Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Make a batch of your own Vegan Parmesan Cheese using only 4 ingredients and a couple of minutes. So good, you will want to sprinkle it on everything. No additives or preservatives,  naturally gluten-free, dairy-free & low carb. 

This Vegan Parmesan Cheese is great sprinkled over all your favorite savory meals in lieu of real Parm. Whether you’re vegan, lactose-intolerant /dairy-free or just generally looking to limit your consumption of animal products. Or you're like me and just plain curious and obsessed with expanding your repertoire of healthy alternatives.

Other reasons to love this vegan parmesan cheese apart from it being healthy, gluten, and dairy-free? It lasts a pretty long time in your fridge, can be frozen and it’s actually also cheaper than traditional Parmesan.  So everybody can find a reason to love this wonderful cheese.

Full disclosure here. I am not reinventing the wheel here with this recipe for vegan parmesan cheese. Of the many many recipes available, I have tasted the whole rainbow and my favorite was definitely this one that I found over at  The Minimalist Baker's Blog. It has a great taste and texture, and it’s super versatile.  Why mess with perfection, right?

What is vegan Parmesan cheese made of?

Vegan Parmesan is made from cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and sea salt. While the base of healthy nuts provided the perfect texture, it's really the addition of nutritional yeast that makes those cashews really taste cheesy.

Nutritional Yeast:

Nutritional yeast also contributes to the signature golden yellow coloring. Did you know that nutritional yeast is also loaded with B vitamins, which is why just 1 tablespoon of this vegan Parmesan accounts for roughly 50 percent of your daily suggested intake of vitamins B1, B2 and B6? Well, now you do!

Garlic Powder

This simple addition offers some extra flavor complexity and perfectly mimics the subtle flavors found in real Parmesan. Garlic powder makes this vegan Parm irresistible! I guess you could try onion powder if you are out of garlic powder.

Salt

Real Parmesan cheese is really quite salty, so it's a no brainer that salt is an essential ingredient here! Fine sea salt is a great option, but you can use regular table salt if that’s what you have in your pantry.

How to make Vegan Parmesan Cheese?

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it’s a fine meal. Be careful not to over-process though, so it doesn’t turn into cashew butter!

How to store Vegan Parmesan Cheese?

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for a few weeks or in the freezer for longer (no need to defrost before using).

How to use Vegan Parmesan Cheese:

Use it exactly like you would use regular Parmesan. You can sprinkle this homemade vegan “parmesan” over all your favorite Italian recipes, your fave bowls and salads, cooked or grilled vegetables and so.much.more!

This cheese doesn’t melt like the real Parmesan, but it’s perfect for many recipes. Here are some ideas:

• Sprinkle vegan Parmesan over marinara sauce, my penne vodka or have it with zucchini pasta.
• Use it instead of feta in my spiralized zucchini salad.
• Omit the Parmesan cheese from my basil pesto recipe, and sprinkle vegan Parmesan on top of your pesto pasta dish, to taste.
• Sprinkle them over my Crispy Smashed Potatoes.
• Use it to take my Vegan Spaghetti Squash Boats to the next level.
• Sprinkle it over roasted or grilled vegetables. You might also enjoy it over steamed or sautéed veggies.
• You might also enjoy it over homemade veggie soup or roasted red bell pepper soup.
• Make some delicious crostini with fig chutney and finish with a sprinkle of parm.

Tips:

• I used unsalted nuts in this recipe because they are healthier, but you can also use salted cashews if that's what you have and you won’t need to add salt.
• If you cannot find garlic powder or ran out of it, use onion powder.
• Should you want to add a lovely extra layer of flavor to the cheese sprinkles add some smoked paprika.
• ½ tsp of miso paste can also be added to enhance the flavor profile of the sprinkle.
• You can swap out cashews for raw blanched almonds or other nuts, including pine nuts, or brazil nuts.
• For a nut-free version, you could try a recipe that uses hemp seeds as the base.

5 from 4 votes

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Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Make a batch of your own Vegan Parmesan Cheese using only 4 ingredients and a couple of minutes. So good, you will want to sprinkle it on everything. No additives or preservatives,  naturally gluten-free, dairy-free & low carb.  ¾ cup raw cashew cheese

Course Condiment, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cashew parmesan cheese, vegan cheese sprinkles, vegan parmesan cheese

Prep Time 2 minutes

Total Time 2 minutes

Servings 1 jar

Author Marie

Ingredients

• ¾ cup raw cashew nuts
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¾ tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it’s a fine meal. Be careful not to over process though so it doesn’t turn into cashew butter!
2. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for a few weeks or in the freezer for longer (no need to defrost before using).

Recipe Notes

• I used unsalted nuts in this recipe because they are healthier, but you can also use salted cashews if that's what you have and you won’t need to add salt.
• If you cannot find garlic powder or ran out of it, use onion powder.
• Should you want to add a lovely extra layer of flavor to the cheese sprinkles add some smoked paprika.
• ½ tsp of miso paste can also be added to enhance the flavor profile of the sprinkles.
• You can swap out cashews for raw blanched almonds or other nuts, including pine nuts, or brazil nuts.
• For a nut-free version, you could try a recipe that uses hemp seeds as the base.

 If you tried this Recipe for Vegan Parmesan Cheese, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

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• Vegan Gumbo 
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