Vegan Parmesan in 5-Minutes
Making homemade Vegan Parmesan is surprisingly easy and only requires a handful of ingredients. It keeps for months, so you’ll have it available to sprinkle on any and everything.
Use this dairy-free parmesan on pizza, lasagna, baked potatoes, salad, pasta, roasted veggies, and anything else you can think of. It’s a main ingredient in delicious vegan pasta primavera.
You’re going to love this vegan cheese because it’s…
- Cheesy and nutty all in one
- Delicious sprinkled over so many dishes
- So quick and easy
- Requires no cooking and only 5 ingredients
- Keeps for weeks or months
What is vegan parmesan?
We all know that you can buy vegan parmesan for a hefty price at health food and specialty stores, but this cashew parmesan recipe is simple and made with all-natural ingredients like:
- raw cashews
- nutritional yeast
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- sea salt
There are many brands of nutritional yeast available and many grocery stores now carry it in the baking section. One brand that I personally love and order online is Sari Foods.
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
How do you make vegan parmesan?
This cheesy gluten-free delight doesn’t even have to be cooked but is simply ground up in a blender or food processor.
One of the important keys to remember here is that once all the ingredients are in your processor or blender, they should be PULSED not blended. This is because when nuts are blended, they become creamy. That’s how we get peanut butter, almond butter, and the like.
We don’t want this dairy-free parmesan to be creamy but rather have a powdery and sprinklable texture. Is that even a word? It is now.
The amazing thing is how terrific this stuff tastes!
Does it need to be stored in the refrigerator?
It doesn’t necessarily have to be stored in the refrigerator and will keep in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for about 3 weeks.
However, I like to store mine in the refrigerator, because it keeps even longer-for months even.
Vegan parmesan substitute tips
For those who have an allergy to cashews, some substitution options include:
- walnuts
- pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- hemp seeds
Substitute these in the same quantity as the cashews. Though I haven’t tried these versions, I’ve heard that they make great alternate versions of this recipe.
Uses for this recipe
This parmesan is fabulous sprinkled on spaghetti, vegan meatballs, roasted eggplant, lasagna, and even popcorn.
One of my favorite ways to use it is sprinkled over veggie pizza because it adds that extra flavor that pushes it over the top.
A couple of other terrific seasoning blends to try are Savory Spice Blend and Homemade Vegetable Bouillon Powder.
This is not my original recipe, but one that has been around many years–probably decades. It was inspired by and adapted from many other vegan parmesan cheese recipes. I’ve tweaked it a bit for my own preference and hope you enjoy it too.
Other amazing vegan cheese recipes
- Best Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Cashew Vegan Mozzarella
- Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Ricotta
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Easy Vegan Cream Cheese
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
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Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and PULSE until the texture is a fine meal perfect for sprinkling.
- Store in an airtight container either at room temperature (for approx 3 weeks) or in the refrigerator (3-6 months.)
- Sprinkle over pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, popcorn, and anything else you can think of.
Video
Notes
- walnuts
- pepitas (pumpkins seeds)
- hemp seeds
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
I use almond flour for the nuts. When the grandkids are hey can still whip some up using a bowl.
Making tonight – going on roasted cauliflower – sounds delish, right?
That sounds fabulous! 😀
For enhanced flavor (unless you’re opposed to cooking), crush/chop cashews and toast in skillet or on baking pan before pulsing with other ingredients. Or use roasted cashews instead of raw.
I have a family member that can not eat nuts or seeds, except hemp or chia. I made this with hemp seeds and it turned out great!
Thank you for sharing all these amazing recipes and wonderful knowledge with us, Terri, you are so appreciated!
That is such good information to know! Thank you so much for sharing that hemp seeds are a good substitution option for this parmesan recipe. Your input and kind words are very much appreciated! 😀
Two details-> first, any nut or seed works, but for a lower fat version I have used part mashed potato flakes. Second, UNFORTIFIED yeast has made a HUGE difference in how I enjoy nutritional yeast (AKA nooch). Luckily I have an old shaker top with glass jar I can reuse