If you have ever thought making vegan cheese was complicated, guess again. This easy vegan feta is about to blow your mind!
A big downfall with store bought vegan cheese is the lack of protein. Now of course, I use it and buy it all the time. However, this recipe is about to be something I keep in my fridge all the time. This easy vegan feta has about 15 minutes of prep time, however, there is some significant brining and marinating time. Don’t let that stop you from making it though because you are going to be so impressed with it!
Easy Vegan Feta Brine
The first step after pressing and cubing the tofu will be to place the tofu in a brine. This will help infuse the tofu with saltiness. It also helps to change the texture of the tofu. The brine is simply made with salt, water, and a little red wine vinegar. You let the cubed tofu sit in it overnight. Real feta is very salty so it is important to add salt in every step of this process.
Easy Vegan Feta Marinade
After the feta brines, you will empty out half to two thirds of the brine. Then you add in a little olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, and oregano. This will infuse the tofu with more salt, tang, and flavor. Giving it a lot of flavor. Trust me, you won’t believe how delicious this tofu is.
How Can I Use the Easy Vegan Feta?
There are so many great ways to enjoy this easy vegan feta. I actually couldn’t stop myself from just eating it right out of the container! But here are some other ideas you can make with it:
- Easy salads (I will have a recipe for you down below)
- On tofu scramble
- On sandwiches
- Vegan Spanakopita or Tiropita
- Whipped vegan feta
- Snackboards
There are so many ways you can use it!
Pressing Tofu
In this recipe you will need to press your tofu. I know, I know I hate doing it too. It always feels like an annoying extra step. BUT you need to do it otherwise the tofu will not have the proper room to absorb the brine and marinade. I use a tofu press, which does make it much easier. You can also do the old school method of wrapping it in a towel, placing a heavy skillet over and adding a few cans in it. Whichever way works better for you.
More Vegan Cheese
Easy Tofu Feta FAQ
- Do I have to press the tofu? Yes, it gets out excess water and allows the tofu to have room to soak up the brine and marinade.
- Can I replace the tofu with something? Unfortunately, no as it is the main ingredient.
- Do I have to brine and marinate separately? Yes, it allows the tofu time to soak up each thing individually.
- Can I crumble this? Yes, after it is done brining and marinating you can crumble it if you like.
- How long does this last? Up to 4 days in the fridge.
- How do I store this? In the fridge in the liquid.
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Easy Vegan Feta
Ingredients
- 1 block (14 ounces/397g) extra firm tofu
Brine
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Marinade
- ½ medium lemon juiced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Day 1: Press the tofu for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the press. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large container with a lid and add 2 cups of water, 2 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar. If you need to add more water to cover the tofu add in equal increments to the amount of cups of water. (Example: 3 cups water, 3 teaspoons salt, 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar). Place in the fridge covered for at least 24 hours.
- Day 2: The next day drain out about half to two thirds of the brine. Then add in the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, oregano, and olive oil. Mix together. Place back in the fridge covered for at least 24 hours.
- Day 3: The vegan feta is done! Enjoy in anyway you like.
Video
Notes
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Doing the day 2 prep today. Quick question. After the second brine, should I drain it completely and store ‘dry’?
Thanks so much ❤️.
Hi Stephanie. No don’t drain it, let it sit in liquid. it will keep absorbing flavor! hope you enjoy!
Thanks so much, Francesca! I still have about 10-12 hours to go with the day 2 marinade, but I snuck a piece when I was making coffee and it is goooood!!!
yay!!!! I am so glad you like it. i couldn’t stop myself from eating it haha!!
Little effort, big payoff. Highly recommend.
yay so glad you made it and enjoyed thank you so much for leaving a comment and review Stephanie xoxo
Best feta ever, we have it on our salad every night. I double the recipe and make it right in the mason jars. Easy, delicious, and so so healthy!!
Hi Denise!!! yay I am so glad you enjoy it. Thank you so much for trying it out and leaving a comment/review means so much!!
This is shockingly amazing! I, like a lot of vegans, miss cheese and this is so good! Also so much healthier than feta or even the processed vegan feta on the market. Thank you for this recipe!!
hi Tina! yay I am so glad you liked it!! i know i really was so surprised with the final result. thank you for trying it and leaving a review!!
This tastes amazing!!!!
One question. It lasts only 3-4 days?? Can I freeze it?
Hi Robin, if you would like to leave it for up to 5 days that should be okay. Just be sure to smell it before eating it. I wouldn’t recommend freezing as freezing and thawing tofu changes the texture.
So excited to try this recipe! Do you think it would work with balsamic vinegar, or is the red wine vinegar a key flavour?
hi Penny! I find the red wine vinegar to be important for this but I don’t want to make you go buy an ingredient if you don’t want to. So if you want to use balsamic vinegar you can just know it may change the flavor a bit! please let me know how it goes!
Just poooed day 1 in the fridge. My question is can I omit the oil. I know it’s just a small amount but we try to eat oil free. I will add it if needed as it’s such a tiny amount.
Hi! Is it possible to make this oil free?
Hi, if you want to leave the oil out you can
I should have read more. I just posted same question. Thanks for the answer
you are welcome enjoy!
How long will this last in the fridge?
hi after finishing the brine and marinade up to 4 days in the fridge.
Literally the best vegan feta I have ever tried! This recipe is so smart and truly couldn’t be easier to make. The hardest part is waiting 2 days to eat it lol. Love that it’s higher protein and not just full of fats like most processed vegan cheeses at the grocery store. Thank you for all your amazing vegan cheese recipes!
Hi Lianna! yay I am so so glad you liked it. thank you so much for trying it and taking the time to leave a comment and review means so much!!
Would fresh oregano ok? How much do you suggest? I only have dried Italian seasoning in my pantry.
Hi Gina, if you want to use fresh oregano that should be fine. I would only do a few leaves chopped up not too much! You can also use a small spoonful of the dried Italian seasoning
This is by far the best vegan feta recipe I’ve tried, and I’ve tried quite a few!!!
Hi Mar! oh yay I am so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for trying it and taking the time to comment and review 🙂
Oh my goodness, this is amazing. I am mostly vegan, but I often end up buying regular cheese instead of vegan cheese, since so much of the vegan cheese on the market isn’t very nutritious. I’m 12 hours into the second marinate right now, and I just gave it a stir and a taste test. It tastes so good, and the flavour and texture are very similar to real feta! I’m so happy to be able to have an easy, healthy, vegan substitute for feta, and I can’t wait to try it in recipes. I plan to use it to make spanakopita tomorrow. Even if doesn’t really work in baking, I’ll be super happy to just snack on the “feta” chunks. Thank you!
Hi Chelsea! Oh yay I am so so happy to hear that you enjoyed it so much yay!!! Thank you for the kind words. So, if you want to use it for the spanakopita I would suggest crumbling the tofu so it is in smaller pieces. Of course because it is tofu and not cheese it doesn’t melt so do keep that in mind. However, I have made vegan spanakopita with crumbled tofu feta and really enjoyed it! T
I just made this and it is delicious. I am curious as to why it has such a short life span in the refrigerator?
Hi Cathi, as it is a food with no preservatives things do not last as long. The recommended guideline for keeping food in the fridge really is only 3-4 days so I personally like to recommend no longer than that as to not have any food poisoning issues.
We made this vegan feta over the weekend. I am so happy I found this recipe! The taste and texture were very satisfying. I had cooked quinoa, tomatoes and cucumbers so I whipped up a quick Greek inspired salad with the tofeta (!). I will be making it again for sure. Thank you for all your recipes!
Hi Raphaelle! wow that sounds like an incredible salad. I love it!! so glad you enjoyed the vegan feta thank you so much for trying it and taking the time to leave a comment/review means a lot 🙂
Amazing. Tastes just like Feta. I envision myself making this quite often. Thank you.
Hi Nicole! Yay I am so happy you enjoyed it thank you so much for trying it out!!!
I love this recipe. It is delicious. It will become a staple in my house. Thank you for creating and sharing.
So glad you enjoyed!