Mexican Marinated Vegan Cheese and Tofu
This marinated vegan cheese is one of my favorite appetizers and I just know you’re going to love it too. It’s savory, herby, and a tad spicy. If you don’t like vegan cheese don’t worry because you can make it a marinated tofu cheese appetizer instead!
Vegan Cheese Appetizer
Amigos, I’m sooooo excited to finally share this recipe with you. It has been one of my favorite appetizers for a few years and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share it on the blog.
But alas, here it is and I just know you’re going to devour it just like I do.
This marinated vegan cheese was inspired by my baked panela cheese – if you eat dairy and haven’t tried that recipe then you’re seriously missing out. The baked cheese was my go-to appetizer for guests and to take to parties. It was always a hit so when I stopped eating dairy I just knew I had to make a dairy-free version.
When I started making this version it was during the hot summer months so I didn’t want to turn on the oven. Instead I decided to make it a cold marinated cheese. I loved the cold version just as much as the baked one.
And putting it together couldn’t be any easier. Really it’s just a matter of mixing up oil with herbs and spices, cutting up the cheese into small bite-size cubes, mixing it all together and marinating it for at least 30 minutes.
Really. That’s simple.
What if You Don’t Like Vegan Cheese
So I know vegan cheese isn’t quite like dairy cheese – there’s some great alternatives but they are quite different.
I’ll be honest and tell you that it took me years to get used to vegan cheese. At one point I would say I could never go vegan because I couldn’t give up dairy. Ha! But that’s a story for another time.
Before I started enjoying vegan cheese I would make this appetizer with tofu. Even though it didn’t have that cheese flavor I still quite enjoyed it. Several meat eaters I shared it with enjoyed it too.
So if you happen to be someone that just doesn’t like vegan cheese then you could totally make this with tofu or with dairy cheese, read through my tips for more details.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• It’s a flavorful dairy-free appetizer that comes together in about 10 minutes.
• You can make it with vegan panela or with tofu.
• You can enjoy it as an appetizer with crackers or serve as part of a charcuterie board.
• It also makes a delicious salad or pasta ingredient.
Marinated Vegan Cheese Ingredients
You can easily swap out the herbs and spices to create different variations.
Cheese or Tofu: I used vegan panela cheese from Violife but you may not have that available where you live, so you can use any brand of vegan Feta or other firm vegan cheese. For a high protein version you can use tofu instead. I personally love to use extra firm silken tofu but you can use regular pressed firm tofu as well.
Olive Oil: You could also use avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
Spices: I used salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Herbs: Parsley, Mexican oregano, and thyme.
Chiles: I wanted to give color and a little bit of heat to the cheese so I used a mix of mild guajillo pepper and for heat I used spicy chile de arbol. You could also use red pepper flakes or fresh red chiles of your choice.
How to Make This Appetizer
Step One:
Mix the oil and all of the spices in a small jar or in a medium bowl. Next mix in the dried chile pieces and stir until well combined. At this time you can taste and adjust any seasoning desired.
Step Two:
If mixed in a jar then pour it into a medium bowl then add the cubed cheese or tofu pieces. If you mixed the oil and spices in the bowl then just add the cubed cheese or tofu and mix until they’re well coated with the seasoned oil.
Step Three:
Cover the container and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes, the longer the better.
Step Four:
Once ready to serve carefully add the cheese or tofu cubes to your serving dish. You can top with chopped cilantro if you’d like. Serve as desired.
How to Serve
You can serve this flavorful savory appetizer with your favorite types of crackers or as a part of a charcuterie board.
Alternatively you can serve it with fresh green salads or pasta salads.
Taste
If you use the cheese you’ll get the cheesy and salty flavors as well as the creaminess and herbs and touch of heat. The tofu flavor is a bit less than the cheese, but still delicious. I highly recommend using silken tofu because the texture and flavor is better in this particular recipe.
How to Store
Store leftover in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
If you finish the cheese or tofu and still have oil left, then you can drizzle it over salads or cook with it – the flavor is delicious.
Gracias
I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!
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Mexican Marinated Vegan Cheese and Tofu
Ingredients
- 7 oz Silken Tofu or 200gm Violife Panela cheese *see notes
- 1 whole guajillo pepper stems and seeds removed
- 2 whole chile de arbol stem removed and some seeds**
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
Instructions
- Cube the cheese or tofu and set aside. Wipe clean the dried chile pods the remove the stems and seeds. If you want a heat then leave all or some of the arbol chile seeds.
- Mix the oil and all of the spices in a small jar or in a medium bowl. Next mix in the dried chile pieces and stir until well combined. At this time you can taste and adjust any seasoning desired.
- If mixed in a jar then pour it into a medium bowl then add the cubed cheese or tofu pieces. If you mixed the oil and spices in the bowl then just add the cubed cheese or tofu and mix until they’re well coated with the seasoned oil.
- Cover the container and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes, the longer the better.
- Once ready to serve carefully add the cheese or tofu cubes to your serving dish. You can top with chopped cilantro if you’d like. Serve with crackers or part of a charcuterie board, or you can also mix it into salads.
Notes
Nutrition
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
I tried your recipe this weekend and I just wanted to share with all enthusiasts that is really delicious!!!… I enjoyed it during last football match and looking foward to prepare it again. Cheers!
Hi Albert! So happy you enjoyed it and yes it’s a perfect appetizer to watch a soccer match. 🙂