This Vegan Tofu Feta Cheese is a great, addictive and easy to make vegan substitute for traditional feta. Delicious in salads or on its own as a snack or appetizer!
I recently got a major craving for my Greek Style Tomato Cucumber Salad, so I began searching the web for an easy vegan feta recipe. Sadly, I couldn’t find one that seemed to exactly fit the bill. Some seemed great but were a lot more work than I cared for; I’ve been feeling a tad lazy in the kitchen lately! As for the super easy ones, most were merely just cubed tofu, marinated in oil, lemon juice and vinegar, and called for very little salt… I mean hey, let’s face it: feta cheese is crazy SALTY! And tangy. But mostly, salty! So surely you can’t go making fake feta cheese without adding a liberal amount of salt!
Since I couldn’t find what I was after, I decided to create my own version, using not oil and vinegar as a marinade, but brine and salt. This, is what I figured would come closest to what feta should taste like. And the experiment turned out pretty good, if I may say so myself!
Now I’m not gonna lie to you: this does NOT taste exactly like feta cheese and you’re not going to have anyone fooled with it either. BUT, it does have a super tangy, salty flavor to it that’s very reminiscent of the real deal, and a real firm, squeaky texture that’ll keep you coming back for more!
In salads, it definitely does the trick! but it’s also delicious as is, so it makes for a fantastic snack or appetizer, especially if you’re going to serve it with a handful of mixed gourmet olives and crusty bread!
Just one word of caution before you embark on the project: although this vegan feta is super easy to make and will require almost no effort on your part, it does need to marinate for at least 48 hours! So yeah, you are going to need to plan ahead if you are going to make this.
Perhaps you should make a double batch? Just because, you know…
You need to first remove the tofu from its packaging, then drain and press it for at least 1 hour to release excess liquid, and then pat it really dry with a clean towel or paper towel.
Now, if you didn’t happen to own a tofu press, don’t go running to the store just to get one… You can very quickly set up a little rig that’ll work just as good:
- Grab a cooling rack and place it over a container of some kind, to collect all the liquids that’ll drip. I chose to use a glass loaf pan, but practically any container will do!
- Next, place your block of tofu onto that cooling rack and then place a small plate or other flat object right over that block of tofu…
- Finally, place a heavy object, such as a large book or a cast iron skillet, over that plate or flat object. Now simply put that entire rig aside and let your tofu slowly drip away for about an hour.
Once it’s good and pressed, cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes and place it in a medium sized bowl.
Then, in a glass measuring cup, combine all the ingredients for the brine, stir vigorously with a whisk and pour that right over the cubed tofu.
