Vegan Feta: A Step-By-Step Guide To Making An Amazing, Plant-Based Recipe
If you’ve never tried marinated feta, then you’re in for a treat. Think of it as the vegan version of cheese—it’s salty and tangy, but also creamy and delicious!
There are so many ways to use this recipe. You can serve it on top of Greek salads or pita bread with vegetables for lunch or dinner. It’s also great for making wraps for lunch or snacks at work. This recipe is easy to make and will last in your refrigerator for up to 5 days after being made. Enjoy!
What is Marinated Vegan Feta
This vegan feta recipe is for those who want to try their hand at marinating their own vegan cheese. Once you’ve mastered this technique, you can use it to make any kind of marinated cheese, from ricotta to mozzarella.
Here’s how it works: Take a block of firm tofu (or crumbled tempeh) and press out all the water. You can do this by wrapping the tofu in paper towels or a dishcloth and placing something heavy on top of it, like a cast-iron skillet or another pan full of books—just make sure it has enough weight so that your kitchen table doesn’t collapse under the pressure! Next up: cut your pressed tofu into small cubes and toss those bad boys into an airtight container with salt and nutritional yeast flakes (optional). The salt will help draw out even more moisture from the tofu while also giving them some flavor; nutritional yeast flakes give these “cheese” cubes an umami kick similar to what you’d get from adding Parmesan rinds.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (or to taste) (optional)
- 1/4 cup white miso paste (optional)
1. Blend the ingredients
Blend the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender every so often to make sure everything is getting blended well.
2. Transfer to a jar
To transfer the mixture to a jar, use a spoon or other utensil to scoop out portions of the mixture into the jar. If you find that too tricky, you can also use your hands to transfer it. When transferring food from one container to another, it’s best to rinse off any extra liquid or crumbs before doing so—otherwise they’ll just end up in your new container!
If you’re using glass jars like we showed in our photo above, make sure they’re clean and dry before filling them up with new food. A good way of making sure they’re clean is by pouring hot water over them and letting it sit for 30 seconds before rinsing them out with cold water (you don’t want to chance breaking your jar by using super-hot water).
3. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator
Once the mixture has been blended, place it in a sealed container and allow to marinate in your fridge for at least two hours, up to 24 hours. The longer you let the flavors infuse into each other, the better! If using a plastic jar or container with an airtight lid (which I recommend), shake once or twice during this time period.
4. Serve on top of Greek salad or pita with vegetables
You can also use it as a spread on a pita or wrap.
Just pile the vegan feta into your favorite Greek salad and enjoy!
Cooking Notes
- Good quality olive oil. This is really the most important ingredient, and it’s worth investing in one that you like.
- Good quality salt & pepper. I prefer a coarse-grained sea salt like Maldon and freshly ground black pepper from my pepper mill (or freshly cracked peppercorns), but use whatever you like best!
- Vinegar (to taste). If you don’t have balsamic vinegar on hand, red wine vinegar also works well here. Just be sure to use something with a nice acidity level so that your marinated feta is nice and tart—this contrasts nicely with the rich flavor of the cheese itself!
Marinated Vegan Feta is best to serve with
Marinated Vegan Feta is the perfect topping for a wide variety of dishes. It’s great on salads, in wraps and omelets, as a pasta topping, in soups and curries, in stir fries and pizza. You can also add it to sandwiches or use it as a filling for quiches. The possibilities are endless!
A vegan feta recipe that you can use for salads and wraps
On a salad. It’s delicious with tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. I love it with a simple lemon-dill vinaigrette.
In a wrap. Try it with some roasted vegetables and hummus or tzatziki.
We hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. It’s great for lunch or dinner, and it makes a wonderful addition to any Greek salad or pita sandwich. If you want something a little different, try marinating the tofu in a different flavor like lemon juice instead of vinegar so it tastes more like feta cheese!
