The Best Vegan Feta
Creamy, crumbly, tangy, salty, and oh-so-delicious! This vegan feta recipe tastes just like traditional feta (except even better). Enjoy this 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.
Servings: 8 (makes one 14oz/400g block)
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
Substitute for cashews: if you prefer you can omit the cashews and use all almonds (total 1 ½ cups). Please note the cheese will be a bit grainy and not as creamy, but still very tasty.
Substitute for almonds: if you prefer you can omit the almonds and use all cashews (total 1 ½ cups). Please note the cheese will be very creamy and not as crumbly.
Substitute for coconut oil: coconut oil becomes solid when chilled so this is what firms up the cheese. No other oil will work for this, but if needed you can try substituting vegetable shortening. If you are oil-free you can omit the oil but note that this will be more of a spread and will not firm up in the fridge.
Refined coconut oil: ensure you are using refined coconut oil which has no taste or smell of coconut. Unrefined coconut oil has a strong coconut taste which won't be appetizing for this recipe.
Substitute for white miso paste or green olive brine: Sauerkraut, lemon juice, chickpea miso, apple cider vinegar, and caper brine will all work. They will all provide different tastes but will still be nice.
Substitute for plastic wrap: you could use a wax wrap or a silicon mold. Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (recipe makes 8 servings) | Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
Find it online:
https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/the-best-vegan-feta/