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Yogurt & Cheese

The Best Marinated Vegan Feta Crumbles (Tofu Feta Cheese)

vegan feta crumbles are so simple to make and ready to eat in 24 hours. This vegan tofu feta tastes like real cheese, thanks to miso and sauerkraut brine!

Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
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Recipe Index | Ferment | Yogurt & Cheese

The Best Marinated Vegan Feta Crumbles (Tofu Feta Cheese)

vegan feta crumbles are so simple to make and ready to eat in 24 hours. This vegan tofu feta tastes like real cheese, thanks to miso and sauerkraut brine!

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.

vegan feta in a tulip shaped large glass jar. The feta crumbles are in a golden colored marinade with herbs.

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.

vegan feta in a tulip shaped large glass jar. The tofu feta crumbles are in a golden colored marinade with herbs. A spoon sits in the jar

More Fermentation Recipes to Try

  • Learn How to Ferment Green Tomatoes
  • Roasted Garlic Sauerkraut with Black Pepper
  • How to Make Probiotic Fermented Cherry Tomatoes
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Yogurt & Cheese

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5 from 1 review

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

  1. In a jar, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients until evenly combined.
  2. 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.
  3. Add the tofu to the jar of the marinade and stir to combine.
  4. Allow the tofu to marinate in the brine for 24 hours at room temperature. 
  5. After 24 hours, immediately place the tofu feta in the fridge. 
  6. Serve with bread, salads, sandwiches, or on a cheeseboard and enjoy! 

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a 5-star review below if you loved it! Tag @cultured.guru on Instagram

 

Nutrition information is auto-calculated and estimated as close as possible. We are not responsible for any errors. We have tested the recipe for accuracy, but your results may vary.

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Kaitlynn Fenley Author, Educator, Food Microbiologist
Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist and fermentation expert teaching people how to ferment foods and drinks at home.
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hey i’m kaitlynn, i’m a microbiologist and together with my husband jon we are cultured guru.

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  1. Danielle
    08|15|2021

    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.

    Reply
    1. Kaitlynn Fenley
      08|16|2021

      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.

      Reply
      1. Danielle
        08|28|2021

        Thank you Kaitlynn! It is so good! Thank you also for answering my questions!

        Reply
  2. Anonymous
    09|07|2021

    How long does this keep? It tastes amazing!

    Reply
    1. Kaitlynn Fenley
      09|09|2021

      Glad you like it! It will last for about 6 months in the fridge.

      Reply
  3. Mel
    06|23|2022

    Can one sub fresh herbs for the dried, in a pinch? Thank you 😊

    Reply
    1. Kaitlynn Fenley
      07|04|2022

      absolutely!

      Reply
  4. Annette
    01|18|2026

    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!

    Reply
    1. Kaitlynn Fenley
      01|18|2026

      Hi there! Welcome to fermenting! the jar should be covered 🙂

      Reply

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Hot hot hot acid in a pressurized environment does kill, well…most microbes. 

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Fridge pickles are made without pasteurization/sterilization (canning) so they will wild ferment without refrigeration, and not necessarily in a good way because there’s not enough salt. 

All vinegar is made via fermentation too, and vinegar fermentation involves acetic acid bacteria, but also a ton of LAB, mainly Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Leuconostoc (the same genera you’d find in fermented veg.)  I linked a reference paper in my fermented mushroom recipe blog, so you all can read about the LAB involved in vinegar fermentation. 

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My Roasted Butternut Squash Hot Sauce recipe is free on my website! I didn’t cook this one, so yes it’s still probiotic.

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Fermentation is a gift from the microbes of this e Fermentation is a gift from the microbes of this earth.

When we had a food business, I could never shake the feeling that fermentation is not meant to be sold to you from a fluorescently lit grocery shelf in an endless cycle of waste. Fermentation is meant to be cultivated in your home, with your hands, with intention and love in a sustainable, grateful practice of reciprocity and nourishment. 

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After so many lessons learned, our small fermentation business is now value aligned, peaceful, fulfilling, and happy.  It often seems like the gut feelings (the microbes within us) guided us in the right direction. To teach. 

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