Vegan Feta Grilled Cheese with Spinach
This spinach and vegan feta grilled cheese is our fun take on a classic grilled cheese and pairs perfectly with our healthy tomato soup. This recipe uses either our homemade tofu feta or one of the many store-bought vegan fetas now available for the filling! This dairy free cheese recipe will impress the pants off your next lunch guests!
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Feta has always been one of my favorite cheeses, and we’ve been making our homemade vegan feta for years. And thank God, because I’ve been so happy to have feta in my vegan life!
We’ve added our vegan feta cheese to all the salads, crumbled it atop flatbreads and dips, and dipped big sturdy pita chips right into it (heaven). We’ve also used it as the inspiration for our Vegan Baked Feta Pasta!
But this vegan feta grilled cheese is potentially my FAVORITE use for this dairy-free cheese. If you love feta and grilled cheese as much as I do, you’re gonna flip for this recipe!
But fret not: If you don’t want to make your own homemade feta for this recipe or are in a rush, we’ve included some suggestions for store-bought options that could be awesome!
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Ingredients for Vegan Feta Grilled Cheese
Vegan Butter
Dairy-free butter options have come so far in the past several years, so use whatever brand you like! We are really digging the Plant Butter sticks from Country Crock right now. They are out of this world buttery and work great for vegan grilled cheese sandwiches.
Vegan Butter Substitutes
A little refined coconut oil could work if you don’t have vegan butter. Make sure it’s refined coconut oil though, so you don’t get a coconut taste…which would be weird on grilled cheese. You can also sub vegan mayo!
Can you make vegan feta grilled cheese oil-free?
In my opinion, grilled cheese is one of those things that needs some butter / oil to make it what it is. It should also be noted that our vegan feta recipe also contains oil. Due to these two reasons, I am going to say this is not a good recipe for our oil-free friends.
Sandwich Bread
My favorite sandwich bread for grilled cheese is always a nice loaf of sourdough, but feel free to use whatever you like or have on-hand.
Is all sandwich bread vegan?
It’s really hit or miss. You want to read the ingredients on any bread you buy because some have random bits of milk or eggs or l-cystine (look that one up).
However, this does NOT mean you have to buy some expensive health bread. You can definitely find an affordable brand of vegan-friendly bread at your local grocery store. And the brands that ARE vegan-friendly may surprise you, so take a look!
Can I make vegan feta grilled cheese gluten-free?
Yes! Use your favorite gluten-free sandwich bread to make this vegan feta grilled cheese gluten-free.
Vegan Feta Cheese
We used our homemade vegan feta for this recipe which worked soooo well! It’s a reader-favorite, and slices like a dream. If you’re making ours, you’ll need to do it at least 8 hours in advance for it to set in enough time to make the sandwiches.
Store-Bought Vegan Feta Options
There are a lot of store-bought vegan fetas on the market these days though. The 3 we are most familiar with are from the brands Violife, Esti, and Follow Your Heart.
We used thin slices of our vegan feta block, so if you’re using a crumbled feta, you’ll need to adjust a bit!
Spinach
Originally, we used frozen chopped spinach because when we originally made this recipe back at the start of the stay-at-home order, fresh spinach was in short supply. It worked; you just have to let it defrost first!
Can you use fresh spinach?
You can totally use fresh spinach for this recipe – especially if you grew some in your garden this year! I suggest chopping and sautéing your spinach in a little olive oil (bonus points for some minced garlic too!) before measuring and using it as directed in this recipe.
Ground Black Pepper
This is optional, but a few sprinkles of freshly ground black pepper really add a nice kick to this vegan feta grilled cheese! You could also sub some store-bought vegan parmesan or our Cheesy Garlic Butter Blend.
How to Make Vegan Feta Grilled Cheese
Step 1: Assemble the sandwiches.
This is my personal grilled cheese making process. If you have a different system that works for you, go for it!
- First, I spread a layer of the vegan butter on all four slices of sandwich bread. Turn two slices over (buttered side down) and place a slice of vegan feta on top of each.
- Then, top those feta slices with a thin even layer of the spinach.
- Place another thin slice of vegan feta on top of your spinach layer and finish it with a second piece of buttered bread. (You want both buttered sides to be facing out.)
Step 2: Cook the sandwiches.
Heat a large cast iron skillet on medium heat and, once hot, carefully place the sandwich in it.
Sprinkle the top of the sandwich with a pinch of ground black pepper (this is optional but awesome). Then, cover the skillet, and cook it for about 1 minute. Keep your eye on the vegan grilled cheese at this stage though. It’s easy for it to burn!
You want the feta to be slightly melty before flipping your grilled cheese because this will help it stay together in the flip. If you’ve ever made grilled cheese in your life, you know just how key this part is.
Use a large spatula to gently press down on the sandwich and “seal” it and then slide the spatula under the sandwich and carefully flip it. You’ll then sprinkle this side with another pinch of black pepper and cook it uncovered for another minute or until the bread is beautiful and golden browned.
When the vegan feta grilled cheese is finished cooking, place the sandwich on a paper towel lined plate. This will drain the excess oils.
Finally, you’ll carefully wipe or rinse out the skillet, and repeat this process with the second sandwich. Remember, the skillet will be hot, so be super careful here!
Of course, if you’re a grilled cheese pro and have a big enough cast iron skillet or even a flat-top grill, feel free to make both of these vegan feta grilled cheeses at once!
How to Serve Vegan Feta Grilled Cheese
Serve this vegan spinach and feta grilled cheese next to a giant bowl of our creamy vegan tomato soup or a big Mediterranean-inspired salad.
We suggest serving these vegan feta grilled cheese sandwiches immediately. They taste best when eaten straight off the stove. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Reheat on the stove of in the oven, NOT in the microwave, for best results.
If you make our homemade vegan feta cheese for this recipe, you can totally make it ahead of time and store that in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.
This makes the grilled cheese process go faster throughout the week! The vegan feta should last at least a week in the fridge and up to 6 weeks in the freezer.
Other Vegan Feta Recipes:
We hope you enjoy this vegan feta grilled cheese recipe! This one was very fun to create!
When you try it (or if you just have questions), let us know! You can rate the recipe and leave a comment below or tag us in your mouth-watering vegan grilled cheese photos on Instagram. If you’re not already following along, we are @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
Have fun with this one, friends. We’ll see you again soon!
Vegan Feta Grilled Cheese with Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp vegan butter softened
- 4 slices sandwich bread
- 4 thin slices vegan feta cheese
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach defrosted (see notes for fresh spinach)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- ASSEMBLE: Spread a layer of butter on all four slices of bread. Turn one slice over (buttered side down) and place a slice of vegan feta on top. Top that with a thin even layer of the defrosted spinach. Place another thin slice of vegan feta on top of that and finish it with a second piece of buttered bread. You want both buttered sides to be facing out.
- COOK: Heat a medium non-stick skillet on medium heat and, once hot, carefully place the sandwich in it. Sprinkle with a pinch of ground black pepper, cover the skillet, and cook for about 1 minute. You want the feta to be slightly melty before flipping because this will help the sandwich stay together in the flip (KEY!). Use a large spatula to gently press down on the sandwich and then carefully flip it. Sprinkle this side with another pinch of black pepper and cook uncovered for another 1 minute or until the bread is beautiful and golden browned.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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