This is an easy way to make vegan feta cheese at home. Marinate tofu in a simple brine solution made with pantry ingredients. Serve it on salads or in pasta.
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 like soups, salads, sandwiches and pasta recipes. Personally, I like to eat it right out of the jar because it tastes so good by itself.
Try this vegan feta cheese with my Gyros recipe, Mediterranean couscous salad or Greek Nachos.
This is a very easy way to get your cheese fix if you are a vegan keto person. Made with tofu and fresh herbs, this vegan feta cheese will give you the good fats, protein and nutrients you need.
Put it in salads and you won’t even know that it’s tofu!
The EASIEST Vegan Feta Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 extra firm tofu block (14oz)
- 2 Thai chili Optional, deseeded, quartered
- 1 green habanero pepper Optional, deseeded, cut in half
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup water (½ 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
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