Red wine vinegar and lemon juice give this easy vegan Tofu Feta a tangy zip. With just a block of tofu and a few other ingredients, this non-dairy feta cheese recipe is easy to make. Crumble your homemade dairy-free feta on salads, top pizzas with it, and stuff it into a sandwich for an extra burst of flavor.
Cheese Addict
I was a complete cheese addict grown up. It all start with cellophane-wrapped American Cheese slices and jars of Cheez Whiz. I remember one long car ride where I had a box of Triscuits and a can of Easy Cheese to keep my attention occupied in the back seat. As I grew older, my tastes became more refined and I graduated to blocks of Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp White Cheddar and tubs of creamy Boursin.
Feta Cheese
I discovered feta late in my cheese-eating days. There was a Wendy’s down the road from where I worked, and they had just introduced new pita sandwiches, two of which were (supposedly) vegetarian. I stopped in to give them a try, and I immediately became hooked on the “Greek” pita. It was was stuffed with vegetables, feta cheese and a creamy dressing. I ate them several times a week until there was a report on the news stating that the dressings used on the pitas contained gelatin and were therefore not vegetarian. That was the end of my beloved pita sandwiches, and I went vegan shortly afterward.
A Cheeseless Vegan
Giving up cheese was tough. The first few years of my veganism were relatively cheese-free, except for the occasional slice of dairy-free Tofutti American, which was pretty much just congealed oil. Then out of the blue, the vegan cheese renaissance began. It suddenly seemed like everyone and their dogs were making different varieties of vegan cheese. I discovered a soy-based feta at my local Whole Foods, and I was instantly hooked again. I started adding it to salads, loading it on sandwiches, and even piling it high on pizzas. Sadly, the cheese was short-lived, and I was suddenly feta-less again. Rather than give up feta for good, I set about making my own. Since then a few other brands have starting making vegan feta, but I’m already hooked on my own recipe.
Homemade Vegan Tofu Feta
Vegan tofu feta is super easy to make. You just crumble or cut your tofu into cubes, mix up the rest of the ingredients, pour them over the tofu, and let it marinate. That’s it! I like to pop my feta in the fridge to let it marinate overnight, but it’s ready in just a few hours if you don’t want to wait.
The tang in this recipe comes from red wine vinegar and lemon juice, while the cheesy flavor comes from nutritional yeast and miso. Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans that’s used in a lot of Japanese cooking. It adds a salty, fermented flavor to this vegan feta, so don’t skip it. This recipe works best with mellow white miso.
Either firm or extra firm tofu with will in this recipe. Make sure you get as much excess water out of the tofu as possible first. I like to use my TofuXpress, but you can also wrap it in a towel and place it under something heavy, like a cast iron pan. You can also wrap it in a clean towel and place it in the fridge the night before, and it’ll be ready when you are the next day. For this recipe, you can either cube or crumble your tofu.
This vegan Tofu Feta won’t melt the way dairy cheese does, but it has that familiar tangy feta flavor of my old cheesy friend. It tastes great on salads, sandwiches and wraps, pizzas, and just about anything that could use a little somethin’ somethin’.
What’s your favorite way to eat vegan feta?
Vegan Tofu Feta
Ingredients
- 1 pound firm or extra firm tofu drained and pressed
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon mellow white miso
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Cut the tofu into cubes or crumble it into large chunks and place in a shallow bowl or baking dish.
- Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the lemon juice mixture over the tofu. Toss gently to combine.
- Place the dish of tofu in the fridge for several hours or overnight. The longer it sits, the better the flavor.
Recipes that Use Tofu Feta Include:
- Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Avocado
- Greek Frittata
- Asparagus and Feta Omelet
- Tomato and Feta Pasta Salad
- Double Broccoli Quinoa
Love using tofu feta. Thanks for the reminder to make some! Going to try this recipe next time. 🙂
I hope you like it, Ricki!
Oh! Excellent timing! I have some tofu in the fridge that was leftover from another recipe. I’ll scale down the recipe a bit and use it this way! Thanks for posting!!
I hope you enjoy it, Tanya!
Oh, we did! Made a Greek salad with the feta and it was excellent!
Yay! So glad you liked it!
I can’t wait to make this! It looks fantastic.
Thank you, Keri! I hope you enjoy it!
Made the TOFU Feta and was amazed by the wonderful flavor. Easy to make.
So glad you liked it, Dianne!
I have this marinading in the fridge for my salads this week and I was wondering if the leftover marinade could be made into salad dressing. I was thinking of adding Olive oil and maybe a tsp of honey. What do you think?
I’ve never used it as salad dressing, but I’m sure it would be delicious! Let me know if you try it!
I have this marinating in the fridge. If you were to use it on pizza, would you cook it on the pizza or crumble it on straight from the marinade?
Hi Alocasia, You can do either. I’ve cooked it and eaten it cold, and it’s good both ways.