Perfect vegan cottage cheese. Savory, simple, and with the ideal cottage cheese texture, it’s even better than the ‘real thing’.
Before I was vegan I was a big fan of cottage cheese. Cottage cheese on toast, with jam, was a big favorite. Maybe the jam part is a bit weird I don’t know.
But anyway….. a vegan cottage cheese recipe was always going to happen for this blog. And I actually can’t take credit, I handed it to Jaye and said: create a recipe for this please!
And the man definitely delivered! Give that man a Bells!
My only requirement was that it not be based on tofu. I was okay if there was tofu in it, like crumbled tofu added in to create texture, but I didn’t want the entire thing to be made from tofu.
I like tofu – don’t get me wrong (and you’ll find a lot of awesome tofu recipes on this blog) – but I’m not a massive fan of it for things like this.
To me it can be a bit pasty in texture when blended up. Not always, and not if it’s mixed with other things like in the case of our almond/tofu/spinach ricotta that we used for our vegan stuffed shells.
But let’s just say I’m sparing in my use of tofu to create cheesy things.
The base recipe was adapted from our vegan cream cheese recipe. With just a few adjustments, we had the perfect cottage cheese flavor.
Firm tofu crumbled up and mixed in creates that perfect cottage cheese texture. And don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like tofu! The tofu is purely for texture and it really delivers. The only thing you will taste is delicious chunky cottage cheese!
The result is absolutely perfect and tastes amazingly like actual cottage cheese.
How To Make Vegan Cottage Cheese
Full instructions and measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos below.
- Place soaked cashews, lemon juice, coconut cream (canned, unsweetened), water, white vinegar, salt, nutritional yeast, onion powder and garlic powder into the blender and blend until smooth.
- Crumble the tofu and add it to a bowl. Pour over the blended cheese mixture, add some chopped chives and fold everything together gently so you don’t break up the tofu.
- Place into the fridge for at least an hour to firm up and then enjoy.
Pro Tips
The cashews must be soaked for 1 hour in hot water. So you add them to a bowl and pour boiling water from the kettle over them so that they are totally covered, and then just leave them for exactly one hour.
If you soak them for too long, they may absorb too much water and you will end up with a cottage cheese that is less flavorful, so don’t just leave them soaking for hours, put a timer on it.
The coconut cream must be canned and unsweetened. If you use a sweetened coconut cream in this, it will not be a good result! I would think that’s obvious though.
White vinegar is the perfect vinegar to use because it is amazing for creating a cheese flavor. However, if all you can get is apple cider vinegar, then this will also work in a pinch.
Firm tofu is essential to use, because you don’t want it to disintegrate into the rest of the cheese, which is what will happen if you use a soft tofu. It is most ideal if you can get an extra firm tofu and use that.
When you’ve finished making it, let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving it. It will thicken up in the fridge and reach the perfect texture.
It’s a little soft when you first mix it, which is needed so that the tofu can mix in nicely without just breaking up completely, but then you need to let it chill and thicken up, which it does wonderfully in the fridge.
How To Serve It
It’s divine served on bread, especially toast, but it’s also fantastic on crackers.
Storing and Freezing
Keep leftovers stored in the fridge and enjoy within around 5 days.
You can also freeze it if you like, just let it thaw overnight in the fridge when you’re ready to eat it.
More vegan cheese!
- Sliceable Cashew Cheese
- Vegan Cheddar Cheese
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Parmesan
- Vegan Ricotta
- Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut Free)
- Cashew Cheese Sauce
Vegan Cottage Cheese
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 3 cups
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Perfect vegan cottage cheese. Savory, simple, and with the ideal cottage cheese texture, it’s even better than the ‘real thing’.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (225g) Raw Cashews (Soaked in hot water for 1 hour)*
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Coconut Cream (canned, unsweetened)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) Water
- 1 tsp White Vinegar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 8oz (220g) Extra Firm Tofu (Crumbled)
- 1 tsp Chopped Chives
Instructions
- Place soaked cashews, lemon juice, coconut cream, water, white vinegar, salt, nutritional yeast, onion powder and garlic powder into the blender and blend until smooth.
- Crumble the tofu and add it to a bowl. Pour over the blended cheese mixture, add the chopped chives and fold everything together gently so you don’t break up the tofu.
- Place into the fridge for at least an hour to firm up and then enjoy.
Notes
*Place the raw cashews into a bowl and pour over boiling water from the kettle. Leave it to sit for an hour and then drain and rinse. Don’t let them soak for longer than an hour as this can cause the cashews to absorb a larger amount of water and you could end up with a watery cottage cheese.
*Prep time is for hands on time only and does not include the time spent soaking the nuts or the time firming up in the fridge.
- Category: Sides, Appetizer, Gluten-Free
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 146
- Sugar: 1.4g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 11.4g
- Saturated Fat: 3.4g
- Carbohydrates: 5.9g
- Fiber: 0.7g
- Protein: 5.9g
Keywords: vegan cottage cheese
I have a dairy and soy allergy. Is there any way to make a cottage cheese without these 2 ingredients. I sure have been missing my cottage cheese from years ago when I used to be able to eat it. Thank you!
You can leave out the tofu, you will still have the flavor but you will just have a smooth cottage cheese rather than a chunky one. I’m not sure what could replace the tofu to create the texture, but I think it would also just work great without.
If I use blanched almonds do I still need to soak them in boiling water for one hour?
Yes you would still soak them.
I really missed cottage cheese (haven’t had any since 1990!) and lo and behold, you supply a recipe.
Next time I’ll crumble the tofu smaller, and will add smoked parika. Anoher adaptation is to omit the garlic and onion powders and stir in some fruit like mango bits.
I am so happy with this recipe. Thank you for this wonderful resource..
Now, can you come up with a vegan salami? I don’t care about ‘healthy’ – I just want the fatty, salty and chewy textures and tastes. The vegan ones sold in shops all have sugar added – these are an abomination.
★★★★★
So glad you like the recipe Gail! Thanks for the great review. We do have a recipe for vegan pepperoni! Hope you like it!
Sorry about the typos: “paprika” “another” “resource.”
Guess I was so excited to tell you and didn’t proofread carefully before hitting SEND.
I didn’t even notice! xo
Niiice. As an experiment, try freezing and defrosting your tofu before using. The tofu flavour is diminished, as it drains away as it defrosts and the texture comes to resemble cottage cheese even more.
Cool! Thanks for the tip. 🙂
I made Hungarian Cottage Cheese Noodles with this (using pressed firm tofu fried then braised in liquid smoke and soy sauce) and it was out of this world. Now for some sarnies!
Thank you, Alison
★★★★★
Awesome! Sounds delish! Thanks for the great review. 🙂
fabulous! as a new vegan, this is my second recipe and it is wonderful….
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks Marie! 🙂
Is it possible to make a batch and freeze it in portions for later use? Any idea?
Yes it is freezer friendly, so you can definitely do that! Just thaw in the fridge before use. 🙂
I want to make this tonight but I only have unsalted roasted cashews. Would that work? I have all the other ingredients.
I think it would work but would change the flavor to a more roasted flavor, which might stand out a bit and make it less like ‘cottage cheese’. I don’t think it would be bad though! 🙂
Would this work with almonds instead of cashews? I want to try this recipe but I’m also doing keto and cashews are very high in carbs. Since I’ve been dairy free I haven’t had cottage cheese in at least 6 years now. I just tried another tofu recipe last night and it seriously just tastes like tofu no matter what I do. I hope this one works!
Hi Mary, I think this would work great with slivered almonds! All the best! 🙂
Hi Alison –
Thanks for this FANTASTIC recipe! Tell Jaye that he nailed it! And this recipe is indeed better than the original cottage cheese, hands down!
I prefer savory to sweet, but I do love cottage cheese with fruit, so I’ll be making another batch for that purpose by eliminating all EXCEPT the nutritional yeast, the lemon juice, the vinegar and 1/4 tsp onion powder in order to preserve the cheesy flavor. And that’s because what’s true about cottage cheese and fruit is the same that’s true about cheese and fruit – they’re made to be together! ❤
Thank you both!
Best,
Carolin
★★★★★
So happy to hear you loved it Carolin! Thanks for the amazing review! xo
Can I just skim the cream from the top of canned full fat coconut milk instead of buying coconut cream?
Sure!
The texture is perfect! But the coconut flavor is too strong. I just made it and put it in the fridge, but for now, it is too coconutty. Do you use de-flavored cream?
Hi Anna, I use the canned coconut cream which is unsweetened. It’s not de-flavored but I don’t find a strong flavor here. You can switch this for a different non-dairy cream if you prefer. 🙂
We have been vegan for 7 years and one of the things I have really missed is cottage cheese! Tried making some once before from a different recipe, and it was both terrible and a lot of work. This is really good! I would agree with cutting down on the onion and garlic (and perhaps the nooch too) if you want a real old-fashioned cottage cheese flavor. So enjoyed it in the middle of a peach half and topped with a maraschino cherry — just like my mother used to make!
★★★★★
Awesome! So glad you liked it Nancy, thanks for the wonderful review. xo
SOOOOOO good, definitely going to tell my friends and family to make this. .
★★★★★
Is the flavor of this mild enough to be served with fruit, sort of yogurt-esque? That’s how I used to love cottage cheese.
Hi Jessica, the flavor is quite cheesy. I think if you wanted to make it really plain, you could dial back those flavor add-ons. What I would do is reduce the white vinegar to 1/4 tsp, and remove the nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder and chives. This will give you a really good plain version that would be more like you’re looking for. All the best! 🙂
I can’t believe the texture of this, it’s totally perfect! Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
★★★★★
I know right! 🙂 Thanks for the awesome review! xo
Looks delicious. Can the lemon be eliminated, or can there be a substitute for it. Thanks
Hi Patti, it helps to create the ‘cheesy’ flavor. It can be left out, but you will lose some of the flavor. All the best! 🙂