Abstract
In this manuscript, we introduce a spectral technique for approximating the variable-order fractional Riccati differential equation (VOFRDE). Firstly, the solution and its space fractional derivatives is expanded as shifted Chebyshev polynomials series. Then we determine the expansion coefficients by reducing the VOFRDEs and its conditions to a system of algebraic equations. We show the accuracy and applicability of our numerical approach through four numerical examples.