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5 Ingredient Vegan Almond Feta Cheese

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5 Ingredient Vegan Almond Feta Cheese. With requests for step-by-step instructions, Recipe & photos have been updated.

I wasn’t a big Cheese eater but since going vegan-I crave for it immensely. I miss Spinach Feta Pizza. Feta was my favourite cheese. Salads with Feta, Chive cream cheese. Yum. I had such a bad craving the other day- I managed to make Almond Feta from scratch and it tasted so much like Feta (it’s been over 2.5 years since I’ve had feta-from what I can remember :P)

DSC_0132You need Patience, Patience and Patience to make this cheese. It is way way easier than other recipes that float around the web. Guess what this recipe is also sans oil 🙂

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You need:

  • Raw Almonds-1.5 cups
  • Nutritional Yeast-1/4 cup
  • Garlic-2 cloves
  • Lemon juice-this is what gives you the kick-be generous. [I used 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp]
  • Salt-to taste
  • Water-1.5 cups(for blending) + 2 cups (for soaking)

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Method:

  • Soak Almonds in 2 cups very hot water for 2 hours.
  • Skin almonds.
  • Add the almond kernels & water into a food processor. Make a smooth paste.

Step1to4

  • Add the other ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth(if you need extra water-add 1 Tbsp at a time)
  • Transfer to a colander lined with a cheesecloth and squeeze down starting from the open end.
  • Now, wrap an elastic band on the open end (tight) and keep a container underneath to collect juices [The creamy cheese milk can be added to salads or to my cheesy hummus. I love it] Used the technique from Vegetarian Times.
  • Leave it overnight refrigerated.

Step5to8

  • Next day you will find a big mass of almond cheese inside the cheese cloth.
  • Preheat the oven to 160 deg.
  • To shape them, you could transfer  to a cling-wrapped bowl.
  • Line a tray with baking paper and flip the bowl onto the tray. Carefully, remove bowl & cling wrap and you will see the cheese sit there on the tray
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Remove, Make some deep pits using toothpicks to ease cooking.

step9to12

  • Back into the oven, Bake the cheese until the cracks start to appear on the top of the cheese. (It took 30 minutes on a middle-tier oven rack)
  • Remove from oven and there you are-with an awesome almond feta.
  • Cut into cubes and use it as you do with Feta.

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  • Store in an airtight container (in a refrigerator). Tastes amazing even after a week

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5 Ingredient Vegan Almond Feta Cheese
 
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Baked Almond Feta with just 5 Ingredients
Author:
Recipe type: Vegan, Glutenfree, Oilfree, Soyfree, Agar agar free, Yeastfree, Sugarfree
Cuisine: European
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • Raw Almonds-1.5 cups
  • Nutritional Yeast-1/4 cup
  • Garlic-2 cloves
  • Lemon juice-this is what gives you the kick-be generous. [I used 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp]
  • Salt-to taste
  • Water-1.5 cups(for blending) + 2 cups (for soaking)
Instructions
  1. Soak Almonds in 2 cups very hot water for 2 hours.
  2. Skin almonds.
  3. Add the almond kernels & water into a food processor. Make a smooth paste.
  4. Add the other ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth(if you need extra water-add 1 Tbsp at a time)
  5. Transfer to a colander lined with a cheesecloth and squeeze down starting from the open end.
  6. Now, wrap an elastic band on the open end (tight) and keep a container underneath to collect juices [The creamy cheese milk can be added to salads or to my cheesy hummus. I love it]
  7. Leave it overnight refrigerated.
  8. Next day you will find a big mass of almond cheese inside the cheese cloth.
  9. Preheat the oven to 160 deg.
  10. To shape them, you could transfer to a cling-wrapped bowl.
  11. Line a tray with baking paper and flip the bowl onto the tray. Carefully, remove bowl & cling wrap and you will see the cheese sit there on the tray
  12. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove, Make some deep pits using toothpicks to ease cooking.
  13. Back into the oven, Bake the cheese until the cracks start to appear on the top of the cheese. (It took 30 minutes on a middle-tier oven rack)
  14. Remove from oven and there you are-with an awesome almond feta.
  15. Cut into cubes and use it as you do with Feta.
  16. Store in an airtight container (in a refrigerator). Tastes amazing even after a week
Notes
I love to over-bake the cheese. The base gets brown and it tastes like roasted feta on pizza.
You can never go wrong with this recipe. If you think, the mix isn't cheesy enough, increase nutritional yeast to ⅓ cup
The cheese darkens when baked, a deep yellow colour.
You could add pinch of turmeric for a real cheesy look

 

Comments

  18. How much salt and lemon juice did you use? I don’t know if “be generous” means 1 tablespoon, 8 tablespoons, or something in between.

    Reply

    • I added freshly squeezed juice of 1 large lemon. 2 tbsp + 1 tsp I would say. It really depends on your taste buds. If you love lemon, you could add more. Salt-to taste. I don’t measure much 😐 I just add what feels right for a specific quantity. Because you’re adding lemon juice, watch out how much salt you’re going to add in. Start with salt-1 tsp at a time and mix the mixture and add more if you feel you need more 🙂

      Reply

  19. Charanya, I had to stop and say this looks like the simplest and most delicious vegan feta cheese I have come across. I live in Cyprus where feta is quite literally everywhere so being vegan is quite difficult, especially when I used to be quite fond of it. Thank you so much, I will be giving this recipe a go in the near future!

    Reply

      • Can I ask if you have ever attempted to make cottage cheese? I had an addiction to the Russian version “tvorog” and have attempted to make it with no satisfactory results.

      • No, 🙁 I have never tried it. After you bake this cheese, it tastes like feta. Try it before you bake it. It has a cottage cheese zing to it. Something to work on now 🙂 I love cottage cheese too- Indian ‘paneer’.

    • I have never frozen it before. There is a chance when you thaw it for later use, it might crumble to bits. 🙂

      Reply

  21. I’m a little confused by the recipe for the 5-ingredient Feta Cheese. In the ingredient list it reads 1.5 C of water, but in the instructions is directs to soak almonds in 2 Cups very hot water. Are these 2 different additions of water amounts??

    Reply

    • Yes, they are different amounts. You soak them in 2 cups (discard the water after 2 hours) and then, you need 1.5 cups fresh water for blending the almonds into a fine paste. I have updated the recipe now 🙂 Thanks for pointing that out

      Reply

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