Oooh, I remember when there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t eat cheese.  I’d suffer from tummy pains, eczema, and wobbly bits on my body where I didn’t want them, but still I wouldn’t step away from the cheese.  Thankfully I finally got savvy, but I do miss the fun of cheese sometimes.

I’m not brave enough to attempt making one of those complicated cultured vegan cheeses yet (one day!), but thankfully this one is a cinch to make and still made me feel all clever in manner of Professional Cheesemaker.

It doesn’t taste like the creamy, Danish feta I once loved but it does taste like the traditional hard, crumbly feta in brine.  Sprinkle it with balsamic vinegar and wait for the magic to happen! ✬.*`*✳.*`*✬

 

Inspired by a recipe printed in VegNews magazine and lots of feta-fun cravings.

 

Tofu Feta

Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 -8

Ingredients
  

  • 1 small packet of Extra-Firm Tofu organic & non-GMO - drained and cut into cubes
  • 2 cups Water
  • Juice of 2 Lemons
  • 1 tbsp Sea Salt
  • 2 tsp Dried Basil
  • 2 tsp Dried Oregano
  • 2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan.
  • Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
  • Set aside to cool.
  • Place tofu and brine into an air-tight container in the fridge overnight. The longer you leave it, the better it gets.
  • Drain immediately before use. Any unused portions can stay refrigerated in the brine for up to 2 weeks.

 

Like magic…

Tofu Feta

 

Enjoy it on salad like this Roast Veg, Quinoa & Dukkah Salad:

 

Roast Veg, Quinoa & Dukkah Salad with Tofu Feta

 

Thread it onto bamboo sticks to make the ultimate, party-ready Greek Salad Skewers:

 

Greek Salad Kebabs

 

Bake it in Lemon, Feta & Basil Stuffed Mushrooms:

 

Lemon, Basil & Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

 

Or toss it into sandwiches, wraps, pasta or platters.  So much fun!  So versatile!   απολαύσετε!  

 

46 Comments on Tofu Feta

  1. Tash
    January 9, 2013 at 4:19 pm (11 years ago)

    Wow wow wow this looks great!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      January 11, 2013 at 1:37 pm (11 years ago)

      hehe, and it’s so easy! Give it a try, Tash! 🙂

      • Tash
        January 22, 2013 at 4:43 pm (11 years ago)

        Im going to try it this week so i will come back and let you know how it goes 😀

      • * Vegan Sparkles *
        January 23, 2013 at 3:09 pm (11 years ago)

        Fabulous! I hope you love it! 🙂

  2. Christabel
    January 9, 2013 at 4:55 pm (11 years ago)

    Ooh I’m going to try this for dinner soon: I love a good Greek salad. Thanks for sharing!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      January 11, 2013 at 1:38 pm (11 years ago)

      My pleasure, Christabel! It tastes even better with balsamic. 🙂

  3. Emily
    January 10, 2013 at 12:19 am (11 years ago)

    This is really creative! It’s awesome that you found so many uses for Tofu feta! LOVE tofu!!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      January 11, 2013 at 1:39 pm (11 years ago)

      haha, I was never a big fan of tofu but I am beginning to see its potential! 🙂

  4. Katie (A Fork in Hand)
    January 10, 2013 at 6:05 am (11 years ago)

    I suffer from a very serious cheese addiction, so I’m always on the lookout for tasty vegan cheese recipes so that I can enjoy all of the yummy goodness of cheese without the not-so-yummy effects of tons of dairy. This one looks delicious!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      January 11, 2013 at 1:40 pm (11 years ago)

      And it only gets better with time! The portion we ate on Day 5 tasted so much better than the portion we had on Day 1. 🙂

  5. luminousvegans
    January 10, 2013 at 7:01 am (11 years ago)

    I have yet to make tofu feta yet. This looks delicious, simple and versatile.

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      January 11, 2013 at 1:40 pm (11 years ago)

      It sure is! Get aboard the tofu feta train! 🙂

  6. Deb @ Vegie Project
    January 10, 2013 at 7:36 pm (11 years ago)

    That’s such a great idea! I’m definitely going to try it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      January 11, 2013 at 1:41 pm (11 years ago)

      My pleasure, Deb! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 🙂

  7. Gwyn
    January 11, 2013 at 10:31 am (11 years ago)

    hi am excited to use this to make a Greek salad tonight for dinner!
    Can you tell me, when you say to put the tofu and brine in an airtight container, do you mean the liquid the tofu was cooked in or do you mean to make up some brine using just salt and water?

    Thanks

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      January 11, 2013 at 1:42 pm (11 years ago)

      Oh yes I mean the liquid the tofu was cooked in, Gwyn. 🙂 If you make it tonight, it will taste best from tomorrow onwards – the longer the marinate, the better.

  8. Alana
    January 11, 2013 at 5:10 pm (11 years ago)

    What a brilliant idea!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      January 14, 2013 at 11:57 am (11 years ago)

      Thanks Alana and so easy! 🙂

  9. Reia@TheCrueltyFreeReview
    January 12, 2013 at 1:21 pm (11 years ago)

    I so need to try this! I make a pasta dish with feta, kalmata olives,and sun-dried tomatoes but I obviously would love to switch out the dairy feta for a vegan version. Besides, tofu ricotta totally rocks, so why wouldn’t tofu feta?

  10. Shari
    March 11, 2013 at 4:50 am (11 years ago)

    My “feta” cubes are in the fridge chilling. I dreaming of a Greek salad for dinner…. mixed greens, ripe cherry tomatoes, seedless cukes, thinly sliced red onion, pepperoncini, kalamata olives, oil-less Greek dressing and TOFU FETA CHEESE!!! omg…

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      March 14, 2013 at 12:08 pm (11 years ago)

      haha, YAY, I hope you loved it, Shari and remember that they get much more tasty over time. Mine tasted best about 5 days after I first popped them into the fridge to marinate. 🙂

  11. Lissa
    April 6, 2013 at 8:48 am (11 years ago)

    OMG! This looks so crazy easy, thanks heaps for the recipe 😀

    I’ve been getting super excited about the world of vegan cheese recently: I made my first spreadable vegan mozz last week – yuuuuum.

    At this point it seems like vegan haloumi is the final frontier. Oh, for a vegan haloumi…

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      April 10, 2013 at 8:16 pm (11 years ago)

      My pleasure, Lissa! It is a cinch – you will love it. And hello, spreadable vegan mozz sounds amazing! 🙂

  12. Katie @ Produce on Parade
    June 5, 2013 at 1:38 am (11 years ago)

    Hello! This is great! I was wondering what constitutes a “small” package of tofu? Is this the standard 12oz? Thanks! 🙂

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      June 5, 2013 at 11:19 am (11 years ago)

      Yes that’s right, Katie. Any size is fine really – just so long as the marinade covers the cubes in the saucepan. 🙂

  13. Erica
    July 2, 2013 at 7:47 am (11 years ago)

    OMG this sounds yummm! My boyfriend is a Greek AND feta-addict but I’m having
    Vegan friends over for dinner in a few weeks, so I’m digging for inspiration. This sounds amazing! Will try it out! One question though, nutritional yeast, is that The same yeast that I have in my cupboard to make bread?
    Thanx for posting & love from The Netherlands xx

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 3, 2013 at 8:35 am (11 years ago)

      Oh YAY, I hope you love it, Erica. 🙂
      And nooooo, definitely not brewers yeast. Just ask your friendly health food store for Nutritional Yeast or Savoury Yeast. It looks like yellow flakes and tastes like cheese. YUM! xx

  14. Maddie
    July 16, 2013 at 8:03 pm (11 years ago)

    This looks so awesome! I’ve never heard of this before. One question–will it be dramatically different if I don’t include the nutritional yeast? Thanks!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 16, 2013 at 8:17 pm (11 years ago)

      Hi Maddie! You can definitely skip the Nooch – it will just have less of a cheesy flavour. You could always add a sprinkle of fresh herbs to the brine liquid instead, or just embrace the subtle lemon-salty flavour. 🙂

  15. Erica
    July 21, 2013 at 3:33 am (11 years ago)

    Hi Rebecca!

    Ok, so I got some nutritional yeast at the local health food store like you said and made this ‘fake feta’ (hehehe) for my vegan friends who came over for dinner a week ago.
    As I said earlier, my boyfriend is Greek and a sincere Feta addict and connaisseur, so this was a challenge. I tossed the feta into an authentic Greek salad (cucumber, tomato, red onion, sweet red pepper and kalamata olives) with olive oil, but with a splash of Balsamic Vinegar instead of the traditional Apple cider vinegar (because you said it tasted better with Balsamic) and my guests, including my boyfriend were all amazed!

    By itself, they thought it didn’t taste very feta-ish, but in combination with the salad, it was definately a winner! So thank you so much for this, I have the leftover feta in the fridge and will make this more often in the future. So now you can say your ‘fake feta’ is approved by an authentic Greek Feta-lover! Yayyy for you!

    love from the Netherlands
    x
    Erica

    PS: I made your creamy mushroomsoup as a starter. WINNER!!! Check the Mushroomsoup comments on that matter 🙂 xxx

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 23, 2013 at 8:50 pm (11 years ago)

      haha, YAYYYY!! That is so exciting to hear, Erica! SO happy to hear you all loved it and it has the Greek stamp of approval! 🙂 xxx

  16. mario denis
    August 11, 2013 at 6:19 am (11 years ago)

    Hi, The marinade is simmering, the tofu is in the Mason jar….

  17. mario denis
    August 12, 2013 at 6:12 am (11 years ago)

    it is delicious, tasty, only needs a little more salt, had it with cucumber and tomatoes, I crumbled it on top of a stirred no-meat hamburger stir fried….thanks a million, this is a keeper.

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      August 14, 2013 at 4:05 pm (11 years ago)

      My pleasure, Mario! So happy to hear you enjoyed it. 🙂

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      December 10, 2013 at 2:50 pm (10 years ago)

      Oh I’m so happy to hear you loved it as much as we do, Andrea! 🙂 Heading over to check out your salad now! x

  18. Mary
    August 3, 2015 at 12:28 am (9 years ago)

    Do you boil the tofu with the other ingredients?

    • Vegan Sparkles
      August 3, 2015 at 3:30 pm (9 years ago)

      You sure do, Mary. 🙂

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