17 Amazing Feta Cheese Pasta Substitutes You Didn’t Know About

Feta cheese adds a distinctively sour and salty taste with just the proper amount of creaminess to salads, sandwiches, and pasta. The crumbly texture adds a nice contrast to pizzas and salads, adding to the food porn or photogenic photograph.

While feta cheese is widely accessible in most supermarkets, there will be times when you are going to cook your most renowned feta cheese pasta and, for some inexplicable reason, you cannot locate any. Instead of rushing to prepare your next great pasta sans cheese, why not try some of the following feta cheese substitutes?

1. Ricotta Cheese
2. Cottage Cheese
3. Goat Cheese
4. Mozzarella Cheese
5. Cheddar Cheese
6. Cotija Cheese
7. Queso Fresco
8. Halloumi
9. Gorgonzola

If you can’t locate the aforementioned replacements for your wonderful pasta, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with a thorough list of the greatest Feta Cheese Substitutes.

17 Best Substitute For Feta Cheese 

Feta is regarded as the cheese that best represents Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. For those who grew up snacking on cheddar sticks, Feta cheese may seem like a rapper or a festival, but its crumbly texture with just the perfect amount of salty and softness makes quite a statement.

Because it is manufactured from sheep and goat milk, feta cheese is considered a healthier cheese option with reduced fat and dairy content.

It’s also high in protein and probiotics, which aid the body with digestion and metabolism. You won’t gain weight if you eat feta cheese. If you want to acquire the same texture as feta cheese, the ideal replacements are ricotta or cottage cheese.

We’ve selected the 17 finest feta cheese alternatives for pasta for your convenience, and there’s even a vegan bonus at the end.

Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta cheese is maybe the next best cheese to emulate feta’s unique crumbly texture. Ricotta has a little sweetness to its creamy taste and is often used in Italian sweets like cheesecakes.

Because of its flexibility, it is an excellent feta cheese alternative for any dish, even pasta.

Ricotta Cheese comes in two varieties: aged and crumblier (ricotta salata) and regular (creamy). Depending on your pasta dish, you may attain your feta cheese aims with either a crumbly garnish or a cheesy bake.

Remember to season your dish with salt to acquire the desirable tanginess of feta cheese.

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese’s texture is undeniably a close second in the crumbly race. Its mild and tempered taste lends itself well to seasoning. The bland flavor has advantages, such as decreased salt and fat content.

Cottage cheese is a family favorite for those who grew up eating it as a salad topper, sandwich spread, and that delicious chunky spaghetti sauce.

Goat Cheese

Goat cheese is another excellent option for feta! After all, feta cheese is made with 30% goat’s milk, thus the taste is similar. Let’s simply say the flavor is perfect.

The texture, on the other hand, is off. Goat cheese, like cream cheese, is great for spreading on toast and seems soft. If you’re looking for taste, just combine the cheese with the spaghetti to create a tangy winner.

If you want the same appearance and flavor, seek for aged goat cheese in a crumbly shape.

Mozzarella Cheese

Mozzarella’s essential characteristics are white, soft, and gooey, which both children and adults like. When you add the slight saltiness, it becomes another another tasty feta cheese replacement.

Because it is made from water buffalo or cow’s milk, mozzarella is a creamier and lower sodium option. What makes it such a popular sub is that it is a versatile cheese that works great melted, cubed, or combined in a sauce.

The gooey gets-stuck-on-your-fork effect is a certain way to elevate any cheese sauce.

Cheddar Cheese

That’s true, this unassuming household item is your new feta cheese rescuer! Sharp cheddar is an unexpected pick since it tastes similar to feta cheese.

While cheddar cheese cannot match the texture and color of feta cheese, it is a great replacement.

Did you realize that the orangey hue of cheddar cheese is just Annatto coloring? You can locate white cheddar cheese if you seek hard enough!

With this useful information in mind, cheddar cheese should be your next pasta dish’s go-to cheese.

Top tip

Cheddar cheese does not melt well, so shred or grate it on top of your pasta for a near-feta finish.

Cotija Cheese

Prepare yourself for the parmesan version of Mexico! If most feta cheese replacements seem to be blander, Cotija cheese begs to disagree with its extra strong taste that is similar to parmesan cheese.

No wonder its nicknamed the Parmesan of Mexico.

This strong taste makes it ideal for meals that satisfy the most ardent cheese fans. It also has the texture of feta cheese but with a kick that you’d expect from Latin American meals.

While the taste is robust, it falls short in terms of melting. Cotija cheese has a low gooeyness rating yet sticks out as a firm cheese.

Consider it perfect for topping or garnishing your spaghetti. Grate it liberally and sprinkle it over your favorite cheesy spaghetti for added flavor.

Queso Fresco

Another Mexican cheese that should be on your list. Queso Fresco, which translates as “fresh cheese,” is a fresh alternative to feta cheese since it looks the same but has a milder flavor.

It is the most common cheese in Mexico and may be purchased fresh (a combination of goat and cow milk). The crumbly texture is ideal, and if you’re searching for a deliciously raw flavor, this is it.

If you’re combining it with spaghetti, season it more to obtain that creamy, chunky, and mild taste. Because it is a fresh cheese, Queso Fresco should be enjoyed right away.

Halloumi

Halloumi is a member of the Greek (particularly, Cyprus) cheese family and has earned the title. Halloumi, like its sister feta, is made from sheep and goat milk.

They both have the same DNA taste, but Halloumi tends to be gentler and sweeter.

Halloumi would be an excellent option for individuals looking for a softer, less crumbly form of feta cheese.

This sort of cheese, similar to Mozzarella (think fried Mozzarella sticks), is stiffer than feta cheese and works best when sliced into slices or slits.

With its greater melting point, halloumi would be an excellent addition to spaghetti as a sauce, topping, or just as a grilled garnish.

Gorgonzola

There’s no excuse to be blue when Gorgonzola is around. This blue cheese has a little stronger (but familiar) taste than feta.

If you want to add a distinctively sophisticated taste to your pasta, Gorgonzola may transform it into a brilliantly sharp and polished meal.

The texture is still quite similar to feta cheese, but the taste adds a more distinct bitterness and smokiness (in a nice manner) to a pasta dish to spice it up.

Roquefort

If you want to use another sort of blue cheese as a feta cheese alternative, the fancy-sounding Roquefort is a good choice.

This French cheese is created from sheep’s milk and provides a more pungent version of the feta cheese taste.

All of the other feta cheese features are present, including the strong taste and crumbly texture. A word of caution: not everyone will like the pungent blue cheese.

For those who love the great taste of Roquefort, substituting it for feta cheese ensures a pungent pasta twist.

Mizithra Cheese

Do you think it sounds Greek to you? It should since Mizithra Cheese is of Greek origin and has many characteristics with feta cheese.

Mizithra cheese gets a thumbs up for its salty taste, crumbly texture, and composition (goat and sheep milk).

To distinguish it from feta cheese, Mizithra is gentler in taste and simpler to crumble if that is what you desire in a meal.

If you get ideas from these traits, this would be a terrific crumbled, sliced, or grated topping for spaghetti.

Tofu

Vegans will not have to forego their feta cheese fix. Tofu is a well-known soy product that is adaptable and performs beautifully in cuisines other than Asian. Tofu is formed from solidified soy milk that has been squeezed into hard blocks if you are unfamiliar with it.

Because it perfectly mimics the crumbly texture of feta cheese, firm tofu is an ideal substitute. Because tofu has a naturally bland taste, it is the ideal canvas for seasoning to obtain your desired amount of salty, similar to feta cheese.

Many recipes may assist you in expertly preparing tofu as a feta cheese alternative. Tofu is flexible since it is suited for vegetarians and vegans and has a variety of health advantages.

Panela Cheese

Panela cheese is another cheese from Mexico. We can’t help but shout Ole! to the fantastic feta cheese replacements available in Mexico. Once again, the salty taste is spot on.

Panela cheese, like Halloumi, is hard and almost rubbery in texture. If you don’t want the crumbly texture, it’s a perfect addition to spaghetti.

Panela cheese adds a chewy, bubbling texture to any oven-baked pasta. Keep an eye out for the melting cheese highlight!

Cashew Cheese

Before you get too excited, cashew cheese is a vegan substitute for feta cheese. It is composed with cashew nuts, which give it a delicate and nutty flavor. Cashew cheese receives a lot of its flavor from salt, and the combination produces a cheesy flavor comparable to feta cheese.

With its thicker texture and consistency, cashew cheese resembles ricotta. It would go well with sandwiches, salads, and pasta.

Because of its hard texture and salty flavor, cashew cheese is a good feta cheese substitute in terms of behavior.

It’s not as gooey as Mozzarella, but it packs a tart punch in a pasta dish.

Almond Cheese

Almond cheese, like cashew cheese, is a lifesaver as a vegan substitute for feta cheese. Almonds have nutritional advantages in addition to being plant-based.

Almond cheese has a strong and crumbly texture that makes it a good feta cheese substitute. Its mild and nutty taste pairs well with pasta that requires a savory accompaniment. Because almond cheese is milder than cashew cheese, season your foods according to your salty preferences.

Keep in mind that almond and cashew cheese include nuts, so avoid them if you are allergic to nuts.

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is neither a sort of cheese nor a solid substance that can be mixed into pasta. It is, however, an excellent vegan replacement that may be used as a flavoring element in foods that need a cheesy flavor.

The strong saltiness of nutritional yeast is comparable to that of feta cheese. Aside from pasta, it has some savory elements that may improve the taste of a variety of foods.

It is incredibly nutritious and improves intestinal health, as its name suggests. Many dieters will be relieved to find that nutritional yeast has no fat, sugar, or gluten, and is low in calories and salt.

Homemade Vegan Feta

There are several DIY feta cheese recipes, and the most of them revolve on the use of hard tofu to get that salty and crumbly look.

1. Tofu is normally packaged in liquid, so the first step is to drain it by squeezing it or piling paper towels on a dish. You may place a heavy item on top to press the liquid from the tofu blocks, which may take many hours. Consider purchasing a tofu presser to save time.
2. Cut the tofu into cubes.
3. Make the marinade following your recipe and soak the tofu cubes in the marinade for 4 hours.

Olive oil, lemon, white wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, brine juice from a jar of olives, oregano, and basil are some common marinade recipes that resemble the feta cheese liquid brine.

You may make a simple marinade using apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and dried oregano.

If you think the handmade feta cheese is still too salty, put it in the marinate for a little longer until you obtain the perfect feta cheese taste.