Good day, my friends. It’s VEGAN FETA CHEESE DAY!
I’m so happy to be here today, SO happy to be sharing this recipe for vegan feta cheese because my, oh, my has my journey to find the best vegan feta felt like a struggle of epic proportions. But today, we have FINALLY cracked the code and are sharing it with all of you!
So first off, when I was vegetarian, feta cheese was like a food group to me – could not get enough of the stuff. I put it on everything from salads to pasta to right outta the fridge and into my mouth. And since my cooking know-how was severely limited at this stage, I tended to use that last option more than most. Everything was betta with some feta.
Well, you know how the story goes; then I learned about the horror movie that is the dairy industry (like, the WORST), went vegan, and feta and I parted ways for some time. I didn’t necessarily miss it because, like I said, the dairy industry is cruel and soul-crushingly awful and who could ever truly miss participating in that, right? But I was curious to see if I could recreate this crumbly, herb-laden cheese in my own kitchen using ingredients that weren’t taken from our animal friends and especially curious when I could not seem to find a single store-bought vegan feta on the market.
And, when I turned to the interwebs for guidance on this, I was pretty disappointed. I saw no shortage of vegan feta recipes, but the vast majority of them suggested marinating cubes of tofu in a feta-like brine, and you guys, I just could not get on board with that.
Maybe I’m wrong, but the thought of squishy blocks of tofu – even if they were flavored to feta perfection, were NOT going to cut it when it came to my feta needs. I needed something crumbly and hard but not too hard, soft but not squishy, with a flavor that produced the look you see on my face above. I wanted FETA CHEESE, damnit, and I wanted it vegan.
So, fast-forward a little bit, after doing more research, I landed on a method suggested by the awesome Skye Michael Conroy. In his book, “The Non-Dairy Evolution”, he shares a method for making vegan feta that I knew was going to be perfect, using a base of extra-firm tofu and refined coconut oil, blended and chilled.
Yes! This was the method for which I had been searching – no squishy cubes of tofu, no weird flavorless almond paste that falls apart when you try to slice it (yeah, that happened 😭). This was feta perfection. I took his method and changed a few things here and there – added some ingredients, took some away, changed measurements – until I found the perfect feta for me.
And you guys, it is. It SO is. I love this vegan feta recipe so freakin’ much, I could cry right now. 😍😭That’s not an exaggeration; I get super emotional when I create a recipe like this. It’s everything I ever wanted, the culmination of a journey spanning over four years, how could I not cry?!
We even had a vegetarian friend of ours test the stuff (because, you know, it’s starting to become a while since I’ve had the dairy stuff), and she loved it too! Score!!
So, how do you make this vegan feta cheese? It’s so much easier than you could ever imagine. Basically, if you can use a blender, you can make this vegan feta cheese. You will need to let the cheese set and firm up in the fridge for about 8 hours though, so be sure to give yourself some time. But when it comes to the actual work you have to do, it’s incredibly minimal. Drain your tofu, blend your ingredients, pour into a mold (anything you store leftovers in will do), and set it in the fridge to chill. Yes, it IS that easy.
We used this Vitamix for this recipe. It has a deeper bowl than our other Vitamix and works great for this vegan feta cheese recipe, but you can use any food processor you have!
Watch us make this vegan feta cheese in under 60 seconds:
And voila! You’ll have a beautiful block of vegan feta cheese that you can slice, cube, toss into salads and pasta dishes, top your falafel pitas, and even eat right outta the fridge (which may be the most common way I’ve eaten this over the past few weeks if I’m being honest 😂). Your non-vegan friends and fam will LOVE it, and your life will be filled with feta deliciousness from now until eternity. All that, and no mama / baby cows were harmed.
You’re welcome. 😋
More Vegan Cheese Recipes:
- Easy Vegan Cheeseball
- Vegan Beer Cheese Soup in a Soft Pretzel Bowl
- Lemon Pepper Marinated Vegan Bocconcini (mozzarella balls)
- Spicy Vegan Cheese Straws
When you try this recipe (and I do mean when because, sister, you NEED this in your life), let us know about it! Tag us in your SUPER EXCITING photos on Instagram (we’re @theplantpowercouple, with the ‘the’) or Facebook (just Plant Power Couple there). Bonus points if you can capture the look on your face when you first try it like the one of me from above. I love seeing people’s actual reactions to recipes, and I have a feeling this one is going to produce some great moments like that. Cheers! 🍾
Brittany Roche
Yield: 1 very large block of feta
The most awesome vegan feta that is slice-able, crumbly, and full of that unmistakable feta flava'!
30 minPrep Time:
8 hrCook Time:
8 hr, 30 Total Time:
Save Recipe4.3 based on 7 review(s)
Ingredients
- 1 16-oz block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed well
- 2/3 cup refined coconut oil, melted
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon peel powder (or 1/2 tsp lemon zest)
- 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp good quality olive oil
- 2 Tbsp olive brine (water from jar of olives, we used kalamata)
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- First, make sure your tofu is completely drained. We drain it on paper towels until they're no longer soaking up water. A tofu press works too!
- Next, crumble your tofu into a food processor and add all the ingredients (except the Italian seasoning) and blend until smooth and creamy. This will take a few minutes, as you want the oil to emulsify a bit. You may need to stop and scrape the sides of your processor a few times.Then, stir in your Italian seasoning.
- Grab your mold (we used a Pyrex-type container, anything you wrap leftovers in will do) and line it with plastic wrap. This will help you lift your cheese from the mold when it firms.
- Pour the cheese mixture into the plastic-lined container and use a rubber spatula to smooth the top as best you can.
- Then, cover it and refrigerate for at least eight hours.
- When the time has come, use the plastic wrap to lift the cheese out of its mold, and enjoy! Slice it into cubes, throw it on salads, falafel, or eat it right outta the fridge!
Notes
Store this vegan feta cheese in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer. The cheese will soften significantly the longer it's out.
This recipe was adapted from Skye Michael Conroy's book The Non-Dairy Evolution . If this stuff interests you, definitely check that book out. Your life will change!
- Calories 1460
- Total Fat: 160 g 246.15%
- Saturated Fat: 122 g 610%
- Cholesterol: 0 mg 0%
- Sodium: 4121 mg 171.71%
- Potassium: 178 mg 5.09%
- Total Carbohydrate: 3 g %
- Sugar: 0 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Vitamin A: 0.08%
- Calcium: 50 mg 5%
- Iron: 1 mg 5.56%
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and MyPlate Info
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