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.
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
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.
Just made this to add to a greek-style pasta salad. I didn’t have white miso, only red, so the colour was a little darker than yours. Also reduced the amount of oil. Absolutely delicious! I’m not vegan but don’t eat dairy, and this definitely hits the spot in giving that ‘cheesy’ feel. Super moreish!
Thanks for sharing, Olivia! We’re happy you enjoyed the vegan feta.
Soooo tasty! I have made this a few times now: the first time was so tangy it burned my mouth (and I like tangy!), but I guessed my vinegar or lemon juice was extra tangy so have reduced the vinegar and lemon juice by 1 Tbsp each and substituted filtered water when making it subsequently. It is the perfect add on to salads, bowls, and pizzas, and a great snack with some bread and veggies. Another winning recipe!
We’re over the moon to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Sabrina. Thanks for sharing!
Wow! Excellent feta-EXACTLY what I wanted it to be! Chopped up a bunch of veggies and added the cheese and marinade and had even the non-vegans raving! Highly recommend this recipe! Great site, thanks so much!!
We appreciate your feedback and support, Sherri. Thank you for leaving a review!
This is so delicious! I used Pumfu (pumpkin seed tofu substitute) and it was the cheesiest thing I’ve had since going vegan. Thank you, Nisha, I love your recipes!
Hi Kim, thank you so much for your kind review!
This is super delicious!!! The tofu feta and remaining marinade pulled all the weight in a cucumber, tomato, and chickpea salad that I made for a packed lunch!
My friends tried the tofu feta after 24 hours of marinading and they were so enamoured with it! “Damn, that’s good as hell. What’s _in_ that?” said my partner.
Thanks for developing and sharing this recipe! I’m so excited to I have a new flavor blaster to throw around.
Hi Wendy, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!
This recipe tastes even better than the real thing!
Hi Vibeke, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
I am loving your recipes!
We’re delighted to hear it, Paulie!
First time trying a tofu feta recipe, so easy really flavorful. This makes a lot and was especially good alongside watermelon and also as part of a Greek style salad. May rethink how to deal with the garlic, a couple of the cubes were tucked up alongside the crushed cloves in the bowl, and phew, pungent, like biting right into a clove.
Happy to hear you enjoyed the feta, Megan! Sorry to hear that you accidentally bit into a large piece of garlic. If you’d like, in the future, you can use a microplane to grate the garlic very finely. Cheers!
Got it marinating in the fridge. I did leave out the olive oil as I’m trying to be as oil-free as possible. I belong to a Facebook group called WVegan that is here is Charleston, WV, and I’d like to post this recipe to that group, if that’s ok.
The taste of the marinade is completely off the hook!
Another fantastic flavorful, creamy thing for my mouth. Thank you, you make being a vegan easy.
Delicious! The most flavourful version I’ve made so far.
Will definitely be my go to feta recipe.
Thank you
Is it ok to use previously frozen tofu?
Hi Angela, in this case we wouldn’t recommend it because we aren’t going for that “meaty” texture.
Do you have a suggestion to replace the oil? This sounds like the perfect option for a Greek salad I want to make but would prefer oil-free if possible. Thanks!
Hi Dianne, there is no substitute for the oil in the marinade, as the tofu needs a little richness to mimic the flavors and textures of feta. Sorry!
I made it without the oil and it was delicious! We follow an oil-free diet and just omit the oil in a lot of recipes and don’t notice any difference.
Wow! I made this recipe yesterday and tasted it 24 hours later. It exceeded my expectations, and they were high! Thank you for this great way to use tofu. I look forward to having feta on a regular basis.
Hi Shannon, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!
This looks awesome. Do you have any ideas for substituting nutritional yeast or do you think I could just leave it out? Thanks!
Hi Michelle,
The nutritional yeast adds a subtle cheesy flavor and umami. Since you get a fair deal of umami from the miso paste, you’ll still get a nice savoriness from the miso without using the nutritional yeast but with a slightly less cheesy flavor.
Thank you, I’ll try it without :)
Literally my favorite vegan “cheese.” I make this frequently (including a few days ago) because it’s too easy and too tasty not to. I use it in all kinds of ways, from pita sandwiches, to salads, to an accompaniment with Nisha’s Instant Pot Pearl Couscous and Lentil Salad – I’ll even just eat it right out of jar by itself! It’s so convincing as “cheese” after marinating for a couple of days that I sometimes have a moment of guilt when eating half the batch like I used to have back when I ate mountains of cheese. But then I remember it’s animal-product free and I just eat away with a huge sigh of relief. Well done with this, Nisha!
Your review made our day, Molly! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about the feta :)
Hello, I’m curious if you’ve made this with white distilled vinegar instead of ACV? I know when I use the white vinegar in vegan ranch dressing it really makes it. Thanks in advance
Hi Leigh, we haven’t, but we think it would work in this instance! Let us know how it goes if you try it!
My favorite recipe! I use it in salads or on top of shakshuka!
Sounds lovely, Demi! Thanks for sharing :)
I have made this several times (delicious!). The last time, rather than cutting the tofu into small cubes, I just crumbled it. Same great taste, just easier! :-)
Hi Kathie, we’re so happy you enjoyed this recipe, and thanks for sharing that tip! :) Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe.
Hello!
Firstly thank you so much for the amazing vegan cheese recipes! The fermented cashew cheese is a hit with my mom. My next attempt is to try the tofu feta. The only thing is I do not have access to white miso paste. Could you please suggest a more easy-to-find substitute?
Hi Uma, you’re very welcome! Lovely to hear the fermented vegan cheese was a hit. As for a substitute for the miso paste, you could try substituting equal parts tahini for the creaminess + 1 tsp soy sauce for the saltiness.
This recipe was life-changing. I mixed everything in a storage bowl and added the tofu cubes. So efficient. Served in a greek salad with campari tomatoes and pearled couscous. The couscous soaked up the remaining brine. Lovely.
Awesome to hear it, Jess! That greek salad sounds to die for!
Where should I look for Miso paste to purchase? Also is there more than one kind? I thought I read that I read something to that effect.
Hi Cheryl, it will be in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. There are different kinds and different brands, but any white miso paste will do!
Thank you.