Author: 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. Tofu is cooked during production, so it's safe to eat straight raw. Learn more in my Tofu 101 guide. 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.
(click stars to vote)
Quick and Easy Vegan Cottage Cheese
Servings: servings (recipe makes about 2 cups of cottage cheese)
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Ingredients
- 1 300g block soft or silken tofu (about 1 ⅓ cups), drained
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ of a 420g block firm tofu (210g or about 1 ½ cups), crumbled
Instructions
- 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.
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Bon appetegan!
Sam.
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Merry says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
Oh no, sorry to hear you didn't like it. It might meld a bit when resting in the fridge overnight.
Lyn says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Thrilled you enjoyed it, Lyn 🙂
Jay says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Karen Minken says
Can this be used in a (cooked) noodle pudding that calls for cottage cheese?
Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Lee says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! You're most welcome, Lee! I hope you love it when you get a chance to make it 🙂
Brittany says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
Amy says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Can't get a much better review than that! So thrilled it hit the spot for you, Amy 🙂
Ashley says
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? ❤️
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
Jessica Deitchman says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! So happy you love it so much 🙂
Srivani says
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!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
YAY!! So happy I hit the spot for your cottage cheese craving. 🙂 Thrilled you can enjoy it just the same way too!
Doober says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh very cool! I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Bill N. says
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!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Wow! So happy you loved it so much, Bill! Thrilled you can have your cottage cheese and eat it vegan too. 🙂
Bethery says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Bethery says
I think you're right, and yes, it does help. You're very good about responding. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
My pleasure 🙂
Dawn Y says
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!,
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Jillian says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay, so happy you enjoyed it, Jillian 🙂
Marie-Christine says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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! 🙂
Srivani says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Kristi says
Look up amazing in a dictionary and Sam's picture pops up. You've outdone yourself! This is a game changer.
Sam Turnbull says
Awwww shucks, make me blush why don't you. So thrilled you're excited, Kristi!
Diane says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Yay! I hope you love it 🙂
dar says
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 ❤
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! You're most welcome 🙂
Linnea says
I was literally dreaming about blintzes with a vegan cottage cheese filling, last night! Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Oooohhh! Those sound delish! You're most welcome. Enjoy!