Vegan feta cheese with almonds

Vegan feta cheese adds creamy, tangy flavor to salads, mezze platters, and wraps. Made with blanched almonds and baked, it has the perfect dense but creamy texture. Vegan, soy-free, and gluten-free.

I love a good vegan feta cheese. It sets off garlicky and briny flavors just right.

I used to buy store-bought on occasion. But once I started making my own baked vegan feta cheese with almonds, it was a game changer.

Now I always have this staple in the refrigerator or freezer, ready at a moment’s notice.

For the best creamy texture and bright white color, blanched almonds are a must for this recipe. You can find them in grocery stores, like Natural Grocers.

Or you can skin raw almonds yourself. That’s not hard to do. Check out the details in this post, how to blanch almonds.

Pro tip: Whenever I make this recipe, I make a double batch. It’s easier to blend, and it’s not much more work. Plus, you get double the amount of feta!

Olive brine adds tanginess

There’s a secret ingredient in my almond feta, and it’s olive brine! Feta already goes so well with olives, so this is a match made in heaven.

I use the brine from Castelvetrano olives, which are my favorite. They have a light, bright quality that works especially well here. However, any kind of olive brine will do.

If you’re not a fan of olives, don’t worry. It doesn’t take over at all. It just adds a tangy background tone. 

That said, you can easily replace it with the liquid from a jar of sauerkraut or pepperoncini peppers.

How to make vegan feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the following in a high-speed blender:

• Blanched almonds – store-bought or skinned by hand
• Lemon juice
• Olive brine
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Water
• Garlic clove

Blend until smooth.

Put a square piece of parchment paper into an 8-ounce mini cocotte or ramekin. (This is the same size cocotte I use for my mini vegetable pot pie.)

Smash the parchment down into the container to line it fully. Then cut off any excess from around the top.

Pour the creamy almond cheese mixture into it, and smooth the top with a knife.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

You’ll know it’s done with the top is cracked and lightly brown around the edges.

Allow it to cool slightly before removing from the cocotte or ramekin.

You can serve this feta warm with crackers as-is. The exterior reminds me a little of puff pastry.

Or put it into the refrigerator to cool & firm further. When you’re ready to use it, crumble it into uneven pieces with your hands.

Make it your own

You can make this cheese your own by varying/adding certain ingredients.

• Instead of olive brine, use the liquid from a jar of sauerkraut or pepperoncini peppers
• Vary the amounts/types of oil
• Add your favorite seasonings like dried oregano, dried basil, dried rosemary, and/or lemon zest

What to do with almond feta

Obviously you can enjoy this feta right out of the oven with bread or crackers. But there are so many more options!

• Spread unbaked cheese on a cracker with vegan caviar
• Refrigerate unbaked cheese until it has condensed & make fried almond cheese balls
• Put baked feta on a mezze platter with olive tapenade, hummus, baba ganoush & pita chips
• Use it as a topping on olive hummus 
• Add it to a spinach salad with strawberries, tomato cucumber salad, or fall salad 
• Make feta cheese-filled fried olives
• Stir it into Mediterranean pasta or bowtie pasta salad
• Sprinkle it in a veggie wrap with vegan chick’n strips and tahini dressing
• Use it as a topping on vegan shakshuka
• Put it on black bean tacos, refried beans, or tortilla soup like a vegan cotija cheese

How long does it last?

Store this almond cheese in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will last for two weeks.

Does it freeze well?

Yes!

Freezing does change the texture slightly, but it’s not enough to make an enormous difference. After freezing it’s slightly more dense.

To really make this last, I like to freeze it in crumbles. It’s easier to grab just a few pieces if it’s already crumbled.

To freeze it, put the crumbled cheese in a freezer safe container. Then when you want some, use a butter knife to break it up in the container to free it loose.

Let it thaw in the refrigerator.

Or you can use the defrost function on the microwave. But be careful! You don’t want to microwave it for long and make it hard.

Simply use the defrost function, and stay close. It typically needs less than 30 seconds. You don’t want the cheese to get warm – just softened.