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An easy recipe for the most delicious vegan feta cheese ever! This Tofu Feta is bursting with flavor and an excellent dairy-free alternative to the original Greek Cheese!
Tofu Feta Alternative
Feta, the crumbly creamy Greek cheese, is especially popular during summer to use for all those amazing Mediterranean recipes. You can use it to top your salad, as an appetizer, or serve it with bread. Unfortunately, the original feta cheese isn’t vegan as it is made with dairy.
But there is an easy way to make vegan feta cheese at home, and you only need a handful of ingredients. This tofu feta recipe is so simple that anyone can easily make it.
Plus, it’s prepared super quickly, and you can use it for all of your summer salads calling for feta. Simply swap the dairy feta in a recipe with this dairy-free version.
How Exactly To Make Vegan Feta and How Does it Taste?
Hello Tofu, my best friend! Tofu is our plant-based feta cheese alternative. To make it tasty and actually taste like kind of feta, we need to marinate it.
First, press all the excess liquid out of your tofu, cut it into cubes, and marinate it with a mixture of native olive oil, herbs, and spices.
Sounds simple? It is! Although you must let it marinate for at least overnight until the tofu develops a feta-like flavor.
No cooking involved. This feta tofu is eaten raw!
Original feta cheese made with dairy-milk is crumbly, somewhat creamy, and has a slightly acidic note. Vegan feta cheese made with tofu, however, is somewhat different. You can crumble it too, but the consistency isn’t that creamy and not that sour. At least not this recipe version.
If you are looking for super creamy & crumbly feta cheese, you must make everything from scratch and make it with nuts instead of tofu. There are some excellent vegan feta cheese recipes available on Pinterest for that, but they do need more time and effort.
Don’t get me wrong, this vegan tofu feta cheese is excellent, super quick to make, and can be used in so many different ways. I just don’t want you to have false expectations.
You can use it for summer meals, in wraps, with pasta salad, for vegan Greek salad, or as party food.
This vegan Feta is:
- Very Aromatic
- High in Protein
- Perfect For Every Salad
- Quick & Easy to Make
- 100% Vegan
- Nut-Free
- Gluten-Free
Best Tofu To Use
Since you are going to eat the tofu raw, it’s crucial which tofu to choose. Besides, tofu CAN be eaten raw, no worries, it tastes delicious, you will see.
You must use natural tofu, not the smoked version or one with flavors. Choose a firm or extra firm tofu you have tried before and know that you like the taste.
Vegan Feta Cheese Recipe
This step-by-step guide will help you along the way – definitely recommended if you’re a new cook!
The exact quantities and everything else you need to know for the recipe can be found in the recipe card below.
- Wrap the feta in a paper towel and slightly press to remove excess moisture, or simply use a tofu press. → This step is important because tofu is always soaked with excess liquid, which prevents it from absorbing the olive oil and the delightful aromas from the herbs and spices.
- Cut the tofu in cubes. → Preferably as big as you like them in your salad. You can always cut or crumble the tofu smaller once marinated.
- Prepare all the herbs and spices!
- Add the herbs, spices, and garlic in a pint mason jar (160z/500ml).
- Pour in ⅔ of the olive oil and stir well.
- Add the tofu, close the lid, and shake well.
- Pour over the rest of the olive oil until the tofu is fully covered. → You might not need to use an entire cup of olive oil, therefore, start with only ⅔ cup and add more to cover.
- Cover with the lid and store it for at least 24 hours on the top shelf (where it’s the least cold) in the refrigerator. It will taste better 2 or 3 days later.
Recipe FAQ
Can I use other herbs and spices to marinate the tofu? Sure, throw in your favorites. About two tablespoons of herbs are ideal for a pint jar. If you don’t have all individual herbs at home, use Italian seasoning.
How long does it keep fresh? For a good week! Store it on the top shelf in the fridge (that’s where it’s warmest) so that the olive oil doesn’t get cloudy and solidifies.
Help, my olive oil is solid? Don’t worry, this is a usual process of olive oil which becomes too cold. Let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before eating, and it will be liquid again!
What do I do with the rest of the olive oil after I have eaten the feta? Use it to make salad dressings. It has gotten such a wonderful aroma due to all the herbs and spices, like an exquisite & expensive spiced olive oil from the supermarket. 😉You can even use it to marinate a second round of feta, but make sure to top it up again with some fresh olive oil until the tofu is fully covered.
More Vegan Cheese Recipes You’ll Love:
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Feta Cheese
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Ingredients
- 7 oz (200 g) firm tofu pressed & cut into cubes
- 1 cup (240 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tbsp dried oregano
- ½ tbsp dried basil
- ½ tbsp dried thyme
- ½ tbsp dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- Wrap the feta in a paper towel and slightly press to remove excess moisture. → Or use a tofu press.
- Cut the tofu into cubes.
- Add the herbs, spices, and garlic in a pint mason jar (160z/500ml). Pour in ⅔ of the olive oil and stir well.
- Add the tofu, close the lid, and shake well. Pour over the rest of the olive oil until the tofu is fully covered.
- Store it for at least 24 hours on the top shelf (where it’s the least cold) in the refrigerator. It will taste better 2 or 3 days later.
Notes
- Olive Oil: You might not need to use an entire cup of olive oil. Therefore, start with only ⅔ cup and add more to cover.
- Herbs: If you don’t have all the herbs at home, feel free to substitute them with two tablespoons of Italian seasoning.
- Storing: It’s best to store it on the top shelf in the refrigerator where it’s the least cold. Olive oil gets cloudy and solidifies if it’s too cold. This does not alter the taste or quality at all but can be prevented if stored as recommended. If the olive oil solidified, nevertheless, leave it to liquify for 30 minutes before serving.
- How long does it keep fresh? Eat the tofu feta within a week.
- Leftover olive oil: As you are only going to eat the tofu cubes, not the olive oil, you will end up with quite a lot of olive oil. But don’t freak out just yet. This marinated olive oil with all the herbs and spices has such a wonderful flavor and is excellent to use for salad dressings or to marinate a second round of vegan feta cheese.
Thank you!! I am so happy to have “feta” back in my life!! I had flavored olive oils so I did a mixture of garlic and Italian herbs with plain evoo… that with the herbs…. too die for! This will be a staple in my fridge from here on out.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Kim! So glad to hear that you like my “vegan feta” recipe! 🥰
This is a very nice recipe and useful for salads and as a part of a light meal. The oil was perfect as a sallad dressing. I also marinated smashed potatoes with the oil. It was super tasty. Next time I’ll try adding some vinegar to the oil hoping that the tofu will absorb some acidity. Mayby it is not going to make the taste more tofu-like but I’m sure it’ll be edible. I love to experiment in my kitchen.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Mari El. 💕 I love that you also love to experiment in your kitchen, please let me know how it tastes with vinegar. 😉
Tastes like herbed mozzarella cheese and I ate it with green olives stuffed with garlic. Truly incredible and will always have this in my fridge now! I’ll probably try to make this with different blends just to switch it up!
Hi Sydney, I am so glad you like this vegan feta alternative. The recipe is very versatile and can be made with almost any blend of herbs & spices! Have fun experimenting! 👩🍳