Author: Introducing The Best Vegan Feta!! This delicious vegan recipe is quick and easy to make with just 8 simple ingredients and takes just 25 minutes to prepare (plus chilling time). Creamy, crumbly, tangy, salty, and oh-so-yummy! My vegan feta recipe tastes just like traditional feta (except even better).
Enjoy this vegan feta cheese smeared on crusty bread, use it to make a Greek salad, melt it into pasta, or crumble it onto roasted potatoes or tomatoes.
The secret to making The Best Vegan Feta recipe is the combo of using cashews, almonds, and coconut oil. Raw cashews make the cheese smooth, rich, and creamy, while blanched almonds add a crumbly texture. The nuts are blended until smooth with refined coconut oil, which becomes solid when chilled so adding it to the homemade vegan feta helps the cheese firm up and become sliceable and can even crumble. Ensure you use refined coconut oil which is odorless and tasteless so that your cheese doesn't have any coconut flavor.
For the seasoning, I add lemon juice for fresh sharpness, white miso paste for an aged umami taste, green olive brine for salty tanginess (the liquid in a jar of green olives), andoregano and salt. The result is a feta that tastes simply amazing!
This is the second dairy-free feta recipe I have written. The first recipe is called "Feta Fantastic" and can be found in my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan on page 202. It's made with extra-firm tofu that is cut into cubes and marinated. It is delicious as well, but I wanted to share this new vegan feta cheese recipe that doesn't use tofu. (If you are soy-free be sure to sub the white miso paste for chickpea miso).
Both recipes are delicious and I use both regularly in my cooking. The tofu feta is a bit lighter and is wonderful in salads or crumbled over roasted veggies. This cashew almond feta is richer and works well in salads, and on roasted veggies, but is also great in pasta, on pizza, or spread on bread because it's a bit creamier and it even melts!
To Make The Best Vegan Feta Recipe:
Soften the nuts: Add the almonds and cashews to a medium pot and cover with water. Put over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 15 minutes until the cashews are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Alternatively, you can soak the almonds and cashews, by placing them in a bowl, covering them with water, and allowing the nuts to soak for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse before using. Both of these methods will soften the cashews making them easier to blend into a creamy texture.
Blend the cheese: Add the softened almonds and cashews to a food processor along with the coconut oil, lemon juice, white miso paste, olive brine, oregano, and salt. Blend until smooth, creamy, and sticky, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. You want to make sure you blend this very well so that it gets as smooth as possible. It will get warm when blending from the friction, and the cheese mixture will get sticky. I blend mine for about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides. (You cannot over-blend this).
Form the cheese: Line a small bowl or container with plastic wrap. Pack the cheese into the lined dish. Smooth the top of the cheese with a spatula and then fold the plastic wrap over the cheese. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until the cheese has set and firmed up, or pop it in the freezer for 1 - 2 hours.
Serving/ storing: once the cheese is firm, unwrap and enjoy! Serve with crackers, in a salad, or in any dish you like. The cheese will get softer as it warms up. Store leftover cheese tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 1 week or you can freeze it.
The Best Vegan Feta Recipe is...
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- easy to make with just 8 simple ingredients
- creamy and crumbly
- perfect for a snack, salads, or pastas
More vegan cheese recipes you might enjoy:
Quick and Easy Vegan Cheese
Easy Vegan Blue Cheese
Vegan Sunflower Seed Cheese
Quick & Easy Vegan Cottage Cheese
Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
The Best Vegan Feta
Servings: (makes one 14oz/400g block)
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup blanched almonds, softened (see step 1)
- ¾ cup raw cashews, softened (see step 1)
- ¼ cup refined coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon green olive brine
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Soften the nuts: Add the almonds and cashews to a medium pot and cover with water. Put over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 15 minutes until the cashews are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Alternatively, you can soak the almonds and cashews, by placing them in a bowl, covering them with water, and allowing the nuts to soak for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse before using. Both of these methods will soften the cashews making them easier to blend into a creamy texture.
- Blend the cheese: Add the softened almonds and cashews to a food processor along with the coconut oil, lemon juice, white miso paste, olive brine, oregano, and salt. Blend until smooth, creamy, and sticky, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. You want to make sure you blend this very well so that it gets as smooth as possible. It will get warm when blending from the friction, and the cheese mixture will get sticky. I blend mine for about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides. (You cannot over-blend this).
- Form the cheese: Line a small bowl or container with plastic wrap. Pack the cheese into the lined dish. Smooth the top of the cheese with a spatula and then fold the plastic wrap over the cheese. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until the cheese has set and firmed up, or pop it in the freezer for 1 - 2 hours.
- Serving/ storing: once the cheese is firm, unwrap and enjoy! Serve with crackers, in a salad, or in any dish you like. The cheese will get softer as it warms up. Store leftover cheese tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 1 week or you can freeze it.
Notes
Nutrition
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Marian says
This looks really good! I just want to say that blanching typically means to boil briefly so it's possible some folks won't immediately know to also remove the almond skins.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Marian, Yes, exactly! Blanched almonds are almonds with the skins removed. I generally buy almonds that have already been blanched to save on time, but you can blanch them yourself as well. 😊
Marian says
Thanks!
Marlene says
Way better recipe than the standerd vegan feta that uses tofu, which is, after all, low fat and cannot be rich and creamy. The olive brine is also genius as it adds tang AND some flavour and richness of the olives.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Marlene! Thank you so much! 😊 I'm so glad you enjoyed it!