.

    How To Make Vegan Cannelloni – Step By Step

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    Tofu Ricotta:

    • Add crushed garlic to a bowl with fresh lemon juice and let it soak for 5 minutes.
    • Then add tofu to a bowl and mash it with a fork.
    Two photo collage showing fresh garlic soaking in lemon juice and tofu being mashed with a fork.
    • Add the mashed tofu, crushed garlic and lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, oregano, onion powder, sea salt and ground black pepper to the food processor
    • Pulse the food processor until the ingredients are well combined but the texture is still chunky.
    Two photo collage showing ingredients for tofu ricotta added to food processor and processed.
    • Transfer the tofu ricotta to a mixing bowl and add in chopped baby spinach. Mix together.
    Two photo collage showing tofu ricotta added to mixing bowl with chopped baby spinach and mixed in.

    Vegan Cheese Sauce:

    • Add olive oil to a pot and heat on medium to high heat until the oil is hot. Add all purpose flour.
    Two photo collage showing olive oil added to saucepan followed by flour.
    • Fry the flour in the oil briefly and then add in soy milk, stirring vigorously all the time.
    Two photo collage showing oil and flour whisked together and then soy milk added.
    • Heat the sauce, alternately whisking and stirring with a wooden spoon while it heats to prevent any lumps.
    • Bring to the boil and then continue to stir until the sauce has thickened.
    Two photo collage showing cheese sauce being whisked and stirred until thickened.
    • When the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and add in nutritional yeast, dijon mustard, salt, ground black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir in.
    • Let the sauce cool and thicken while you work on the rest of the recipe.
    Two photo collage showing nutritional yeast and spices added to cheese sauce and mixed in.

    Assemble:

    • Add a layer of marinara sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
    • Fill a piping bag with the tofu ricotta and pipe it into the cannelloni tubes.
    Two photo collage showing a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a white baking dish and piping tofu ricotta into tubes of cannelloni
    • Lay the cannelloni tubes in the baking dish on top of the marinara sauce. It’s okay if some of the tubes have to lie vertically instead of horizontally, this will depend on the size of your cannelloni tubes. Just fit in as many as you can so that there aren’t gaps in your dish.
    • Cover the stuffed tubes with the remaining marinara sauce.
    Two photo collage showing stuffed cannelloni tubes packed into baking dish and then topped with marinara sauce.
    • Add the vegan cheese sauce to the top and smooth it down.
    • Bake in the oven at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes.
    • Top with fresh chopped parsley and a sprinkle of ground black pepper and serve.
    Two photo collage showing cheese sauce on top of marinara sauce and cannelloni and then baked and topped with fresh chopped parsley.

    Chef’s Tips

    The cheese sauce is optional. It does add an extra 20 or so minutes time to the recipe since we make this cheese sauce from scratch. So if you have a good brand of vegan cheese you can just top the dish with grated vegan cheese instead and bake it like that. However, the vegan cheese sauce is super good, so I think it’s worth the extra 20 minutes.

    Serving. Top it with some fresh chopped parsley and a sprinkle of ground black pepper. Serve it alongside a simple salad like our vegan chickpea salad.

    Vegan cannelloni with fresh chopped parsley on a white plate.

    Recipe FAQ

    What is the easiest way to fill cannelloni tubes?

    The easiest way by far is to pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes using a piping bag. You don’t need to add a piping tip, you just need to fill the piping bag with the tofu ricotta filling and then pipe it into the cannelloni tubes.

    Could you make this vegan cannelloni gluten-free?

    If you can get hold of gluten free cannellloni tubes then sure! For the vegan cheese sauce you can make it gluten free by using a gluten free all purpose flour blend in place of the regular flour.

    Can you make it in advance?

    You could make the tofu ricotta and the vegan cheese sauce up to 2 days in advance. Let the cheese sauce cool and then refrigerate. Then assemble and bake when you’re ready.

    How to store vegan cannelloni?

    Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days and can be reheated in the microwave.

    Can you freeze it?

    You can assemble your cannelloni and then freeze before baking, and then when you’re ready add a few extra minutes of baking time. Or you can freeze the baked cannelloni. Let it cool completely and then freeze for up to 2 months.

    Vegan cannelloni with fresh chopped parsley on a white plate.

    More Vegan Pasta Recipes

    1. Vegan Lasagna
    2. Vegan Pasta Bake
    3. Vegan Stuffed Shells
    4. Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
    5. Vegan Baked Ziti
    6. Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
    Forkful of vegan cannelloni.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Sliced vegan cannelloni in a white baking dish.

    Vegan Cannelloni

    This vegan cannelloni is stuffed with a spinach and tofu ricotta, layered with marinara sauce, topped with vegan cheese sauce and baked to perfection in the oven. It’s insanely good, surprisingly easy, and perfect for a fancy dinner!
    4.92 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Entree, Savory
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 536kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    Tofu Ricotta:

    • 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
    • 4 Tbsp Lemon Juice Freshly Squeezed
    • 28 ounces Firm Tofu (800g)
    • 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
    • ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes (15g)
    • 2 tsp Dried Oregano
    • 2 tsp Onion Powder
    • 1 tsp Sea Salt
    • ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
    • 1 cup Baby Spinach (30g) Chopped

    Vegan Cheese Sauce: 

    • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
    • 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
    • 2 cups Soy Milk (480ml)
    • ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes (15g)
    • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
    • ¼ tsp Salt
    • ⅛ tsp Ground Black Pepper
    • ½ tsp Onion Powder
    • ½ tsp Garlic Powder

    Assembling:

    • 20 Tubes Cannelloni
    • 2 ½ cups Marinara Sauce (600ml)

    Serving:

    • Fresh Chopped Parsley
    • Ground Black Pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Tofu Ricotta: Add crushed garlic to a bowl with fresh lemon juice and let it soak for 5 minutes.
    • Then add tofu to a bowl and mash it with a fork.
    • Add the mashed tofu, crushed garlic and lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, oregano, onion powder, sea salt and ground black pepper to the food processor.
    • Pulse the food processor until the ingredients are well combined but the texture is still chunky.
    • Transfer the tofu ricotta to a mixing bowl and add in chopped baby spinach. Mix together.
    • Vegan Cheese Sauce: Add olive oil to a pot and heat on medium to high heat until the oil is hot. Add all purpose flour.
    • Fry the flour in the oil briefly and then add in soy milk, stirring vigorously all the time.
    • Heat the sauce, alternately whisking and stirring with a wooden spoon while it heats to prevent any lumps.
    • Bring to the boil and then continue to stir until the sauce has thickened.
    • When the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and add in nutritional yeast, dijon mustard, salt, ground black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir in.
    • Let the sauce cool and thicken while you work on the rest of the recipe.
    • Assemble: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Add a layer of marinara sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
    • Fill a piping bag with the tofu ricotta and pipe it into the cannelloni tubes.
    • Lay the cannelloni tubes in the baking dish on top of the marinara sauce. It’s okay if some of the tubes have to lie vertically instead of horizontally, this will depend on the size of your cannelloni tubes. Just fit in as many as you can so that there aren’t gaps in your dish.
    • Cover the stuffed tubes with the remaining marinara sauce.
    • Add the vegan cheese sauce to the top and smooth it down.
    • Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
    • Top with fresh chopped parsley and a sprinkle of ground black pepper and serve.

    Notes

    1. Firm tofu – You can use firm or extra firm tofu. It does not need to be pressed first.
    2. Soy milk – you can switch this out for pretty much any non-dairy milk that heats well.
    3. Dijon mustard – this adds cheesy flavor to your sauce. Any prepared yellow mustard will also work.
    4. Marinara sauce – you can use any brand, just choose a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. 
    5. Cannelloni pasta tubes – we used 20 cannelloni tubes. You may end up using a few less or a few more depending on the size of your tubes. Just use as many as you can fit in your dish. It’s fine if some of them lie vertically instead of horizontally, just make sure to fill up the space in your dish. 
    6. Gluten-free: If you can get hold of gluten free cannellloni tubes then sure! For the vegan cheese sauce you can make it gluten free by using a gluten free all purpose flour blend in place of the regular flour.
    7. Make ahead: You could make the tofu ricotta and the vegan cheese sauce up to 2 days in advance. Let the cheese sauce cool and then refrigerate. Then assemble and bake when you’re ready.
    8. Storing: Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days and can be reheated in the microwave.
    9. Freezing: Let it cool completely and then freeze for up to 2 months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 536kcal | Carbohydrates: 60.8g | Protein: 25.2g | Fat: 22.4g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Sodium: 1072mg | Fiber: 3.8g | Sugar: 8.7g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Puja says

      March 20, 2025 at 4:07 pm

      I couldn’t find cannelloni tubes at my grocery store so made this with jumbo pastas shells and it worked really well and was SOOOO delicious! I added some dried Italian herbs & fresh basil (cause I love it). Will definitely be making again:)5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        March 25, 2025 at 8:08 am

        That’s great Puja! Thanks for sharing and for your awesome review!

        Reply
    2. Terri says

      August 04, 2024 at 1:22 pm

      I’ve been making vegan cannelloni for about 5 years now using cashews as the “ricotta” with chopped onion and spinach. I use the tubes from Morrison’s (UK) up till now I’ve never added a white sauce over the top but now I think it’s time I did 😂
      Thank you for the inspiration 🥳 x5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        August 05, 2024 at 1:44 pm

        You’re welcome Terri! Thanks for your great review!

        Reply
    3. Nathalie says

      January 08, 2024 at 3:37 am

      Decadent!! I made this with manicotti noodles and cooked it between five and ten minutes longer. Sooooo good!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        January 08, 2024 at 1:01 pm

        Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing and for your wonderful review Nathalie!

        Reply
    4. Janet says

      January 01, 2024 at 5:01 am

      Where do you find cannelloni tubes? I’m only able to find manicotti tubes where I live. They’re thicker than what is pictured. Would they work uncooked in the recipe?5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        January 02, 2024 at 1:54 pm

        Hi Janet. If that is all you can find then you can use it. It may take a bit longer to cook than the recipe indicates. Keep an eye it while it bakes and you can test if it’s fully cooked by inserting a knife into the pasta to check if its tender.

        Reply
    5. Linda says

      October 24, 2023 at 3:16 pm

      Tried this last night. Only thing I omitted was the Spinach (cause i hate cooked spinach lol), but it was delightful. In fact, I enjoyed it so much more than regular Cannelloni. This recipe is a keeper YUM!!!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        October 27, 2023 at 9:48 am

        Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Linda! Thanks for your wonderful review!

        Reply
    6. Anais says

      October 05, 2023 at 12:08 pm

      Brilliant recipe! I added extra spinach and 1/3 of a cup of nutritional yeast instead. The tofu ricotta works perfectly!5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        October 06, 2023 at 9:46 am

        Awesome! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply
    7. Summers says

      December 29, 2021 at 2:59 pm

      This one of my new favorites!!5 stars

      Reply
    8. Deborah says

      June 13, 2021 at 9:36 pm

      Am making this for first time. Do you boil the cannelloni tubes before filling and baking?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 14, 2021 at 10:29 am

        Hi Deborah, no we did not. They cook during the 30 minutes bake time. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Joy Mahaffey says

      June 05, 2021 at 7:01 am

      You always do wuch a good job presenting recipes and organizing the preparation process for these wonderful dishes. I appreciate the notes and detail you add to each recipe. Thank you so much for makimg my life easier ❤️4 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 05, 2021 at 10:05 am

        Thanks so much for the lovely comment Joy! Really appreciated. 🙂

        Reply

    Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

    4.92 from 12 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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