This is an easy way to make vegan feta cheese at home. Now, vegan food can be made even more delicious with this quick and simple feta recipe. Perfect for meatless recipes & vegetarian recipes.
I have a huge love of feta cheese
Who doesn’t, right?
The only thing standing between me and being full-time vegan is…..
I have been meaning to post this how-to recipe for homemade vegan feta cheese, but, I kept changing and experimenting with different ingredients.
My ultimate goal was to get the perfect blend of sour and spice.
Now, I think I have finally found the right ingredients. The main ingredient I have added was spicy peppers. I went with Thai chili and habanero. It may sound like it will be a very spicy feta cheese but it really wasn’t. The peppers added just the perfect amount of spice, so, don’t be afraid of the peppers.
The base of this vegan feta cheese is extra firm tofu. The tofu is very close in consistency with feta cheese, so, it is perfect ingredient.
I have tried making vegan cheese before like this vegan buffalo mozzarella recipe and it came out pretty good. My next experiment is going to make a vegan pepper jack cheese.
This feta cheese goes great in meatless recipes, that is given. However, I would love to know how it will taste in non-meatless recipes.
Try this vegan feta cheese with my Gyros recipe, Mediterranean couscous salad or Greek Nachos.
How To Make Vegan Feta Cheese
Homemade Vegan Feta Cheese
Make feta cheese at home by marinating tofu
Ingredients
- 1 extra firm tofu block (14oz)
- 2 Thai chili deseeded, quartered
- 1 green habanero pepper deseeded, cut in half
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup water (1/2 cup at a time)
- pinch of garlic powder
Instructions
Use tofu press to squeeze the liquid out of it.
If you don't have a tofu block, place a paper napkin on a plate and place the tofu block on it.
Place another napkin on top and place a chopping board on it. Add some something heavy on it to weigh it down and set aside
Place both peppers in a bowl.
Add the lime juice
Add the apple cider vinegar, parsley, sea salt, black pepper, dried oregano, water and garlic powder
- Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes
Cut the squeezed tofu into cubes and place them in the bowl
- Shake the bowl to cover the tofu with the liquid. I try not to touch the tofu much because it will crumble before it has time to marinate.
- Let the tofu marinate for at least 2 hours before using it
Recipe Notes
I placed the tofu in a glass jar and let it marinate in the refrigerator. It will stay in the fridge for about a week.
Hello. I have this marinating now. I could not find a green habanero only orange so I subbed a Serrano pepper, I’m hoping that works well. Where do you purchase green habanero’s? The produce manager said there are none. Thank you, can’t wait to take a bite in about two hours!
Thank you, Deanna. I get my habanero from my local Spanish grocer and sometimes from my local grocery store. I have also seen it at my local big box stores. Serrano pepper would work just as well. Some serrano’s are mild in flavor, so, maybe try a little more than the Habanero amount? It will depend on how much spice you can handle.
Tofu is a great choice when we need a vegan substitute of feta in some recipes! Compared to Feta, tofu has lower calories and fat content. But i think it’s suitable for salad recipes because adding it to a dish as a substitute for Feta will affect the recipe’s texture, but not much the taste.
Thank you, Lita. I do agree with you on that, but, if a salad is prepared right, this tofu will work great. I tend to add it at the last minute, so, it doesn’t affect the texture
Just tried this and with a little pink salt on top it was perfect. Bf said he couldn’t tell it was tofu. We really liked it, thank you!
Thank you, Leigh-Ann. So happy to hear that. I love hearing from my readers and how they adapted it according to their tastes. I absolutely love the idea of pink salt in this recipe. Thank your BF too.
Sounds delish…I am a huge fan of tofu but not so much vegan cheese so this sounds like the perfect alternative! One quick question: do you use silken or regular tofu? It looks like silken, but I can’t tell that well from the photos. Also, if you sub capers (one of my favorite foods), how much do you recommend?
Thank you, Indigo. I used regular tofu because it holds the shape better than silken tofu. As for capers, I think about 1 Tbsp would be good. I will experiment with it and let you know. I do love my capers too. 🙂
Almost 90% of the comments are admiring how well this recipe SOUNDS.. I wish people could try out a recipe and then give their 2cents on it.. well here are mine after actually making this recipe:
NOT A FETA SUBTITUTE… not even close!! Please don’t misguide people into making this recipe by saying it feta cheese.. call it something else. Because it has a good flavor and it’s tasty… it’s just NOT A DECENT FETA SUBSTITUTE..
Thanks for this recipe it’s flavorful.
Thank you, Jacklyn. I am glad to hear that you think the flavors are good and it is tasty. If you are a vegan, this is the closest you will come to feta cheese.
I previously tried to make a different recipe for vegan feta and it was horrible. Your recipe looks good so I am going to try it! I loved feta – really I just loved dairy which is the reason I put off going vegan for so long! I was vegetarian for years but did not like the taste of vegan cheese. I can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Thank you, Missing Cheese!! I am so happy to hear that. I know giving up cheese is so hard. In my experience, it is the hardest obstacle in my road to being completely vegan. This feta cheese definitely made a huge difference!
Ingredients calls for 1/2 cup parsley. Instructions calls for 1/4 cup parsley.
Which is correct?
Thank you, Sally. 1/4 Cup is the correct amount and it is fixed in the recipe.
This recipe looks incredible. Can’t wait to make it!
Thank you, Megan
Looks like a great recipe, thanks!
Thank you, Rachel
This looks fabulous! I love how simple it is to make, too. I can’t wait to have this on a big salad. Thank you for a delicious recipe 🙂
Thank you, Melissa. So glad to hear you say that.
Just want to clarify that you used apple cider not apple cider vinegar. Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you, Care. It is apple cider vinegar and not apple cider.
I made this last week, and much as it is a delicious marinated tofu, it is NOT a great feta substitute. It is what it is. I’m not such a fan of uncooked tofu so I ended up sautéing it real quick and made lettuce wraps with it. Really good, but not a feta sub.
Thank you, Mumrah. I am so glad to hear that you made the recipe. You have no idea how much I wish Vegans could eat the real feta. It is a tough cheese to replicate, but, I think I did a good enough job of making it as close as I could get to feta. If you have any suggestions, I am all ears.
I’m not a big hot pepper fan, how would this recipe be without them?
Thank you, Catherine. It would taste just as great. Hot peppers add a little bit of spice to it, so, feel free to remove it from the recipe. Alternatively, if you are comfortable with capers, add them to the recipe.
I have a firm block of tofu, will this work?
Thank you, Chloe. Yes, this recipe will work with a firm block of tofu
How interesting! I’m a huge lover of cheese but this certainly looks worth trying. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Felesha.
You, my friend, are a genius!!! I always say I cannot go vegan because I love cheese too much, but if I keep finding alternatives like this, that may change!!
Thank you, Kacey! Coming from you, that is high praise. You will not miss cheese because there are so many great alternatives
Wow genius idea to make a vegan feta cheese recipe! Definitely a must make!
Thank you, Florian. It was a really fun recipe to make
I never thought to use tofu as a cheese substitute but your recipe looks amazing!
Thank you, Kellie. I found that this recipe is very close to actual feta cheese
Wow that’s a great concept. I do like the sound of this.
Thank you, Mark
How clever, Rini. Seriously, who would ever want to miss out on feta. The blend of flavours you have in there is super too.
Thank you, Jane. This was so much fun to make and eat
What a really brilliant idea. Can I borrow it?
Thank you, Bintu. You are absolutely welcome to borrow it
I have never trie to make feta… saving this recipe to try!
Thank you, Kristina. I think you will like this recipe. Let me know what you think.
Wow Rini this feta cheese looks amazing at home we love feta I will make this recipe very soon. Thanks for sharing =)
Thank you, Adriana. I am happy to hear that you like it.
I am such a fan of cheese Rini, I’d love to take that meaty challenge! Can’t wait to try and report back. I love the flavors that you’ve used, so I’m sure this will be terrific!
Thank you, Debra. I would love to hear how your challenge went. I bet you did a great job with it.
This is so creative!!
Thank you, Monique
What a great idea. I have some tofu I need to do something with. Can’t wait to taste it.
Thank you, Christie.
What a fun idea! Wish I could eat tofu!
Thank you, Rebecca
What a great idea! I actually posted a feta cheese recipe today too, great minds think alike 😉
Thank you, Sara
I’ve been meaning to try making a vegan feta for literally YEARS, I think now is the time! Thanks for doing the experimenting for me 🙂
Thank you, Katherine. This turned out to be so delicious. I am glad I experimented with it.