Feta Cheese Substitute: Jack’s Guide To Healthy Eating

Do you like feta cheese but have to cut down on calories or sodium intake? Maybe you have turned vegetarian. In any case, I have a list of great feta cheese substitute options!
In my role as a nutritionist, I work to teach individuals how to consume a healthy diet and make informed food decisions. However, it can be challenging to maintain a healthy diet when you work an 8–10 hour shift and spend most of your day away from home. Giving up a beloved meal is more tougher.
Now that you’ve seen how difficult my work can be, you can see why I would rather encourage incremental adjustments in people’s eating patterns than impose abrupt, drastic ones.
Therefore, I typically begin by suggesting alternatives to foods that are high in calories or salt content. Most of the time, clients quickly accept these minor adjustments and progressively adhere to a better diet plan.

Feta Cheese Substitute

For today, I have chosen to discuss the feta cheese substitute. Although nothing will quite replace the dominant tangy taste of feta cheese, there are options that are worth exploring.
The taste might not be 100% the same, but you will be happy to know that all the feta cheese substitutes I will list hereafter have fewer calories and lower sodium content than the real thing. If that is not worth sacrificing some taste for, I don’t know what is.

You might want to read about the perfect asiago cheese substitute as well.

A Little Bit About Feta Cheese

Feta is a traditional Greek cheese made from either pure sheep’s milk or a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk. The Greek word “feta” actually comes from an Italian word “fetta” that can be translated to “slice.”
When it comes to taste and texture, feta is a soft brined cheese with no holes in it, and a strong, distinctive tangy and salty taste. It has no skin and crumbles rather easily.
Feta cheese is nutrient-rich, and an excellent choice for people who suffer from cow’s milk allergy or are generally sensitive to dairy products. It is easier to digest, and the sheep and goat milk combo give it a flavor that is hard to resist.
It is hard to be precise when talking about feta cheese nutrition values as that will greatly depend on the type or brand of feta cheese you buy. However, I can tell you that feta is a full-fat cheese with a very high sodium content (around 260 milligrams of sodium per serving).
This Greek cheese is not unhealthy by all means but should be eaten sparingly. Unfortunately, if you have to mind your sodium, saturated fat or calorie intake, you should avoid feta cheese altogether.
Be cautious not to eat feta if you suffer from histamine intolerance as well. Namely, feta cheese contains histamine protein which can cause allergy-like symptoms in people who suffer from this condition. Therefore, if you try feta and experience some symptoms such as sweating, swelling or hives, stop eating and visit the doctor right away!
Do not let all of these things disappoint you though, as the feta cheese substitute suggestions that follow will make up for the loss!
Extra Tip: Try to find and buy feta cheese made from raw milk rather than pasteurized one. It will not only have a much richer flavor but also be more nutritious!

Top 5 Nutritious and Healthy Feta Cheese Substitute Options

Further Reading: Find your new Rotary Cheese Grater

Ricotta

The closest substitute for feta cheese in terms of flavor is ricotta cheese. Of course, it is by far less salty than feta. It also has a sweet undernote that will be, I am sure, appreciated by some of you and despised by others. After all, we all have different tastes!
You can always add some salt, but that would eliminate one important benefit of using the ricotta cheese in the first place- the low sodium content.
In terms of texture, there will not be much difference as both ricotta and feta have the same crumbly consistency. For this reason, ricotta will be an ideal feta substitute in your salads or pasta.
Unfortunately, ricotta is not perfect either. This soft cheese is rather high in calories as well. It can brake havoc in your body if you suffer from high cholesterol too. For this reason, you should consume it sparingly as well and enjoy its taste and the numerous vitamins and minerals it contains reasonably.

Interesting Fact: Ricotta is actually a dairy by-product as it is made from whey or, to say it plainly, the residue left from cow, sheep, or goat cheeses.

Queso Fresco

Queso Fresco is a Mexican type of cheese that can be a great feta cheese substitute mostly due to its tangy and salty taste which is quite similar to the original feta flavor. It is made from unpasteurized cow’s milk, so mind that if you have used feta due to cow milk-related allergies.
Queso fresco is not only a milder substitute for feta cheese due to the significantly lower sodium content but also has a lower fat content as well. This Mexican delight features a deliciously fresh and mild taste which is best combined with eggs or salads. It will make some mouthwatering enchiladas too!
As far as the texture goes, queso fresco is a bit creamier than feta. It will not melt when you heat it, but rather just turn softer. Do not store it for longer than a day or two as it quickly alters its flavor and texture, rather buy as much as you plan to use and eat that the same day!

Tofu

If you have recently turned vegan and miss the feta cheese flavor, or you are completely lactose intolerant, tofu might be your number one choice for the feta cheese substitute.
It is dairy-free, but also has numerous additional benefits such as low saturated fat content and few calories. It is also known to reduce bad cholesterol.
As tofu is made by curdling raw soy milk and is quite tasteless, it has an amazing ability to absorb flavors and become whatever you want it to be. This means that you can make tofu feta rather easily too!

Tofu Feta Recipe

You will need:

Around 10 ounces of pressed tofu
Half a cup of water
Half a cup of apple cider vinegar
Two tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of oregano

The process:

First, press the tofu by taking it out of the package, draining it, placing it on a kitchen towel, and pressing it with something heavy. Leave the tofu this way for about half an hour, or until it becomes noticeably firmer.
Next, make a marinade. Mix water, lemon juice, cider, and oregano in a large bowl.
Cut tofu into small cubes and add it into the marinade. Cover the bowl and leave it in the fridge for at least two hours. (My tip: the longer you leave it, the better it will taste!)
Use the feta tofu to prepare your favorite greek salad!

You May Need: Quality Ceramic Knife

Mozzarella

The mozzarella was traditionally made from water buffalo’s milk, but as you can already anticipate, nowadays this milk is rather hard to come by, and everyone switched to making mozzarella from cow’s milk instead.
It is loved worldwide thanks to being a perfect match with one of the most popular dishes in the world – pizza. However, mozzarella is much more versatile and makes a great addition to your meats, salads, and seafood too.
Mozzarella cheese has quite a different texture from feta – it is a soft and moist curd cheese that can be sliced to perfect cubes if needed. Therefore, replace feta cheese with mozzarella only if you are comfortable with a change of texture.
Mozzarella is not as salty either and is appreciated for its high content of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, and E. However, similarly to feta, it has a high amount of saturated fat that can be a serious problem for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
The good news is that the market is overflowing with healthier varieties of mozzarella including low-fat, low-moisture, and affumicata. You can easily make fresh mozzarella at home as well.

Goat Cheese

As feta is usually made of 30% goat’s milk, it is only logical that goat milk can be a great feta cheese substitute. It will be less salty, and you will reduce the calorie intake too.
The texture of goat cheese will be somewhat different though, as it is softer, but the good news is that you will be able to spread it on bread or your favorite crackers too. If you want a firmer texture, opt for older goat cheese as it hardens with time.
Goat cheese can be both mild and strong tasting – so you are able to choose your preference. Make sure to store it properly though because it dries out quite quickly! For best results wrap each piece in plastic wrap before refrigerating it.

You might also enjoy our guide to fontina cheese substitutes.

Conclusion

Whatever your reasons might be, it is good to know that there are many feta cheese substitutes that can live up to the original.
My list is sure to help you, but I am eager to hear your ideas as well! First of all, do tell me whether you have liked my ideas! Do you know more good substitutes for feta cheese?
Feel free to comment! Our team would love to hear from you. 🙂

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