Every time I’ve ordered a Greek salad since going vegan, it’s felt a little lackluster. It’s always nice and light, but it without any feta, it lacks the same salty, briny, tangy bite that a classic Greek salad has.
But, this vegan feta has the same savory tanginess of traditional feta (and lots of herby Greek flavor) but without any of the dairy!
It’s surprisingly simple to make, packed with protein thanks to tofu, can be served in small cubes or crumbled, and will stay good in the fridge for a week.
Hungry for more vegan cheese?
Check out my complete guide to vegan cheese! It covers the best vegan cheese recipes to use for every situation (like Fermented Cashew Cheese and Vegan Queso) and reviews the best vegan cheeses you can buy at the supermarket.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Easy. This recipe could hardly be simpler – just press a block of extra firm tofu, dice it into cubes, then let it hang out it in a special marinade in the fridge, and you’re set!
Wholesome. This vegan feta is a nourishing, protein-packed alternative to dairy-based feta, with none of the lactose but all of the salty and savory flavor.
Versatile. This vegan feta is great in salads (especially a watermelon or cucumber salad), grain bowls, and couscous dishes. It’s also delightful on top of flatbreads or pizzas. Or you could stuff it into pasta, eggplant, zucchini, or tomatoes, or even add it to a side of roasted or grilled vegetables.
And it would be a fabulous way to jazz up my Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad as well as the Greek Gigantes Plaki in my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook!
How to make this tofu feta
Remove tofu from packaging and drain any excess liquid.
Wrap the tofu in a clean dish towel or several layers of paper towels, then weigh it down with a heavy cookbook, or a large plate weighed down by a few cans of beans. Press the tofu for 1 hour, changing the towels in between. If you have a tofu press, you can use that for 20 to 30 minutes, releasing and then re-setting the clamps halfway through.
Slice the tofu into 4 vertical slabs, then slice vertically again so you have 8 slabs. Then, dice each slab into small bite-sized cubes.
Add the ingredients for the marinade to a medium bowl: miso paste, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, spices, and salt/pepper. Whisk well until the miso is well incorporated.
Transfer the diced tofu to a container large enough to hold it, or to a large mason jar. Pour the marinade on top, close the lid, and shake back and forth to distribute the marinade.
Allow the tofu feta to marinate in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours (I recommend 48 hours).
Tips for making this vegan feta
Don’t skimp on pressing the tofu.
Pressing the tofu well is important to successfully making this recipe. Pressing the tofu removes water from the tofu, making the texture firmer and allowing the flavors in the marinade to fully absorb.
Marinate the feta for 48 hours if you can.
You can marinate for as little as 12 hours, but the longer it rests, the more the flavors develop and the more it has the briny, salty taste like feta. I prefer to marinate for 48 hours.
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
- Fermented Cashew Cheese: one of the most unique and delicious vegan cheese recipes you’ll try! It’s sliceable and spreadable and has so much savory, cheesy flavor!
- Vegan Queso: 10ish ingredients and 5 minutes of work is all you need for the BEST vegan queso. Great in burritos, tacos, quesadillas, or just as a dip with tortilla chips.
- Butternut cheese sauce: used in my crispy baked mac cheese, but also great as an all-purpose cheese sauce!
- Smoky, spreadable cheese: find this easy spreadable recipe in my “pantry quesadillas” recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
In all kinds of salads, grain bowls, and wraps! It’s particularly good in my Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad (feta and orzo are a natural match!), Grilled Corn Salad, and Instant Pot Couscous and Lentil Salad.
In summer, we love making a classic watermelon feta salad. Simply mix watermelon cubes or wedges with torn cucumbers, add fresh mint and basil, along with the vegan feta. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and enjoy a delicious bite of summer!
If you have my cookbook The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook, you’ll see the vegan feta gets served along the Gigantes Plaki (giant Greek beans stewed in tomatoes…so so good!).
For a simple lunch idea, stuff pita pockets or wraps with hummus, chickpeas or lentils, crunchy raw or pickled veggies, and vegan feta!
You can also toss vegan feta into pasta and pasta salads. If you’re having guests over, use it to round out a Mediterranean mezze platter or use it to make a Greek spin on bruschetta.
I personally wouldn’t, as feta naturally has some fat, and we want to mimic that rich mouthfeel (tofu is pretty low in fat, especially compared to animal-based feta). That said, at least one reader substituted aquafaba with oil and enjoyed the results (peep the comments!). So, if you’re oil-free, that’s an option!
Store the feta in the fridge in its marinade, and it will stay fresh for about 7 days.
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram – I love hearing your feedback.
Vegan Feta
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce block of extra-firm tofu
- 2 1/2 tablespoons white miso paste brought to room temperature
- 1/3 cup 76 mL apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup 60 mL lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Drain the tofu and slice vertically into 4 slabs. Line a cutting board with a few layers of paper towels or a clean dish towel. Place the tofu slabs on top, wrap the tofu in more paper towels or a clean dish towel, then weigh the tofu down with a heavy cookbook, or a large plate weighed down by a few cans of beans (or use a tofu press). Press the tofu for at least 30 minutes (I usually leave it for an hour), changing the towels in between.
- Once pressed, cut the tofu into small cubes (you don’t want large cubes).
- In a medium bowl for which you have a lid, whisk together the miso, vinegar, lemon juice, oil, garlic, nutritional yeast, oregano, onion powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the miso paste is dissolved. Add the tofu pieces to the marinade (you can also add the tofu to a large glass jar and pour the marinade on top). Mix well, shaking the bowl or jar, but don’t break up the tofu.
- Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, but preferably for 48 hours. The longer, the brinier it’ll taste, like classic feta. It will stay good in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Nisha, you’re a genius!
This vegan feta is super.
All your recipes are so very tasty.
Hi Astrid, thank you so much for your kind review!
This feta was amazing! My cubes were quite small and I let them marinate for 2 days. My daughter made the same recipe, also with small cubes, and then put it on the “deydrate” setting on her oven. She left it there for a period of time, she thought about a hour, testing every now and again, and discovered how chewy it had become, and an intense cheesy flavor. I put about 1 cup of the marinated tofu on parchment paper on a tray in my small oven on the “dehydrate” setting (150F) and in about 2.5 hours, the cubes were chewy and reminded me a bit of cheddar cubes. Very, very tasty.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Erin! :)
It’s awesome and so interesting to hear how you were able to adapt the recipe!
This is the best feta ever!
I’ll admit I was skeptical, but this was delicious!!
Making this now! Can this be frozen? Thanks!
Hi there, unfortunately the texture of this feta changes significantly when frozen/thawed so we don’t recommend freezing it.
Thanks!! I can’t believe it. It tastes like feta and really adds what’s been missing in so many awesome vegan meals. Use the best, freshest ingredients and you’ll be amazed, too!
Hi Arthur, thank you so much for your kind review!
New vegan in Washington state south of Seattle, so glad to have found your site, you tube and cookbook. I have been making your recipes since I started 2 months ago an I am never disappointed. Feta is something we knew would be missing and We are so happy to have this recipe. It is delicious. Thank you so much for such a great recipe!
Hi Linda, we’re so happy to have you! Thanks for trying the recipes, it’s great to hear they’ve been a hit!
Hi there, I made vegan feta, I added cherry tomatoes to the marinade! I tried it after 24 hours. The marinade is delicious and I mopped that up with homemade bread. The tofu was quite soft (I used firm tofu) and hadn’t really taken on the flavour. I could still taste the tofu. The tomatoes were beautiful. I’ll add red onion as well next time. Hopefully the tofu will be tastier tomorrow.
Hi Julie, we hope you ended up enjoying it. We appreciate your feedback either way!
WOW was so surprised how amazing this tasted. Best recipe I’ve tried. We all loved it. Thank you so much for such a fantastic recipe. I will be making it over and over again.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Mel! It makes us happy to know that you enjoyed the recipe.
I loved this recipe. A tofu press made it very easy. I made a huge pasta salad and found that the brine made a great dressing. I didn’t even add another dressing. I just added roasted veggies.
We’re so happy that the feta turned out well for you, Janice. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and for trying out the recipe!
Hi Nisha,
It’s a bit of a trek to fine extra firm tofu where I live. Could I use firm tofu? Is there anything different I should do? Thank you for your amazing recipes!
Thanks for your kind words, Toria! I think that will work, as long as you press the firm tofu quite well. I’d press it for 15 minutes, change the towels, then press for another 15 minutes. If it feels quite dry, proceed. If not, press for another 15 minutes. The less water it contains, the easier it will be absorb the flavors of the marinade.
OMG so so so good 👏🏻
Claire, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This recipe is delightful. I was missing the traditional feta *dairy* cheese flavor, but did not wish to partake in the animal cruelty that the industry promotes. This feta tastes just like regular feta (but with herbs!). It is so good, my bf and I placed it on bulgar salad, chickpea curry, and enjoyed it on its own. It also has protein in it by using tofu (many vegan store-bought ‘cheeses’ have none)! I used the high protein super firm tofu, and it was perfect. Highly-recommend letting it ferment for 48-hours. It is indistinguishable.
Hey Marian! Wow, I can feel your enthusiasm about this recipe through the screen! Love it!
I’ve always been skeptical about vegan cheese but I saw the recipe and had all the ingredients so I tried it. This was amazing and tastes just real feta. Even my non-vegan parents agreed that it tastes just like real feta. I will definitely be making this again and will never buy store bought vegan feta again.
Woohoo, we’re delighted to hear it, Thishka! :) Thanks for sharing!
Made and used this in a Greek salad. Kids are addicted to Greek salad and actually said that the tofu feta is better than the dairy feta they’ve known previously.
Hi Michele, thank you so much for your kind review!