Making Your Own Vegan Feta Cheese

Vegan feta tastes delicious and looks amazingly similar to the animal original. With this recipe, you can make vegan feta cheese yourself.

Feta cheese is a Greek staple and one of the most popular cheeses in the world. Whether you’ve given up cheese for ethical, health, or environmental reasons, there’s still a dairy-free option for feta. You can make your own vegan feta alternative with marinated tofu — we’ll show you the recipe.

Vegan Feta Ingredients

Feta is a type of cheese that can easily be imitated and made vegan by marinating firm natural tofu. Olive oil, fresh herbs, and a few spices are important ingredients to help develop the delicious cheese flavor. 

For vegan feta you need the following ingredients:

• 7 oz. natural tofu
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp. dried or homegrown basil
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano or a few fresh leaves
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Optional Extras
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
  • 2 tbsp. yeast flakes
  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce

Ingredient Tips:

• Purchase organic ingredients to support more sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture.
• When it comes to vegan feta, go for firmer tofu. Natural tofu is best, but smoked tofu can also work for this recipe. For a better eco-balance, make sure to look for American soy products in the grocery store. Don’t forget, you can also make tofu yourself – as described in our article on silken tofu.
• Basil, oregano and thyme taste best fresh from your own kitchen herb garden. You can also use dried herbs for the recipe.
• Yeast flakes, while optional, bring an additional “cheesy” note to this vegan feta.

How to Prepare the Feta Cheese

This vegan feta substitute is quick to make, you just need to marinate the sliced tofu. Allow the tofu to marinate in the fridge for at least a day (if not longer), to really let the flavors develop.

Here’s how to prepare it:

1. Pour off the liquid from the tofu and pat the tofu block dry. Cut the tofu into coarse cubes and pop them in a sealable, clean jar.
2. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl: olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper, and optional paprika, yeast flakes or soy sauce.
3. Add the marinade to the jar with the tofu and shake it for a few seconds to ensure the tofu is adequately covered. 
4. Seal the jar and refrigerate the vegan feta for at least 24 hours before serving. The longer the tofu can marinate, the more intense the vegan feta cheese will taste in the end.
5. It will keep for at least a week in the fridge when stored in a sealed jar. You can use the feta substitute in salads, in vgan puff pastry pockets such like spanakopita or as an ingredient for spinach and feta pizza.

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This article has been translated from German by Karen Stankiewicz. You can find the original here: Veganer Feta: Mit diesem Rezept machst du ihn selbst

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Tags: Cooking Recipes Vegan