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
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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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Vicki says
I love this recipe. I used in a cottage cheese loaf recipe I loved before I was on a Plant based diet. Couldn’t tell the difference!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Vicki! Oh yay, I love hearing tha, and I’m so happy it worked in your cottage cheese loaf too! Thanks for sharing 😊
Gloria says
I love this! So easy to make
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks Gloria! I’m so happy you’re enjoying it 💛
Meredith Neuman says
Hi! Great recipe, thank you!
Do you think this can be used in baking (as dairy cottage cheese typically is—with the same moistening effect?) like cottage cheese muffins or egg cups, etc? Curious if you’ve done this and what the outcome was before I try. Thanks again!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Great question, Meredith! I haven’t tested it in baking yet, but it won't melt like dairy cottage cheese, so you might find little bits of tofu in your baked goods. It might not work the best for that, but if you give it a try let me know how it goes!
Sheila says
Sweet Mary Mother Of God. This has I have been missing. Unbelievable. Better than sex.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Haha I love this! So happy you enjoyed it, Sheila! 😂❤️
Sally says
This is so good - thank you. I doubled the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. So simple and so tasty…
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! SO happy you enjoyed it Sally, thanks for the review 🙂
Pak Hoy says
hi, can this be used in sweet recipes? thanks.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Pak, yes you can use this in sweet recipes. Just note, that this doesn't melt the same way as traditional cottage cheese melts, so it might not deliver the same results, just depending on how you're using it. I hope that helps!
Devo says
Love it!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
We're so happy that you do!
Shauna says
Made it and love it!! I added a little black salt and a little white vinegar but otherwise did it the same as the recipe. :). This will be a regular for me.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Fantastic! We're happy to hear it!
Joan Martinez says
Has anyone tried freezing this?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Joan, I don’t recommend freezing this one as the texture of tofu changes a lot once frozen. It’s best enjoyed fresh and will keep in the fridge for about 4 days 🙂
Karen says
Ok, hear me out. Before switching to a vegan diet over a decade ago, I loved cottage cheese…a lot. I’ve always wished for a vegan cottage cheese dupe, and this is pretty close. To me, the flavor isn’t quite there; if you are looking for something that nails the dairy cottage cheese taste exactly, you might be disappointed (which is why I gave 4 stars). HOWEVER, there is something about this that makes it impossible to stop eating! The texture is nearly identical after refrigerating for a bit, and when I tried it with a fresh sliced peach, it could have easily passed for dairy cottage cheese in the texture department. The color is also slightly more yellow (perhaps the nooch and ACV?), which may be a little off putting if you are expecting bright white. Hands down, though, this is a really great sub, and I will 100% make it again. Thanks for creating a great recipe for something I missed from my pre-vegan days!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Karen 😊 I really appreciate the thoughtful review, and I totally get it! It’s tough to match dairy exactly, but I’m so glad the texture hit the mark and that you’ll be making it again. Love the idea of pairing it with peach, too!
Susan says
I'm allergic to lemons, what else can I use?
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
You could try to sub with apple cider vinegar.
Lisa says
Would this work in a cooking recipe?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Lisa! Yes it will! The vegan cottage cheese won't melt like traditional cottage cheese (it will maintain it's texture), but it will add the right flavor, so it just depends on how you want to use it. I hope that helps!
Charlotte says
how long can this be stored for?
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
This is best up to 4-5 days.
Shirley Barbery says
I can’t eat anything with apples. Would a different vinegar (other than the apple cider vinegar) work?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Shirley, Yes, absolutely! If you can’t have apple cider vinegar, you can swap it with white vinegar or white wine vinegar. Both will give you the tangy flavor needed to mimic traditional cottage cheese. Just make sure it’s a plain, light-colored vinegar so it doesn’t affect the flavor too much. Hope that helps!
Shirley Barbery says
Thank you!
Jamie says
I used to have a snack of apples, almond butter and cottage cheese before I went vegan and haven’t had it since. I didn’t think there could be something similar as an alternative and as soon as I found this recipe, I had to try it again. Let me tell you, this is AWESOME. I doubled the amount of lemon juice and put some extra salt but it is so good!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! I am so happy you were able to recreate your favorite snack but plant-based! So happy you love this recipe Jamie 🙂
Gillian says
Oh this is going to be great! I used to love cottage cheese with either pineapple or chives. For years it was a lunchtime regular with rye crackers or plain cottage cheese sandwiches with sliced tomato and cucumber, yay!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Wonderful, I hope you enjoy it Gillian!!
Taryn says
Great idea. Thank you so much!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
You're welcome! Enjoy!
Yvonna says
I would like to try this recipe, however, I cannot have nutritional yeast. I have used miso paste as a substitute before in other recipes. Has anyone used a substitute of any kind for the yeast in this recipe?
Thanks.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Yvonna! Yes, miso paste can work as a substitute for nutritional yeast in this recipe—it adds a nice savory umami flavor. I’d recommend using 1 to 2 teaspoons of white or chickpea miso paste instead of the nutritional yeast. Start with 1 teaspoon, then taste and adjust if needed. You may also want to slightly reduce the salt since miso is salty. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
Yvonna says
So, I tried the cottage cheese with miso paste, and it turned out great! Thanks for all of your great recipes!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Awesome! So happy to hear that! 🙂
Pam R says
I have been craving cottage cheese ever since I had to give up dairy & became VEGAN. I look forward to making & eating this.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
I hope you enjoy it Pam!!
Jeanie says
I followed the comments and doubled the lemon juice. Perfect substitute for cottage cheese. I ate it for breakfast with fruit and oatmeal for a protein packed meal. I am currently making my second batch in a week. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! That's wonderful. So happy you love it Jeanie!!
Tracy says
I didn’t care for this at first, but after chilling and adding blueberries I was smitten. My second batch I doubled the lemon juice and liked it even more. I accidentally used the whole block of firm tofu and found it works just fine!
Thank you!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Great! We're happy it worked out!
Fran says
Unfortunately, I thought this tasted very bad. I read the comments and tried doubling the lemon juice, but the taste of raw silken tofu is very distinctive and harsh. I even tried eating it with fruit. It just tastes bad—very bad. If anyone has suggestions on how to further mask the silken tofu taste, I’d love to try again because I really miss cottage cheese.
Tracy says
maybe try making a thick cashew or sunflower cream instead of using silken tofu?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Fran, thanks for the feedback. Silken tofu can have a stronger or milder taste depending on the brand. I would recommend trying a different brand. I use Sunrise brand and the flavor is super mild. You could also try adding more lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar, and even a touch of maple syrup if you're eating it with fruit. Let me know if you experiment!
Pak Hoy says
u can try heating the tofu, cut into smaller pieces, in some salted water and bring it up to boil, then drain
Adam Schloesser says
I'm slowly changing my diet to vegan, and I really enjoy your website. This recipe is really great. The lemon is key for me, that really took it to the next level.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Oh that's wonderful! I am so happy you're enjoying so many recipe Adam. Welcome!