You asked and I delivered. I recently posted a reader question on my Facebook page “What recipe/product/dish do you wish was vegan?” There were all sorts of requests, some of the requests I had already posted on the blog, some recipes are waiting for you in my cookbook (can’t wait!), but there were some that I didn’t have an answer for…yet. The dish that had the most votes was for vegan cottage cheese. Who knew!?
I had a Google around, and you guys were totally right. I didn’t find any store-bought brands. There were a couple of recipes, but they either used too weird of ingredients, or seemed too complicated for such a simple food. So, I rolled up my sleeves… well I didn’t, I was wearing a tank top… but I got to work either way and taste tested my way to my new Quick & Easy Vegan Cottage Cheese. Boom!
Pret-tay cool right? And it’s totally healthy too!
So what is this madness made out of? Our fine friend tofu! I used a silken tofu for the liquid-y part, which I blended and seasoned just so. (I think I’ve gotten pretty good at recreating dairy flavours if I do say so myself). Then I crumbled in firm tofu for the texture. My parents happened to be stopping by, so I was able to get them to taste test it for me, and they agreed, it is pretty dang close to traditional cottage cheese. Woot woot!
Did anyone else ever used to eat cottage cheese out of a cantaloupe, or was that just a me thing?
So here you go my friends, vegan cottage cheese. I’m always eager to make vegan cooking your favourite thing, so if you have any more recipe requests, drop them in the comments below.
To make Quick & Easy Vegan Cottage Cheese: Add the silken tofu to a blender along with the spices and mix until everything is completely smooth.
Now, this saucy part is slightly more on the creamy-yellow side of the white scale due to the nutritional yeast, but that hardly seems like a big deal to me when the flavour friends are are all there. It does whiten up when the firm tofu is added, but still isn’t bright white. Just a heads up.
Now take the firm tofu and crumble it into the silken tofu mixture.
Stir to combine. See, I told you that was a quick & easy vegan cottage cheese recipe!
Enjoy as is or it should work almost anywhere you would use traditional cottage cheese.
Takes less than 10 minutes to make and only 6 ingredients for this healthy, dairy-free recipe.
- 1 300g block soft or silken tofu (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 of a 420g block firm tofu (210g or about 1 1/2 cups) crumbled
Add the soft or silken tofu to a blender along with the nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Mix until everything is completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
Pour the soft tofu mixture into a medium bowl. Crumble the firm tofu into the silken tofu mixture. Mix to combine.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
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I just made this but I think the brand of tofu I used was too strong tasting (365 Organic). The good news is I turned it into tofu scramble (added more nutritional yeast, some black salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and turmeric) and it was my best personal tofu scramble yet! Thanks for the break through! Next time I’ll use a different brand of tofu, can’t hurt when the failure turns out to be a winner anyway!
Oh yes, that’s a great way to solve the problem. 🙂
Can this be used as a substitute for cottage/ricotta in lasagna??
Sure but it won’t melt like cottage cheese does. I like to use my tofu ricotta or cashew ricotta in lasagna. 🙂
What is your favorite brand of nutritional yeast, and are you using the “Nutirional Yeast Seasoning”?
I don’t really have a preference as I don’t find they vary much. The most recent brand I bought was Bob’s Red Mill. Enjoy!
Pretty decent protein vs calorie return. And YES it’s YUMMY.
Thank you oh thank you. I don’t care what color it is as long as it tastes…..
So very happy you enjoyed it so much, Dee!! 🙂
Hi Sam, Do you press the tofu before making this dish? Can’t wait to try.
Hi Deb, nope! I always include all of the instructions needed in a recipe, so if I pressed the tofu I would say to do so. Enjoy!
Hi thanks for another interesting recipe. Jist made it and found the silken tofu had too strong a taste and it was too liquidy.
. I decided to drain a lot of it out. I think next time I’ll try a different brand of silken tofu this was Nasoya). I also think I’d press the firm or even extra firm tofu before added it in.
I’ did add more “ nooch’ and put it in the fridge. Hoping it looks as good as yours !
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it more.
Hi thanks for this awesome recipe. What brand tofus did you use?
I’m not picky about brands of tofu, but the last time I made it I used Sunrise brand. Enjoy!
I am going to make this for my mom! Cottage cheese is one of the main things she misses now that we’re vegan. Thanks!
I hope she loves it!
Sam… your site has nearly over-nite become my most favorite…. love everything I have made so far… many many thanks for all the wonderful recipes… 🙂
That’s so awesome, Larry!! Thrilled you are enjoying it so much. Thanks for saying hi!
Thank you so much for this recipe! The texture was absolutely perfect and the flavor was good, but there was a definite raw tofu taste on top that was off-putting. I’m thinking about keeping the “whey” based but crumbling a vegan cheese into it rather than using the firm tofu. I’ll let you know how that works out!
You can absolutely try that. You may also want to experiment with different brands of tofu as some have more flavour that others. Enjoy!
It worked great! I used Miyoko FreshMozz vegan cheese, chopped it into small pieces, and added it to the whipped silken tofu mixture. It’s delicious! And no tofu taste at all. Thank you!!
Wonderful!
Wow you have a great blog. Congrats Sam! Thanks for this recipes. I send you regards from Cuernavaca Morelos México.
Thank you so much, Sandra!!! Welcome, and regards from Toronto, Canada 🙂
Whoa Sam! I saw this when you posted it, thought it was cool and then sort of forgot about it. I read your post today for blue cheese dressing and went out to buy silken tofu immediately so I could make it. I already decided to bring a salad for lunch tomorrow, and was trying to figure out what to do for the dressing, so that post was perfect. I knew I’d have some silken tofu left, and then saw this recipe at the bottom of that post. I made half the recipe so I could try it and finish the silken tofu. It. Is. Delicious! I used to love/hate cottage cheese. The right texture and I loved it, otherwise it made me gag. LOL Loved that I could crumble the tofu to whatever texture I wanted. Another fantastic recipe, thank you!
Yay!!!!! Thrilled you’re a fan of yet another recipe, Kristi! I think you should become an official It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken recipe tester, hahaha! Thank you for your rave review 🙂
YES!!! I would love that title! I give your website to everyone that shows any interest in how I eat. I’ve loaned the cookbook out to a lady at work but only because I knew she was responsible and could be trusted to return it to me! If I had to choose just one source for recipes, I’d definitely pick you!
Oh my goodness, you’re truly too kind, Kristi!!!! 😀
This is one of those times I almost cried over something ridiculous. I had a massive craving for cottage cheese and peaches, and was really down about it until I thought to search for recipes. And here I landed! This is so amazingly delicious. I about ate the entire batch in one sitting because I was so happy to have a cottage cheese alternative. THANK YOU.
WOW! That’s amazing!! Thrilled you loved it so much Micheala. 🙂
I will definitely have to try this. I am pregnant with my third child and, although not vegan by any means (nor am I vegetarian), I seem to have developed a dairy allergy complete with difficulty breathing. A couple months previously, my sister randomly became lactose intolerant. We were talking about what we’re missing – cottage cheese, pizza, quesadillas, enchiladas, etc. I am glad to see this. I usually dislike tofu but I may just see if I can convince my brain it is cottage cheese, not tofu. I enjoy challenges in the kitchen as much as you seem to – I made a GF/eggless/dairy-free (but with goat milk) chocolate cake last year for a friend that called for 4 eggs and aced it in one try! It was fluffy and rich and delicious (and at 7800ft above sea level, no less!). I brainstormed at 5am all the properties of eggs in baking and figured out how to use more leavener, bananas, pumpkin, almond milk coffee and flax seeds to recreate the same thing. Thank you, fellow kitchen scientist, for the new recipe!
You’re welcome, Amanda, I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Fabulous recipe! Should I dump out the tofu liquid, or include it?
Thank you! Yes, drain off the excess water. Enjoy! 🙂
How long does vegan cottage cheese last in fridge? Thanks
I would say about 4 – 7 days. Enjoy!
This cottage cheese is soooo good, but i am from Germany live in the US and like my cottage cheese more creamy and thats what I did just add all and swoosh all is creamy and so good thanks
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it!
Found this on a recipe search… made it… LOVED it! Now I’m ordering your book! Nicely done!! Ali
Haha! That’s awesome! So happy you loved it, Ali. I hope you love the book too! 😀
Question! Where I live they don’t sell nutritional yeast. What is the function of that ingredient? Will I lose out nutritionally or is it just a flavor thing?
Thanks!
It’s mainly just for flavour. Nutritional yeast has a cheesy nutty flavour so I use it a lot in my vegan cheese recipes. You could try upping some of the other flavours to taste to replace it, but the result will be slightly different. Hope that helps!
Same here! Did you try it without the Nutritional yeast? How was it?
I did! For flavor I added a whole bunch of raw garlic cloves in the blender with the tofu. Maybe not exactly cottage cheese, but the result was delish!
Your cottage cheese snack as a kid was way healthier than mine. Whatever you do, do not dip potato chips into your cottage cheese – it is addicting!
Ah!!! Now that’s all I want to do!! Hahaha
I’m so excited to try this! I’m vegetarian and normally have regular cottage cheese, but now I think I’m gonna try this recipe out! It’s not only more fresh, and not harming any animals in the process, but it has even better-for-you ingredients!
Ooooh I hope you love it, Maeve!
Hello there! I was just wondering if you had to drain/dry out the firm tofu like you do for other recipes….I’m new to cooking with tofu! Thanks in advance!
Hi Valentina, nope not for this recipe. I am always clear when tofu needs to be pressed so you never have to worry about it unless I say so. Enjoy! 🙂
Lovely idea! Cannot wait to try this on jacket potatoes. Thank you for the inspiration
You’re most welcome, enjoy!
I made this yesterday it was soooo good! I added a 1/4 teaspoon onion powder and 1/4 teaspoon garlic so it wouldn’t taste as watery/tofu-y. it was perfect. thanks.
Thrilled you loved it, Stephanie 🙂
I was so excited to try this, but mine didn’t taste like cottage cheese at all. I can distinctly taste nutritional year and tofu. Will the flavors meld if I let it sit?
Oh no, sorry to hear you didn’t like it. It might meld a bit when resting in the fridge overnight.
Great job on this! I used to love this brand Breakstone’s cottage cheese before going dairy-free and this has the same consistency and look. I just had some on rice cakes YumYumYum. Love it when I find a recipe that WORKS! Cottage ‘cheese’ is back in my life 🙂 Oh, just fyi I used Trader Joe’s tofus for it. Not sure the softer one was really ‘silken’, though.
Yay! Thrilled you enjoyed it, Lyn 🙂
This is really good with pineapple but I can still kinda taste the raw tofu so I am wondering if I should maybe cook all of it first? Would that help with the raw tofu flavor?
Glad you enjoyed it! Tofu actually isn’t ever considered raw as it is heated in the process of making it. Tofu should be pretty mild in flavour, so I would suggest trying a different brand as they should range a bit in taste and texture. I think cooking it would likely only enhance the flavour, but I could be wrong. Enjoy!
Can this be used in a (cooked) noodle pudding that calls for cottage cheese?
Thanks!
Hi Karen, you can definitely cook with this cottage cheese, but of course, it doesn’t melt, so I am not sure if it will yield the same results in a pudding. You may need to add something like cornstarch to help the dish hold together. Hope that helps!
The one food I really miss since becoming vegan four years ago is cottage cheese. It’s 12:30am, in the middle of a work/school night. Otherwise, I’d be up making this right now.
Thank you thank you thank you!
Hahaha! You’re most welcome, Lee! I hope you love it when you get a chance to make it 🙂
I have been known to add cottage cheese in my melon…and with peaches and pineapple too. But also on toast with salt and pepper.
I’ve been slowly transitioning and finding vegan versions for certain things has helped.
My whole house isn’t vegan yet, but they are willing to make the switch.
I currently have the dairy version in my fridge.
I was just thinking…could there be?
Or is it just too gross for vegans to recreate. So I searched it on Pinterest.
Sure enough, I found a few results.
Wow. I’m going to have to try it out!
Hahaha too gross for vegans to recreate! Funny. I hope you love the recipe, Brittany! Let me know if you are ever looking for any other veganized recipes 🙂
This is DELICIOUS!! I’m a cottage cheese fanatic. I mix it with everything from salad to cantaloupe to hummus. It’s the hardest part of trying to transition to a plant based diet. This recipe hit all the texture and flavor components I seek in a good cottage cheese. And it was so easy to make!! Thanks again!
Woohoo! Can’t get a much better review than that! So thrilled it hit the spot for you, Amy 🙂
This makes me so happy! I’m brand new–as in I’m weaning out all meat and dairy from the fridge still–and I realized this morning that I eat (albeit lactose-free) cottage cheese for breakfast every morning. I pair it with green olives and sunflower seeds–it’s delicious. It’s very filling, though, so I won’t be able to eat this all in one sitting. How long will/should it last in the refrigerator? ❤️
Congrats on your new veganism, Ashley! This should keep in the fridge in an air-tight container for about a week. Let me know if you ever have any questions, recipe requests, or need any support 🙂
Yes! I always loved mine in the center of half a cantaloupe! This is my absolute favorite and missed dairy product! Thank you so much for another amazing recipe!
Yay!! So happy you love it so much 🙂
Another WOW recipe. And I got to try out the new feature to change the measurements based on the number of servings. Super handy! The silken tofu I bought was a 520 g package, so I upped the servings to 6 and, Presto, all the measurements changed! This tastes sooo amazingly like cottage cheese. I always loved my cottage cheese on its own with salt and pepper… and just did the same with this. Delicious! I did add a bit more lemon juice, just my preference… but it might be because I used bottled vs a real lemon. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
YAY!! So happy I hit the spot for your cottage cheese craving. 🙂 Thrilled you can enjoy it just the same way too!
I will have to get me some nutritional yeast, and some tofu. I miss my soy milk maker. I use to make tofu a few times a week.
Oh very cool! I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
I made this the other evening and let it sit overnight in the fridge….my favorite way to have cottage cheese was with tomatoes,salt & pepper. The smell was exactly how I remembered & the taste was spot on. Never thought I’d have cottage cheese again….how wrong I was. Thanks for this fantastically easy & delicious recipe. Thanks, Sam!!!
Wow! So happy you loved it so much, Bill! Thrilled you can have your cottage cheese and eat it vegan too. 🙂
I wonder how this would do in lasagne or stuffed shells – though it would be better to use your ricotta. Have you tried cooking it?
I haven’t tried cooking with it yet, but for any recipe that called for cottage cheese, this should would work as well. I don’t believe the texture will change much once cooked, maybe just dry out a bit. I think personally I would prefer the ricotta recipes in shells. Hope that helps, Bethery!
I think you’re right, and yes, it does help. You’re very good about responding. Thanks!
My pleasure 🙂
Does the firm tofu need to be pressed? I’m guessing not. I am going to make it right now! Thank you! So many of your recipes my family will eat too. Bonus!,
Nope! I will always say if the tofu needs to be pressed, but many of my recipes don’t require it. So happy you and your fam love my recipes 🙂 Enjoy!
I made this today- By itself, I could definitely taste the nutritional yeast. Served with pineapple bits and salt and pepper- YUM!!!!Very similar to the cottage cheese I remember .Thanks!
Yay, so happy you enjoyed it, Jillian 🙂
Sam, I’m so happy I found your site and all these wonderful recipes! I love everything I’ve tried so far.
This cheese is so easy to make and the texture is just like the dairy version (well, from what I can remember). I used to eat cottage cheese more or less plain, with some pepper on top, so that’s what I did and I wasn’t disappointed!
Many thanks!
I’m so happy you found me too! Thrilled you love the cottage cheese, and are enjoying my recipes. Let me know if you ever have any requests! 🙂
Ohhhh…. Sam, baby… you just kicked it up to a Whole New Vegan Level! I just assumed my cottage cheese eating days were done… and I was okay with that. But this… oh, wow. Can’t wait to try this. Thank you for always being up to the challenge.
Hahaha! I didn’t think it was possible to make you more pleased than you already are, Srivani! 😉 No days need to be done, they just need to be veganized!! It’s my absolute pleasure, I hope you love it, and if you have any other dishes you thought were long gone, let me know!
Look up amazing in a dictionary and Sam’s picture pops up. You’ve outdone yourself! This is a game changer.
Awwww shucks, make me blush why don’t you. So thrilled you’re excited, Kristi!
I was just saying to my husband that what I miss most about eating vegan is the cottage cheese. I am looking forward trying this recipe.
Haha! Yay! I hope you love it 🙂
ha…the cat’s out of the bag! Ms Sam’s telepathic powers are not to be denied…and we, her faithful readers reap the benefits…eh? Merci, Ms Sam ❤
Hahaha! You’re most welcome 🙂
I was literally dreaming about blintzes with a vegan cottage cheese filling, last night! Thanks!
Oooohhh! Those sound delish! You’re most welcome. Enjoy!