Vegan Parmesan cheese, flavorful and cheesy. It’s delicious, ready in less than 5 minutes and you only need 4 ingredients. Wonderfully good!
This vegan Parmesan cheese is amazingly delicious! It tastes SO much like the original version it’s really hard to tell the difference. This recipe is tasty and very easy to make, healthy, and ready in no time.
Making vegan cheese at home is usually more inexpensive than buying it at the store. Besides, I made this version with cashews, brewer’s or nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic, so it’s totally preservative and additive-free.
Although this cheese doesn’t melt, it’s perfect to enjoy sprinkled over savory dishes like pasta, baked food, pizza, salads… Get creative and add it to whatever you’d like! It’ll give your meals a truly delicious flavor.
This vegan Parmesan cheese recipe is tasty and so good. To make it you only need a food processor or a blender, simple ingredients, and 5 minutes of your time. You’ll get a delicious plant-based cheese that will make your dishes be something else!
How to make vegan Parmesan cheese – Step by step
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor or a powerful blender (photo 1) and pulse until well mixed (photo 2).
- Serve your vegan Parmesan cheese immediately and enjoy with your favorite dishes.
Pro tips
- You could also use roasted nuts, but I think this recipe tastes better when it’s made with raw nuts.
- Add any spices, herbs, or ingredients you’d like, like onion powder or pumpkin seeds.
- I’ve seen some people use walnuts or almonds, but I’ve never tried it myself.
- If you suffer from any nut allergies and would like a nut-free version of this vegan Parmesan cheese recipe, you could maybe use hemp hearts or raw sunflower seeds as substitutions for cashews, but I’ve never made it this way.
- Soaking the cashews is not necessary, but feel free to do it.
- Be careful not to over-blend the mixture or you’ll get a creamy texture, kind of like cashew butter.
How long will this vegan Parmesan cheese keep?
This dairy-free cheese doesn’t contain fresh ingredients, so it will actually keep quite some time if stored properly. Keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
Can I use different nuts to make this vegan Parmesan cheese?
Yes, you can. Feel free to use any kind of raw unsalted nuts you have on hand, although cashews are my favorite choice. It’s best to use unsalted nuts for this recipe, but if you decide to make it with salty ones, make sure to use less salt when you prepare it.
Does vegan Parmesan cheese melt?
This vegan Parmesan cheese does not melt, but it’s perfect to incorporate into lots of different recipes. You can use it to make vegan pesto, sprinkle it over a plate of broccoli pasta or a vegan pizza, or simply add it to all your favorite dishes.
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Did you make this vegan Parmesan cheese recipe?
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Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Prep: 5 mins
- Total: 5 mins
- 16 tbsp 1x
- How to, Gluten-Free
- Italian
- Vegan
Servings 16 tbsp 1x
Vegan Parmesan cheese, flavorful and cheesy. It’s delicious, ready in less than 5 minutes and you only need 4 ingredients. Wonderfully good!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews (150 g)
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor or a powerful blender and pulse until well mixed.
- Use your vegan Parmesan cheese to make vegan pesto, sprinkle it over a plate of broccoli pasta or a vegan pizza, or simply add it to all your favorite dishes.
- Keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Notes
- You could also use roasted nuts, but I think this recipe tastes better when it’s made with raw nuts.
- Add any spices, herbs, or ingredients you’d like, like onion powder or pumpkin seeds.
- I’ve seen some people use walnuts or almonds, but I’ve never tried it myself.
- If you suffer from any nut allergies and would like a nut-free version of this vegan Parmesan cheese recipe, you could maybe use hemp hearts or raw sunflower seeds as substitutions for cashews, but I’ve never made it this way.
- Soaking the cashews is not necessary, but feel free to do it.
- Be careful not to over-blend the mixture or you’ll get a creamy texture, kind of like cashew butter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tbsp (of 16)
- Calories: 63
- Sugar: 0.7 g
- Sodium: 149 mg
- Fat: 4.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
Update Notes: This post was originally published in July of 2014, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions, and tips in January of 2022.
Love this recipe. I use it as a salad and pasta topper all the time. My cheese-loving husband adores it as a healthy alternative as well
Hi Margarita! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you guys like it!
I love this parmesan substitute! So simple and has much more flavour than the commercial cheese packs.
I just wish you hadn’t mentioned eating it straight from the jar. Very moreish!
★★★★★
Hi Stephanie! So glad you liked it 🙂 Yes, it’s really addictive!!!
Since I first made this thing, I have kept coming back for the proportions, this nutty parm is a real game changer 🙂 Love it, thanks for your great recipes, I am utterly greatful for your newsletter as well 🙂
★★★★★
Hi Anna! You’re so welcome 🙂 SO glad you like our recipes!
I was so excited after trying your vegan cheese recipe that I immediately tried this parmesan recipe, too, and was once again super happy with the results! This recipe had me eating your parmesan with a spoon. 🙂 I can’t wait to try it on pasta this week. Thanks so much for these recipes!
★★★★★
Hi Ashley! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 You’re so welcome!
This was so good! I can’t believe I haven’t tried it before. Thanks for the recipe 😊
★★★★★
Hi Patricia! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
OMG! You know what I mean!!!! LOL
Yes, I understood you 🙂
Sorry, meany shelf life.
It lasts longer in the fridge, by the way 🙂
Made exactly how the recipe calls. It taste a lot better than any store bought vegan Parmesan cheese. How long is the self life once made?
★★★★★
Months but it won’t last that long. I put it in a shaker bottle and store on the door shelf. I use different nits and seeds for different flavors/textures. I sometimes add onion powder, and/or miso, or dried Italian herbs.
Hi Joann! Thanks a lot for your comment 🙂
Hi Marylou! It lasts weeks, or even months 🙂
Yes it tasted great!
Hi Laura! Thanks a lot 🙂
The above information was copied from https://www.betternutrition.com/checkout/brewers-yeast-versus-nutritional-yeast
Hi Joann! Thank you SO much for your valuable comment 🙂
Nutritional Yeast and Brewer’s yeast are really not the same!!!!!
Both nutritional and brewer’s yeasts are a type of fungus. So, like mushrooms, they’re neither plant nor animal. Both are good sources of B vitamins, necessary for efficient metabolism of food and to help us withstand stress, and of minerals, protein, and fiber. Although either one can be taken as a supplement in pills, flakes and powders are the most popular forms, adding a nutritional boost when mixed in juices, smoothies, dressings, sauces, or soups, or sprinkled on salads, cooked vegetables, popcorn-or just about any other food. Nutritional yeast is especially popular as a vegan substitute for grated cheese, such as Parmesan.
Both types of yeast are inactive, meaning they won’t make bread rise or generate a yeast overgrowth in your body. And both are the same species of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. But in other ways, they differ.
The taste of nutritional yeast is milder, with a nutty, cheesy flavor. Brewer’s yeast is a bit bitter, although the bitterness is reduced in some products. The concentration of vitamins and minerals differs among products, and the yeasts are cultivated on different media.
Brewer’s yeast is traditionally a byproduct of the beer-making process, in which case it’s cultivated on malted barley or other grains, which produces some bitterness. However, some brewer’s yeasts are “primary grown,” meaning they are cultivated specifically for use as a dietary supplement, and may be grown on the same types of media as nutritional yeast.
Nutritional yeast is never a brewery by-product, and is typically grown on molasses from either sugar beets or cane sugar. Much of the sugar beet harvest in the U.S. is genetically modified, but nutritional yeasts grown on non-GMO versions are available, and some are organic.
Both types of yeast contain similar amounts of protein, fiber, and a very small amount of fat-around 7 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of fat in a 60-calorie serving. Brewer’s yeast naturally contains chromium, whereas nutritional yeast does not. In other ways, the exact concentration of B vitamins and minerals varies from one product to another. Although the yeasts naturally contain all the B vitamins, additional amounts are sometimes added, in which case B vitamins are listed as separate ingredients on the label.
★★★★★
I always have some of this on hand. I use it on soups, salads, and cooked veggies.
★★★★★
Hi Jen! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
Hi Iosune, thank you for this recipe which I’m excited to try. I wonder what brand of nutritional yeast you use for this recipe?
Hi Sarah! I live in Spain, so I used an Spanish brand, sorry!
No worries! Thanks Iosune. I’ll let you know how it turns out =)
Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you SO much for this recipe – it is amazing and I use it so often. 🙂
Hi Melinda! Thank YOU 🙂 So glad you liked it!
This receipe is as good as commercial without the chemicals. I use it a lot. As a sprinkle and in receipts ie alfredo sauce. Thanks.
★★★★★
Hi Anita! Thank you so much 🙂
I love this recipe. It is so easy to make and so delicious. I use it on lots of things including popcorn! Love all of your tasty recipes. They are simple to make from ingredients that are easy to find and not too expensive. I love that most of your recipes contain only a few ingredients which gives me the confidence to try them and doesn’t overwhelm me.
Hi Barbara! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you like our recipes!
I love this vegan parmesan cheese. It’s so simple and delicious. I love, love, love it! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
★★★★★
Hi Jeanette! You’re so welcome 🙂 So glad you like it!
Love this recipe! Planning to put it on top of a Walnut Pesto Pasta; a recipe in Vegetarian Comfort Food by Megan Gilmore.
★★★★★
Hi Lauren! Thank you so much 🙂 Sounds amazing!
i am allergic to garlic, boo-hoo, so is there a possible alternative for this recipe? usually, in ‘food’ recipes i either leave it out or add a shallot. possibly another dry spice? thanks.
Hi Elayne! You could add onion powder instead 🙂
thanks so much. i really wanted to make this and now i can! (am sending a new comment as the reply in your answer doesn’t work.)
Hope you like it! 😉
How about white miso instead of salt?
Hi Mitch! I don’t think it’s going to work, but you could try…
The recipe distinguishes salted versus unsalted cashews, but dies not indicate whether roasted or raw. Would either work?
Hi Snocook! I prefer to use raw cashews, but both are okay 🙂
Stunning! New to vegan cuisine and cheese is a huuuge stumbling block as most taste like lard, love this!!!
★★★★★
Hi Marion! Thank you so much 🙂 So glad you liked it!
As a current cheese eater, very impressed! Has that cheesy nutty flavor and is a great swap. I’m attempting to try different cheese alternatives and this one is pretty great for a Parm “sprinkle”. Great work!
★★★★★
Hi there! So glad you liked it 🙂 Have a beautiful day!
I must have done something wrong or overmixed because it came out lumpy not powdery. Like cashew butter. The other two times were perfect ! O NO
Hi Jennifer! If you have a powerful blender, just blend a few seconds. I prefer to make this recipe using a food processor 🙂
Are the cashews raw or roasted?
Hi Rhonda! I prefer to use raw cashews, but the roasted ones are also okay 🙂
Are the cashews roasted or raw?
Hy Darcy! I prefer to use raw cashews, but you can use both 🙂
Lovely cheesy vegan parmesan. Topped a penne with homemade grilled pepper-tomato-pastasauce and baked pinenuts with it.
★★★★★
Hi Patricia! Sounds amazing 🙂 So glad you liked it!
just made this and it is delicious perfectly spiced and good texture Thanks
★★★★★
Hi Tracy! You’re so welcome 🙂 SO glad you liked it!
I used almonds and it turned out great!
★★★★★
Hi Hammy! So glad you liked it 😀
Hi,
I tried this and it just tastes really strongly of nutritional yeast. Is it supposed to, or should I be using less nutritional yeast?
Hi Annalise! Add less nutritional yeast next time 🙂
Fantastic, thanks
You’re welcome 🙂