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:Â 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:Â 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:Â 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
More vegan Greek-inspired Recipes:
seya says
Hello. Thanks for the recipe. Can I replace the coconut oil with the cocoa butter that I melted, which also solidifies when refrigerated?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi seya, While cocoa butter does solidify when chilled, it has a strong flavor that might not work well in this recipe, as it could overpower the feta's tangy and savory profile. If you're looking for a substitute, vegetable shortening is a better option, but keep in mind it won't provide the exact same firm texture as coconut oil. If you're open to a spreadable consistency, you could also omit the oil entirely. I hope this helps, and happy cooking! 😊
Hilary says
Hi there, I’m wanting to try making this coconut fetta but I see it has cashews have you ever tried making it with another type of nut/legume? Cashews are inflammatory to my body. Just wondering.
Many thanks hilary
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Hilary! I included this information in the recipe 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. Enjoy!
Lindsey McManus says
I am soy free so I cannot use miso paste- I appreciate your suggestions listed for substitutes. Have you tried any and if so which would you recommend most?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Lindsey, I would recommend chickpea miso paste or tahini. Enjoy!
Hilary says
Have you ever tried freezing this? Sorry if I missed a note on this
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Hilary, yes this will freeze well. Enjoy!
dawn says
i seriously dislike olives. what can i substitute for the olive brine?
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
You could also try a 1/2 Tablespoon of sauerkraut.
dawn says
thanks.
Stephen Tiano says
Coconut oil is not considered a heart-healthy fat. Is there an alternative you can recommend?
Sam Turnbull says
This is from the recipe notes 😉 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.
Stephen Tiano says
Thanks so much! I appreciate your taking the time to answer. I'll have to see whether I want to go the "spread" route.
Johnelle says
Hello. Would this work in a baked feta recipe? I am thinking of baking it with tomatoes and olives. Thanks for any tips. I love your recipes and cookbook!
Shannon says
I am emotional today, but your recipes seriously make me want to cry. I don’t know any other creator who nails recipes so well. You are amazing, I appreciate you, and so does my whole family. You have made being vegan so much easier and delicious.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's so lovely, thank you for your kind words Shannon 🙂
Tricia L Roderick says
Is the link for the miso the brand you use? The sodium is very high! Could miso with reduced sodium be used? Any organic brand suggestions would be great.
Thanks
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yes, any miso you prefer should work just fine.
Sally says
This sounds fantastic!! I'm also looking for a substitute for the almonds. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
If you check out the recipe notes the info is there. 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. Enjoy! 🙂
Tracey Dengate says
Hi
Looking forward to trying this? It sounds amazing!
I don’t like almonds, is there a substitution? Or can they be omitted altogether?
Many thanks for all your wonderful recipes x
Sam Turnbull says
If you check out the recipe notes the info is there. 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. Enjoy! 🙂
Jim Felder says
In my before days I loved feta, especially on salads or on crackers with some dried cranberries or cherries and a bit of fresh oregano. So I was very excited to try this. I don't swoon easily, but this is a totally swoon worthy feta. The best thing is that my wife *hates* feta, so I get it all to myself :-).
One trick I have used to get cashew milks as smooth and creamy as possible is that I use my Vitamix to grind the dry, unsoaked nuts to a very fine powder, then fluff it up to get the powder packed in the corners loosened. Then when making a cashew milk or cream I add water and blend for a minute, let stand for 5-10 minutes while I work on the rest of the meal to give tiny bits time to softened and then blend again for another minute.
So I tried this when making this feta and it didn't quite work as intended since there wasn't enough liquids to get a blending action going, even though I added a couple of tablespoons of water to represent the water that the nuts would have absorbed if I had soaked them. As a result as soon as I turned the Vitamix on, the sticky nut powder was flung against the side and stuck! So I scrapped it all into my food processor where the blending went as expected and the results were fabulous.
Next time I make this, I will still use my Vitamix to powder the nuts, but then transfer them to the food processor to do all of the actual blending. Oh, and I used the same blend for a minute or two, let sit for 10 minutes to soften the tiny bits, and then blend for another minute or two technique with the food processor, which worked really well.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you're having fun experimenting! If you try the recipe as written it should work out perfectly everytime 🙂 Enjoy!
Marie says
Sam, this is good! I have a strong Vitamix blender and I get the almonds totally creamy. (my homemade almond milk is totally creamy, I never have to strain it) So thankful for a recipe that doesn't use probiotic capsules. Thank you for all your hard work. Hugs!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it!