Quick post today because I’m overdue on sharing a new recipe. I’ve been teasing this almond feta for a few weeks now after posting about it on Instagram, and I finally had the chance to make the recipe again and confirm its awesomeness.
So what exactly is almond feta? It’s a vegan cheese analogue that’s great in cold applications like salads, tartines, or just straight-up snacking! I think you’ll absolutely love the garlicky, lemony, rich flavor.
I make my almond feta using a few main steps:
- Soak raw almonds in hot water to loosen and remove the skins (don’t throw those skins away! Roast them in the oven for a delicious, healthy, crispy snack)
- Blend the almonds into a smooth pulp along with garlic, shallot, and a few other flavorful ingredients (and plenty of salt); and strain some of the excess liquid from the blended mixture
- Bake the almond feta until solid; let cool, slice into cubes, and enjoy!
So yes, it’s a tiny bit labor-intensive removing the skins from the almonds. I’ve seen recipes that call for almond flour instead in order to bypass this step, but frugality won for me this time around. Plus, even though it takes a little while to do it, it’s very fun and easy popping off the almond skins. My recipe is different from other almond feta recipes mainly because it calls for nondairy yogurt. As I learned with my cashew cream cheese, nondairy yogurt is essential for me to feel like a vegan cheese analogue has an authentic flavor that resembles dairy versions.
Give this almond feta a try and let me know how you like it! And tweak the recipe to your own taste, too. Change the seasoning or acidity; bake it longer for a drier almond feta that will crumble beautifully; or bake it shorter for a very creamy result. Make it your own 🙂
Baked Almond Feta
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 1 shallot peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp plain unsweetened nondairy yogurt (or substitute with 1 tb. additional lemon juice)
- 3 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Put the raw almonds in a bowl and cover them with very hot water. Let them sit for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and ready an oven-safe ceramic or glass dish and parchment paper (I used a 5-inch glass dish).
- Drain the almonds and remove the skins. The skins should pop right off of most of the almonds if you do the entire 2 hours of soaking. Be sure to save them as you can roast them for a crispy snack or add them to smoothies, etc.
- Add the almonds to a blender along with the shallots, garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, and salt. Add only as much filtered water as needed to blend (I had to use around 1/2 cup). Blend, stopping to stir and scrape the sides as needed, until a thick, smooth paste is formed.
- Pour the mixture into cheesecloth and GENTLY squeeze out the excess liquid. You don't want to remove all of it (which you would do if you were making almond milk) - just enough so that the pulp clumps together but is still moist. Alternately, you can let it drain (without squeezing) out of the cheesecloth overnight in the refrigerator.
- Transfer the pulp into the parchment paper-lined baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, then use a toothpick or sharp knife to poke some holes in the surface to allow the heat to better penetrate the middle.
- Return to the oven and bake for approximately 20 more minutes, or until the top of the almond feta is browning and slightly cracking.
- Let the almond feta cool before slicing. Use it in salads, sandwiches, and more! Once cooled, store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from Maple Spice and Yes I Am Vegan.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Lillia says
Hi, so I have been making my own almond milk and have almond pulp left over, do you think that almond pulp would work in this recipe?
Natalia says
Hello! I want to try this recipe but unfortunately my husband doesn’t like onions or anything related to them like shallots, leeks, chives etc.
I was wondering if skipping the shallot would alter its consistency or if there’s anything I could use instead?
Thank you.
Vie says
Absolutely delicious! Would make it again for sure. The baking made it just firm enough to slice neatly, but it was still perfectly moist and flavorful. I added a bit of Nutritional yeast and also didn’t need to let it drain as it seemed fairly dry. I didn’t add a ton of liquid. Just packed it into a parchment paper lined baking dish and baked until firm as directed. Delicious warm, but was even more flavorful after overnight in fridge. Great on crackers. Husband loved it too!
Mary says
Vie, how much nutritional yeast did you put in? Thanks
Kari says
I love popping almonds out of their skins. There’s something childlike about it. 🙂
I’m going to try this as-is, and I might try it with macadamia nuts too. I usually use cashews and, while I love cashew sauces, dips, cheeses, etc. I wouldn’t mind breaking away from them once in a while!
Michelle says
This is a great recipe! I’ve made it a few times now, and tweaked it just slightly each time, but this last time I tried something new and wanted to share because I really like how it turned out!
I added rejuvelac (culturing agent) to the mixture while blending and let it culture for 18 hours before baking. The cheese flavor was even more convincing than before; it took on a deeper and sharper taste.
Other than that, options I chose were omitting the shallot and yogurt and also using additional lemon juice. Yum!!
Kathleen Anna North says
Hi! How much of the rejuvelac did you add? And how much additional lemon juice?
Jeanette says
Just made this. The only additions I made were, nutritional yeast to give it more of a cheesier taste, and a bit of cider vinegar for the extra zing. I followed all your instructions and it turned out quite well. I’m happy with it, and I’m sure my family will be too.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Keyia says
How much nutritional yeast did you add?
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Rachel says
Hi! Can I make this with store bought almond flour?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I believe that would work – you’d probably want about 10 ounces. The liquid may need to be increased slightly because the almonds absorb just a little bit of it when soaked.
Janna says
Hi, just wanted to know if I should put the tablespoon of oil before blending or stirred in after blending? Thanks!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Blend it in with the rest!
Ingrid says
How long do you roast the almond skins for in the oven?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Doesn’t take long. Just about 10 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them, they can quickly burn.
Heather says
In the recipe notes you mention olive oil enhances the texture…in what way does it improve texture? I happen to like pretty dry feta but I wasn’t sure about adding the oil or not?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Heather! I have a little trouble articulating the difference but I find the oil makes the feta richer/creamier/and more cohesive, not so much a moisture thing. With the oil, you can still crumble it into things; but without the oil it gets rather crumbly on its own. Hopefully that makes sense.
Heather says
Yes that makes sense. Did you happen to use the oil in the one pictured above? It’s a beautiful piece of cheese and I want mine to look just like that one! 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Pictured is with the oil included!
Whitney says
Hello,
Thank you for this recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
I was wondering if this cheese freezes well?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Whitney, I haven’t tried freezing this particular recipe, but I imagine it probably does freeze well, you might want to add a bit of extra olive oil to help keep it from drying out. Let me know how it works out!
Alisha says
I know I’m a bit late to the game but, how long would this last after it has been baked? Would it be left in the fridge?
Thanks! Love the recipe!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Alisha, sorry that I did not add this info to the recipe. It should be kept in the fridge and I have had my leftovers last for up to a week.
Sawyer says
Does this have a distinct almond taste? I’ve been looking for a good vegan feta recipe but I can’t stand almonds. Do you think it would work with another nut subbed in?
I love your site by the way 🙂 I’ve been quietly bookmarking stuff for a long time.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Sawyer, glad you’re enjoying my site! 😀 I haven’t tried this with other nuts. I don’t think it has a very strong almond taste since they are used raw, but if you have an aversion to them then it still might not be your cup of tea… I’m thinking raw cashews or macadamia nuts would probably work pretty well as a substitute though.
Sawyer says
I was thinking about trying it with cashews 🙂 I’ll let you know how it goes! I don’t have any cheesecloth at the moment but I’ve been feeling the need to try to make more vegan cheeses again recently and this seems like a good one to start with.