This vegan feta tastes just like the real thing! It also crumbles just like real feta and is savory, salty and totally divine!
I seriously impressed Jaye with this vegan feta. He was like: You Made Feta!!! All incredulous.
Which was nice.
We get some store-bought options for vegan feta here but Jaye isn’t a fan. He totally loves this though and we both agree it tastes like real feta!
It also crumbles like real feta and if you have this on a greek salad you will really not know the difference. The blocks of feta can also be smashed up on a cracker very deliciously or crumbled over vegan pizza.
Making firm vegan cheeses from scratch is big fun, definitely check out our vegan cheddar cheese and our cashew cheese. Both are firm sliceable cheeses that are perfect for a cheese board. You’ll also love our vegan camembert, vegan brie and vegan cheese ball.
How to make Vegan Feta Cheese
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
Add raw cashews, firm tofu, water, lemon juice, white vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder and onion powder to the blender and blend. It will be thick. Set aside.
Prepare a loaf pan or square dish by spraying with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Then (not pictured) add a cup of water and a tablespoon of agar agar powder to a saucepan and bring to the boil stirring constantly. When it starts boiling, set a timer and let it boil (while you continue to stir) for 1 minute.
Moving very quickly (as the agar starts to set up fast), pour out the agar/water mix into the blender with the other ingredients and blend in quickly. Then, again very quickly, pour this out into a prepared loaf pan.
Smooth it down and then place into the fridge and leave it to set.
Once the cheese has set, it takes around an hour or so, loosen the sides with a knife and tip it out onto a wooden board.
Cut into slices and then cut into cubes.
Place the cubes into a bowl with a lid, add some dried oregano and dried dill (optional) and then put on the lid and rotate the bowl so that all the pieces of feta get evenly covered.
Now you have vegan feta that is ready to serve!
Pro Tips for the Best Vegan Feta Cheese
There is no need to soak the cashews unless you have a weak model blender. If you have something strong like a Vitamix (highly recommended) then there is no need for soaking. If you have a blender that you think might have trouble then soak the cashews for 5-10 mins in boiling water.
If you are still having a struggle when you blend it, add a tablespoon or two extra water, then remove that from the water in the saucepan before you add your agar agar powder and boil it up so you don’t end up with feta that is too soft.
Use agar agar powder and not the flakes. If you can only get agar flakes though then use 3 times the amount. You might end up with a cheese that is a bit too firm, as the ratio is not perfect. So it’s better to use the agar agar powder as that is how this recipe was designed.
Use firm tofu in this recipe. Silken tofu creates a texture that is too soft and spongey for this. Firm tofu creates the perfect texture.
I love that the tofu gives this feta a higher protein content than vegan cheeses usually have.
How to Serve Vegan Feta
Serve it in a Greek Salad or crumbled on top of any salad. Smash it up on a cracker or crumble it over pizza. It’s also awesome as part of a vegan cheese board or served with a vegan pasta dish.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge and it will stay fresh for around a week. It also freezes very well and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
More Vegan Cheese
- Vegan Cream Cheese
- Vegan Ricotta
- Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Cottage Cheese
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Feta
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
- 8 ounces Firm Tofu (226g)
- ¼ cup Water (60ml)
- 5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 2 ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 cup Water (240ml)
- 1 Tbsp Agar Agar Powder
- ½ tsp Dried Oregano
- ½ tsp Dried Dill
Instructions
- Add the raw cashews, firm tofu, ¼ cup water, lemon juice, white vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder and onion powder to the blender and blend. It will be thick. Set aside.
- Prepare a loaf pan or square dish by spraying with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Add one cup of water and a tablespoon of agar agar powder to a saucepan and bring to the boil stirring constantly. When it starts boiling, set a timer and let it boil (while you continue to stir) for 1 minute.
- Moving very quickly, as the agar starts to set up fast, pour out the agar/water mix into the blender with the other ingredients and blend in quickly. Then, again very quickly, pour this out into your prepared loaf pan.
- Smooth it down and then place into the fridge and leave it to set.
- Once the feta cheese has set, loosen the sides with a knife and tip it out onto a wooden board.
- Cut it into slices and then cut the slices into cubes.
- Place the cubes into a bowl with a lid, add the dried oregano and dried dill (optional) and then put on the lid and rotate the bowl so that all the pieces of feta get evenly covered.
- Now your vegan feta is ready to serve.
- Keep it stored in the fridge and enjoy within about a week. It is also freezer friendly if you think you may not finish it within a week.
Video
Notes
- We did not soak the cashews first, but we are using a Vitamix. If you think your blender might struggle, then soak the cashews in hot water for 15 minutes.
- This must be the agar agar powder and not the flakes. If you’re using the flakes you will need to use 3 times as much to get the same result.
- This recipe makes around 22 ounces (623g) of vegan feta cheese.
- Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge and it will stay fresh for around a week. It also freezes very well and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Hello. I was wondering what size of loaf pan is used? Thank you!
Hi Stephen, we used an 8×4 loaf pan. However, a 9×5 would also work great. 🙂
I made this today for a new year’s day birthday party. It was delicious, approved by all! Used to crumble on pizza topping. Only slight down mark is that it was still a bit loose, not set, so next time I will reduce the water a bit and maybe use a little more agar.
This worked amazingly well! Very firm (I think I might have put a bit TOO MUCH agar in it!).
It could have been a little bit sharper, not sure how to accomplish that, but definitely the best vegan cheese recipe I’ve found so far.
Hi Robin, so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for the awesome review. For a bit more sharpness, you could add a little more lemon juice, vinegar and salt, you could even increase the onion powder a little. 🙂
A tasty substitute! This recipe makes a lot of cheese. I froze two thirds of it right away as thought we’d never get through it, but my 8 year old son adored it and finished the first batch in 2 days, mainly smushed on bread or crispy tortilla wraps (like tostadas). He could’t get enough of it! I found the texture of it in cubes a little too soft, but think the water content of the tofu I have is the culprit. I’m going to try pressing the tofu next time to remove as much liquid as possible, and I think that will firm up the texture. I’m looking forward to trying the freezer batch I have too, as I know tofu does well in the freezer texture wise. Another 5 star rating from me! Thanks for all your hard work in developing these recipes!
Hi Mo! Yes, I think when you thaw the freezer batch you’ll likely find the texture perfect. The tofu should definitely be firm and the firmer the better for the firmest texture of your feta. So pressing it first should definitely help if it’s less firm to start with.
Have you experimented with adding less salt? I’d like to try cut it in half. Thank you!
Hi Marge, we deliberately made it quite salty to more closely mimic what regular feta tastes like, but you can definitely reduce it as much as you like. 🙂
Hi Alison this recipe looks really good!
I was wondering if I could use this recipe to make a bread we make at home called pan de Bono (or cheese bread), the recipe has lots of salty hard cheese and tapioca flour.
The cheese we use back home (Colombia) is firm, salty, and has some stretching point (under high temperatures).
Have you tried using tapioca flour to achieve some stretch whilst under high temperature?
Kind Regards,
Maria
Hi Maria, I haven’t tried adding tapioca to this recipe, but if you look at our vegan mozzarella, we used tapioca there so it can work great if you’d like to experiment with it. 🙂
I love feta so this is a great substitute. Thank you 🙂 Do you freeze it before putting the water and herbs in at the end? Or freeze it in the water mixture?
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michelle, we don’t put this in water, we just toss it in the herbs and then store it like that, and if freezing, then you would freeze it like that. No water involved. All the best! 🙂
I buy Macadamia Feta normally. Do you think I could swap Macadamias for the Cashews?
Hi Rose, I haven’t tried it with macadamias but I think it would work.
I’m so impressed with this recipe!! Light years better than store bought. Soaking the cashews in boiling water, tripling the agar agar (because I had flakes not powder) and letting rest overnight were my keys to success. I also used extra firm tofu and a different Italian seasoning mix to coat the cubes at the end. Totally geeked on this recipe, A+++++
Wonderful! Thanks so much!