How to make tofu cheese using miso | Stephanie Weaver MPH | Vegan, gluten-free

Transform a block of tofu into crumbly feta-style cheese in two days!

This is one of my top-searched recipes. If you’re coming here for the first time, please take a look around. I have more than 350 recipes, many of them plant-based and/or dairy-free.

It takes about two days to make this tofu cheese, but it’s well worth the wait. The method couldn’t be easier, and the finished product can stand in for blue cheese in this iceberg wedge salad, feta in this spinach salad as well as fish sticks in vegan fish tacos.

Want more great dairy-free recipes? Check out my Twelve Terrific Dairy Substitutes, available on Amazon Kindle.

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One of the coolest things about having a food website and being a health coach is that it opens up your world to new people, people you probably would never meet otherwise. One of these cool people is a San Diego musician, voice-over actor, and vegan named Jeff Smith. Learn more about Jeff on his website.

After running into Jeff at Trader Joe’s (in the tofu aisle, where else?) Jeff told me that he was fond of making “cheese” from their super-firm tofu. After trying it a couple of times to make sure I understood the process, I’m sharing his recipe with you. Jeff’s wife Sally has a great recipe for vegan tartar sauce here, with some more suggestions on how to use the tofu cheese.

Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, reduced-sugar diets

Not for:
low-sodium or migraine diets (tofu and miso are both triggers)

How to make tofu cheese using miso | Stephanie Weaver MPH | Vegan, gluten-free

How to make tofu cheese

Transform a block of tofu into crumbly feta-style vegan cheese in two days!
4.36 from 17 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 16 servings of 1 ounce

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounces tofu super-firm or extra-firm, pressed
  • 1/4 cup miso any color

Instructions
 

  • To make your tofu cheese, buy the firmest tofu available. If you can't find super-firm, then wrap the block of tofu in a clean kitchen towel and press the tofu under a heavy weight for 30 minutes to remove more of the water, or use a TofuXpress.
  • The tofu's firmness depends on the type of coagulant used and how it is pressed.
  • Slice the block of tofu lengthwise into thirds as evenly as possible, to make 3 slabs.
  • Spread a thin layer of miso paste on all sides of each piece, and then lay them in a container with some space between them. Cover loosely with waxed paper.
  • Let sit out on the counter for 24 hours. In hot weather (above 75F/24C), the cheese may be ready in one day. In cooler weather, it takes two or three days.
  • The miso paste, a fermented product generally made from soy beans, ferments the tofu, changing its texture and color a bit as well. The way to check for doneness is to taste it, scraping off the miso first. If it no longer tastes like tofu, but instead has a crumbly, feta-like texture and taste, it's ready.
  • You may get some mold growing on the outside, which is natural. Before eating, scrape or wipe off the miso and discard it. Refrigerate it with the container covered when it's done, and use within a few days. Scrape off the miso marinade before eating. If it gets slimy, just rinse off the slime, but eat it up right away.

Notes

Per 1-ounce serving:
  • 31 calories
  • 2 g fat
  • 0 g saturated fat
  • 1 g monounsaturated fat
  • 0 g polyunsaturated fat
  • 0 g trans fat
  • 0 g cholesterol
  • 157 mg sodium (will be lower, but no way to calculate)
  • 37 mg potassium
  • 2 g carbohydrate
  • 0 g fiber
  • 1 g sugars
  • 3 g protein
  • 1 Weight Watchers Points Plus
I have to admit that I was a little scared to try making this, because I've never made fermented foods. But Jeff assured me that he's been making fermented foods like sauerkraut and pickles for many years, has never gotten sick, and the health benefits of these vital and energized foods are very great. Sadly for me, fermented foods are a migraine trigger so I no longer make them myself. I take a daily probiotic (100 billion) instead.
Another blogger at Rauom.com previously provided a recipe to making tofu-misozuke, which is the version of this that is made in Japan, except it's fermented for at least two months to create a creamy product with the consistency of blue cheese. I have now made this as well, and it's worth trying: my recipe for tofu misozuke.