Vegan cottage cheese that tastes just like the one you used to eat, but without the dairy! Only 4 ingredients, 1 bowl, and 5 minutes to make a batch. It's creamy, rich in plant-based protein, naturally gluten-free and oil-free, and can be used any way you would use dairy cottage cheese. Enjoy it sweet or savory, hot or cold!
Recipe Feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"OMG! I have been craving cottage cheese - I have been dairy free for 15 years. This recipe is even better than the real thing! [ . . . ] Thank you! -Thea
When I was testing this Vegan Crockpot Lasagna, the first time I whipped up the vegan ricotta for it, I couldn't believe how much it tasted like cottage cheese!
Actually, I think it tastes BETTER than the "real thing."
Before going vegan, I enjoyed pretty much all dairy products, but cottage cheese was at the bottom of the list. I always found the sour flavor a bit off-putting.
But THIS dairy free cottage cheese? It's actually delicious!
This recipe creates a vegan cottage cheese that leans more toward tangy than sour, but it still has the familiar creaminess and curd texture you expect.
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The Inspiration
This recipe is lightly adapted from the ricotta recipe in Miyoko Schinner's cookbook Artisan Vegan Cheese.
I've been referring to that book for almost a decade now and still recommend it for anyone who enjoys making homemade vegan cheeses.
There are a lot of shiny new vegan cheese books in the world these days, but the simplicity of some of those older recipes is hard to beat.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make a batch of dairy-free cottage cheese.
- Extra firm tofu - I prefer extra-firm in this recipe because it creates curds with the perfect texture that's eerily similar to classic cottage cheese. You can also use regular firm tofu if you want a slightly softer and creamier version.
- Yogurt - whether made from oats, cashews, almonds, coconut, or soy, look for a plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt for this recipe. If you have trouble finding one in your local grocery store, you can always make your own! I have three yogurt recipes for you: tofu, cashew and almond milk yogurt.
- Lemon juice - this adds a subtle fresh tanginess and helps disguise the mild, natural flavor of the tofu.
- Garlic powder - a small amount adds a cheesy undertone and makes this taste more like classic cottage cheese, but you can also try it without first to see if you need it.
- Sea salt - salt is critical for creating real cottage cheese flavor. Otherwise, you'll just have a bland, slightly tangy, bowl full of tofu. So don't skip the salt!
See recipe card below for quantities and full instructions.
How to Make Vegan Cottage Cheese
Aside from tasting amazing, one of the other fantastic things about this recipe is how quick and easy it is. No special equipment required!
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- First, drain the tofu. Wrap a tea towel or paper towels around it, and lightly squeeze over the sink to remove some of the water. No need to fully press the tofu. Place it in a bowl with the other ingredients.
- Use a fork to mash the tofu and incorporate everything very well. Taste and adjust the amount of yogurt, garlic powder, and salt, as desired.
And that's it! Enjoy your healthier vegan cottage cheese right away, or refrigerate it for an hour or more to allow the flavors to mingle.
Ways to Use Vegan Cottage Cheese
Breakfast - Enjoy it with fruit, toast, oatmeal, biscuits, muffins, or even stirred into tofu scramble.
Lunch - Add vegan cottage cheese to salads, sandwiches, and wraps for a bit of cooling, tangy creaminess.
Snacks & Appetizers - It's also great scooped up with raw veggies and crackers or spread on crostini.
Dinner - You can use this vegan cottage cheese in hot dishes like you would ricotta-think stuffed shells, lasagna, pizza, and dolloped on top of pasta. It's also a great substitute for sour cream.
Flavor Variations
Like most homemade vegan versions of dairy products, this one is easy to customize depending on how you plan to serve it.
- Sweet - Add maple syrup or your favorite sweetener and serve with fruit, waffles, pancakes, or toast with jelly.
- Herb - For savory dishes, stir in chopped fresh basil, parsley, chives, or dill. Add fresh mint to sweet or spicy cottage cheese.
- Spicy - Think outside of the box! A few dashes of hot sauce turns this into a delicious dip for crusty bread, or add curry powder, chili powder, cayenne, or a sweet-and-spicy chili sauce.
Today for lunch I enjoyed an open-face sandwich with vegan cottage cheese, several dashes of Frank's hot sauce, and topped it off with sautéed spinach. Trust me, it's better than it sounds!
Substitutions
Lemon Juice & Garlic Powder - You can experiment with replacing the lemon juice with a mild vinegar. If you don't like garlic powder, there's no harm in leaving it out. You can also try a little onion powder in its place.
Tofu - If possible, don't substitute. Tofu really does have the perfect, cheese-like texture for creating the cottage cheese curds. If needed, you can use a soy-free alternative like the fava bean tofu from Big Mountain Foods or PUMFU brand made from pumpkin seeds.
Tip! If you want something similarly creamy, without tofu, that can be used in sweet or savory dishes, check out this Almond Ricotta. It's just as easy and versatile as vegan cottage cheese!
FAQs
Yes! Several readers have reported that soy-free alternatives also work well, such as Pumfu (pumpkin seed tofu), chickpea tofu, or fava bean tofu.
Yes, this recipe is gluten-free and can be nut-free depending on your choice of dairy-free yogurt.
Store vegan cottage cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. As it sits some liquid may separate. You can either stir it back in or strain it. May also be frozen. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then stir and enjoy.
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
I just know you're going to love this dairy-free cottage cheese! If you try it, be sure to comment below to let everyone know.
Recipe
5-Minute Vegan Cottage Cheese (No Nuts)
Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz) package extra-firm tofu - Regular firm also works
- ½ to ⅔ cup plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt - See Notes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt - or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- No need to press the tofu, but we do want to remove some of the water. Remove the block of tofu from the package, and wrap a tea towel or paper towels around it. Holding the tofu over the sink lightly squeeze to remove some of the water. Place the tofu in a bowl with the other ingredients, starting with the lesser amount of yogurt and salt.1 (14 oz) package extra-firm tofu, ½ to ⅔ cup plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¾ to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Use a fork to mash the tofu and incorporate it with the yogurt and seasonings. Mash until the "curds" are as small as you like.
- Taste for seasoning, adding more yogurt, garlic, and salt, if desired. Enjoy your vegan cottage cheese right away, or refrigerate for an hour or more to allow the flavors to mingle.
Notes
- Sweet - add maple syrup or your favorite sweetener and serve with fruit, waffles, pancakes, and toast with jelly.
- Herb - for savory dishes, stir in chopped fresh basil, parsley, chives, or dill; add fresh mint to sweet or spicy cottage cheese.
- Spicy - think outside of the box! A few dashes of hot sauce turn this into a delicious dip for crusty bread, or add curry powder, chili powder, cayenne, or a sweet-and-spicy chili sauce.
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Lee Kaplan says
This is my third or fourth time making this recipe. Because I had a difficult time finding plain non-dairy yogurt, I tried another recipe (different website). Nope. Not even close.
I did find out one thing today. I only had TJ’s Super Firm Tofu. If you like pot cheese (really dry cottage cheese), use super firm.
Lee Kaplan says
I absolutely love this cottage cheese! I just have a difficult time locating the larger (rather than single) containers of plain soy yogurt. I don’t think coconut yogurt would work. The search goes on.
LT says
Wow! This tastes exactly like cottage cheese. I added more yogurt but that was my only modification. So healthy, easy, and satisfying!!!
Lee says
I decided to have this cottage cheese for both dinner and dessert.
I puree mine in a mini food processor because I prefer the texture more.
Leftover elbow pasta, cottage cheese, nooch, garlic powder, and tomato sauce. Mix, nuke, enjoy.
Dessert is cottage cheese mixed with maple syrup and cinnamon.
Trina says
This is a pretty good cottage cheese! I have tried other vegan cottage cheese recipes, without much success. I did add little more lemon and salt and used 2/3 cup of yogurt. Even my husband said it was pretty good!
Thank you,
Trina
Lee Kaplan says
🎶Ah, sweet mystery of life, at last I’ve found you…🎶
I’ve been looking forever for a vegan cottage cheese that tastes good. OMG!!! This tastes exactly like dairy cottage cheese (I just had dairy cc this morning, so we’re not talking memory here).
My favorite way to eat it is puréed with cinnamon and Splenda.
Thank you, thank you thank you!!!💖
Martha says
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve been wishing for someone to make a plant-based cottage cheese for the longest time. This is a much better alternative. I adjusted the original recipe to my liking by adding more yogurt, more lemon and more salt. It tastes as close to the real thing as I can imagine. Thank you so much for coming up with this recipe.
Gail says
Thanks so much for giving me a dairy free cottage cheese that was so simple to make. I am also soy free so I used Big Mountain fava bean tofu and Forager unsweetened vanilla bean cashew yogurt. I will enjoy it on Pain du Fleurs buckwheat crackers. I’m looking forward to it!
Marna says
I only have vegan greek yogurt...I wonder how it would that effect the overall texture? What do you think???
Lori says
That will work well. I’m pretty sure I’ve used Kite Hill’s Greek yogurt for this before. 🙂 Enjoy!
Marna says
That is what I used and used the larger amount. This is EXCELLENT, by the way! My whole family loves it....will be making it as a regular in this house!!! Thank you yet again!!!
Jamie says
🫶 I have been CRAVING cottage cheese for quite some time but just can't handle dairy so I opted to give this a try based on reviews and it did not disappoint! The only disappointing thing was that I didn't make a double batch 😂! Amazing, thank you!
Thea G says
OMG! I have been craving cottage cheese - I have been dairy free for 15 years. Thiis recipe is even better than the real thing! I used a pastry cutter to mash up the tofu. It saved my hands. Thank you! 🙏❤️🕊
RobM61 says
I haven't made this and am wondering how much like tofu this tastes (not a tofu fan)?
Lori says
The tartness of the lemon and yogurt combined with the salt and garlic do a surprisingly good job of disguising the natural flavor of tofu. Let us know if you give it a try!
Carolyn says
I can’t believe how good this is! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Both my daughter and I have missed cottage cheese since going dairy free but now we have the perfect substitute!!!