This vegan feta tastes just like the real thing! It also crumbles just like real feta and is savory, salty and totally divine!
This vegan feta cheese is amazing. It’s cheesy, salty, rich and tangy, everything you want feta to be.
It also crumbles like real feta and if you have this on a Greek salad you will really not know the difference. The cubes of dairy free 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, check out our vegan cheddar cheese and cashew cheese. Both are firm sliceable cheeses that are perfect for a cheese board.
You’ll also love our vegan camembert, vegan brie, vegan cheese ball and vegan halloumi.
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.
Blend until smooth. It will be thick. Set aside.
Prepare an 8×4 loaf pan by spraying it 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 your prepared 8×4 loaf pan.
Smooth it down and then place into the fridge to set (about an hour).
Once the cheese has set, loosen the sides with a knife and then tip it out onto a wooden board.
Cut it into thick slices.
Then cut the slices 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.
Your vegan feta cheese is ready to serve.
Ingredient Notes
Cashews. There is no need to soak the cashews if you have a strong blender like a Vitamix. If you don’t have a strong blender then soak the cashews for 15 minutes. Add them to a bowl, pour over boiling hot water from the kettle, and leave them to soak for 15 minutes. Then drain them and continue with the recipe.
If you still find it difficult to blend then add a tablespoon or two extra water but then make sure to remove that from the water in the saucepan before you add your agar agar powder so that you don’t end up with a dairy free feta that is too soft.
Agar agar powder. This must be agar agar powder and not the flakes. If you can only get agar flakes 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.
Firm tofu. Use firm or extra firm tofu in this recipe. Silken tofu creates a texture that is too soft and spongey for this.
Serving Suggestions
Serve it in a Vegan Greek Salad or crumbled on top of a vegan pasta salad or vegan macaroni salad (or any salad). Smash it up on a cracker or crumble it over vegan pizza.
It’s also awesome as part of a vegan cheese board or served with any 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 Recipes
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 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast Flakes
- 2 ½ teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 cup Water (240ml)
- 1 Tablespoon Agar Agar Powder
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon 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 an 8×4 loaf pan by spraying it 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
- Cashews. 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.
- Agar agar powder. 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.
- Servings. This recipe makes around 22 ounces (623g) of vegan feta cheese which is around 10 servings.
- Storing: 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.
Parul Mehta says
Alison, what a great recipe! Had been looking for a vegan cheese recipe and this one surpassed all my expectations. I did not have extra firm tofu and used firm silken tofu so may be that is why it was a little delicate but the taste was delicious! Will be making it again and again. 🙂
Alison Andrews says
So glad it was delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!
Connie says
Hello, I made this recipe over the weekend and the cheese did not set or harden at all. It turned out more like a cheese spread than hard enough to be able to cut into cubes. Not sure what I did wrong. I re-read instructions several times and followed them and used proper measurements. The flavor is definitely there and the spread is actually quite good on crackers. Any suggestions next time?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Connie, not setting is usually due to the agar agar powder. Check the ingredients list on yours and make sure that it contains pure agar agar powder and isn’t mixed with other ingredients, which would ‘water down’ the effects. Also, it should be powder and not flakes. If it’s the flakes version then use 3 times as much. If it’s not the agar agar then I really don’t know. Good to hear it is still tasty though and good on crackers!
Sue Williams says
Hi Alison, thanks for sharing this recipe. It was super easy and the result was almost great. I need your help to make it great. Here are my queries:
(1) I used lime juice because I have heaps of limes but it was lacking sharpness. Perhaps more salt needed, maybe the juice, or both. Do you think I should use lemon juice next time? Or not much difference between lemon and lime?
(2) The ‘feta’ was firm enough to cube and hold its shape but definitely not able to crumble. Perhaps too much liquid? Which leads me to:
(3) Should the tofu have been pressed first? Not mentioned in the recipe so I didn’t.
(4) Measurements. I’m in Australia where a tbsp is 20ml. An internet search told me that in Sth Africa a tbsp is 15ml, so I adjusted to 4tbsp juice but possibly still 5ml too much. I tried to adjust the other other tbsp ingredients but maybe not perfectly, so would appreciate if you could let me know the ml size of the spoons you use in your recipes. Is your tbsp 15 or 20ml? My tsp is 5ml, is that the same for you?
(5) Also, I soaked my cashews, (didn’t really need to as I have a good food processor) and although I drained them that may have added some liquid.
Thanks in advance for trawling through all my questions and I look forward to your advice. Have just bought your online book so look forward to trying those recipes.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sue! Lime juice is much sweeter than lemon juice so you won’t get the sharpness from it that you need. So definitely don’t sub lime for lemon. The extra water is most likely from soaking the cashews. I would soak them very briefly, like 5-10 mins maximum so they are softened without absorbing too much water. But avoid soaking if you have a strong blender. We use American measures so yes a Tbsp is 15ml and a tsp is 5ml. And then, if your tofu is very firm then no need to press it first, but you also can if you want to and if you’re soaking the cashews so need to avoid any excess water. Thanks for the questions and feedback and hope this helps! 🙂
Shelly Kent says
Hi, this recipe looks great and I’m keen to make it. Wondering if it’s possible to use cornflour instead of agar agar? As I don’t have anywhere local that stocks the agar agar powder. Cheers.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Shelly, unfortunately not, agar agar is crucial in this recipe. It can be ordered online though. 🙂
Shelly says
Thanks for the information Alison, much appreciated. I’ll let you know how the recipe goes, cheers.
Nita says
Hi there,
Not tried this recipe yet but can you oven bake the finished product on things like pizzas or baked potato’s? 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Hi Nita, yes you can. It will get soft and a little melty (but not super melty). But it can definitely be used this way. All the best! 🙂
Linda says
Hi Alison,
This feta cheese is wonderful…thank you so much.
Just a quick question…if I want to freeze it, do I freeze it before mixing it with the dried herbs and will it defrost back to the same consistency??
Alison Andrews says
Hi Linda! So glad you like it. You can freeze it before or after mixing with the dried herbs. When I froze it to test it I did so after rolling it in the dried herbs so after is also fine. It does defrost back to the same consistency as before, I didn’t notice any difference. 🙂
Geralyn says
This recipe was posted on a FB page I follow. I saw that I had all of the ingredients on hand, so decided to give it a go. I followed the recipe exactly as written, with no adaptations. It was very easy to make and turned out perfectly. I usually tweak recipes the second time around, but this recipe needs no tweaking! The taste and texture were AMAZING! This is a definite keeper. I will probably be making it a few times a month because I just can’t get enough of it.
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear you loved it Geralyn! Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
Carole says
Wow this is exactly what I needed at the moment, after seeing a lot a attractive recipes with real feta. I’m impressed as well by your other “cheeses” list. So I’m your new fan, of course.
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear that Carole! xo
Mary says
I’m desperate to find a vegan feta that I can eat. I’m very allergic to soy. Without the firm tofu, would it be just a crumbly feta? By the way, your feta looks amazing.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Mary, I’m not sure how it would turn out if you omitted the tofu. It would be worth trying, though it may need a little adjusting to find the right balance. All the best! 🙂
Rob says
I made this and it was very tasty. I used it in a feta and spinach pie and my family raved about it – it even softened like real feta. While delicious I don’t think it tasted exactly like feta by itself but then it was close enough when paired with other ingredients. I plan to use it in palak paneer next. Really looking forward to it !!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Rob! So happy you enjoyed it, thanks for your feedback and the awesome rating. 🙂
lelisa watkins says
I made the recipe and posted my view yesterday but noticed the review was not there. So here goes another try. I loved the taste and texture. I added 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika to the recipe and it was amazing! I will make it again and maybe even share.
Alison Andrews says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing and the awesome rating. 🙂
Noble Susan says
I was missing a good feta sub. This is great! Greek salad tonight, yeah!
Alison Andrews says
Yay! 🙂
sheenam @ thetwincookingproject says
Alison, this looks amazing!!!!!
Alison Andrews says
Thank you! 🙂
lelisa says
Hello I am loving this Vegan Feta.
I added 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika to the recipe.
It gives it a robust smoky flavor. It taste amazing!
Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Lelisa! 🙂
Harjinder says
Hi Alison – great recipe, will have to try but is it possible to replace cashews with almonds? My grandson has dairy and nut allergy but is oak with almonds. Thanks
Alison Andrews says
Hi there! I haven’t tried this with almonds, but if I did I would use slivered almonds and soak them first. If you see our recipe for vegan ricotta, we used almonds there. They can be quite hard to blend if they’re not soaked which is why I would recommend to soak them first, but otherwise I think it would work great. The texture may not be as smooth but I don’t think that will matter here. All the best! 🙂
Jesse-Gabriel says
Oh man, sie sind einfach eine Künstlerin so ein großartiges Rezept, ich werde es nachmachen, vielen dank!!!
Viele Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much! 🙂