Vegan Feta Crumbles
Feta cheese usually comes in little cubes or crumbles, and I’m a fan of the crumbly feta texture, so we recreated vegan feta here with tofu. This recipe requires extra firm, pressed tofu to achieve a consistency so close to dairy feta that you’ll think it’s real!
I like to use the extra firm, sprouted tofu from Trader Joe’s. Jon and I have an excellent tofu press that’s perfect for draining out the tofu for recipes like this. It’s essential to press the tofu to get most of the moisture out, so the tofu will be firmer and soak up all the delicious flavors of the marinade.
The Best Marinated Vegan Feta
This recipe is so easy you’ll want to make it at home always. I think for most people, being dairy-free is hard. Cheese is so delicious, and I still enjoy dairy cheese regularly.
This is especially true when things like feta cheese pasta and feta cheese dip start trending on TikTok. YUM! This homemade dairy-free feta may not melt like feta, but it’s just as creamy and flavorful. Try it in hummus, on toast, as a topping on sourdough focaccia, or in any salad recipe.
How to Ferment Vegan Feta Crumbles
I classify this recipe as fermentation since we add live active microorganisms to the mix via fermented sauerkraut brine and miso.
This is a short fermentation, requiring only 24 hours at room temperature for proper culturing before placing the feta in the fridge. During the 24-hour fermentation, the tofu marinates and ferments in the brine mixture, resulting in umami, salty, and slightly tart feta.
More Fermentation Recipes to Try
- Learn How to Ferment Green Tomatoes
- Roasted Garlic Sauerkraut with Black Pepper
- How to Make Probiotic Fermented Cherry Tomatoes
The Best Marinated Vegan Feta Crumbles (Tofu Feta Cheese)
Marinated vegan feta crumbles are so simple to make and ready to eat in 24 hours. This vegan tofu feta is very close to real cheese, thanks to umami flavors from miso and fermented sauerkraut brine! It’s so versatile, perfect as a topping on a salad, vegan pizza, or on top of some sourdough focaccia.
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 14 ounces extra-firm tofu, pressed and crumbled
Marinade
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup fermented sauerkraut brine
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons miso paste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- In a jar, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients until evenly combined.
- If you haven’t already, press the extra-frim tofu for 30 minutes to remove most of the liquid. Crumble the tofu into medium pieces.
- Add the tofu to the jar of the marinade and stir to combine.
- Allow the tofu to marinate in the brine for 24 hours at room temperature.
- After 24 hours, immediately place the tofu feta in the fridge.
- Serve with bread, salads, sandwiches, or on a cheeseboard and enjoy!
I made your recipe and it is so good! I putit on top of a greek salad, wow! I am almost tempted not to share with my husband who is not a great fan of tofu… but no, I told him it was amazingly good with my homemade tofu made with my homemade soymilk. Ut I did not have a lot of brine, I used whatever Icould squeeze out of the small jar of sauerkraut made by my son-in-law… his is good, usually I don’t like sauerkraut, so Idon’t have brine on hand. What else could I use in replacement of sauerkraut brine? Also, have you tried modyfing spices to give it a different flavour like me ican, indian, etc.? If so, it would begreat if you could share it. Another question, could I had it to a pizza then cook it? Thank you in advance, your recipe is so good, who knows, itmight convince my husband to eat tofu regularly.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! You can sub with any type of fermented vegetable brine or sub with more apple cider vinegar. The sauerkraut brine is an important flavor component, that provides a lot of the umami “cheesy” flavors.
Yes, you can cook it on a pizza, I do it all the time!
And no, I haven’t tested any other spices in this recipe.
Thank you Kaitlynn! It is so good! Thank you also for answering my questions!
How long does this keep? It tastes amazing!
Glad you like it! It will last for about 6 months in the fridge.
Can one sub fresh herbs for the dried, in a pinch? Thank you 😊
absolutely!
Hi Kaitlynn,
I just made this recipe but I have a question because I’m a newbie to the fermenting process. During the 24 hour fermentation, should the jar be covered or uncovered? I wasn’t sure if open air is needed for the fermentation?
Thank you!
Hi there! Welcome to fermenting! the jar should be covered 🙂
This worked so well! I love feta but have gone plantbased because of animal welfare reasons. Fermented tofu is hard to find in shops and v expensive, this is such an easy way of making your own. If I go through it quickly, I just reuse the brine and top it up with some fresh sauerkraut brine etc. High recommend!