Even plant based eaters long for a hefty sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on their pasta bowls and now they can have it!! This recipe will teach you how to make vegan Parmesan cheese by combining 5 nuts and seasonings together for an irresistible savory sprinkle everyone in your family will love, especially your vegan eaters!
****Blog post images, video, nutritional information, and text updated 6/25/2020 - the recipe is still the original recipe published 10/5/2014.****
I have tried quite a few different variations of vegan Parmesan over the years, but this one is my favorite and it's always a total crowd pleaser too! This plant based Parmesan is great sprinkled on pasta, salads, sandwiches, and even sprinkled over the top of toasted gluten free bread with a little dab of vegan butter. This tutorial is so easy it requires only 1 step and 5 simple ingredients to yield a full cup of vegan Parmesan that will keep in your fridge for 2 months.
Let me show you just how easy it is to make Vegan Parmesan Cheese!!
First, gather the ingredients that you will need.
Most of the ingredients are pretty basic like raw cashews, slivered almonds, garlic powder, and salt. But, the last ingredient, nutritional yeast, might not be a staple in everyone's pantry.
Nutritional yeast is a food additive made from a single-celled organism, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, which is grown on molasses and then harvested, washed, and dried with heat to kill or “deactivate” it. Because it’s inactive, it doesn’t froth or grow like baking yeast does so it doesn't have leavening ability. Nutritional yeast flakes do have a flavor that is very reminiscent of real cheese though which makes it the super star of this recipe!
Seriously, it is that easy!! Combine the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until a fine meal forms. Just be sure to not over process or you will have clumpy parm or even worse...parm nut butter! Store your vegan Parmesan cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months and sprinkle a little on whenever you crave a little cheese factor!
Now that you know how to make Vegan Parmesan Cheese here are a few ways you can use it up in your kitchen..
Easy 5-Ingredient Marinara || It doesn't get much simpler than this Easy 5-Ingredient Marinara! 5 simple ingredients + 30 minutes with minimal hands on time = weeknight dinner perfection! To make the sauce vegan simply substitute the butter in the recipe with a vegan butter substitute.
Easy Gluten Free Pasta Snack Jars || Become the master of after school snack time with these easy to prep, totally gluten free, pasta snack jars! These deliciously layered jars are completely customizable, so you can be sure to always have a delicious, healthy snack for your family on hand!
If you’ve made this Vegan Parmesan Cheese I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below!
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PrintHow To Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Sprinkle this plant based Parmesan anywhere you would use regular Parmesan cheese.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Vegan
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- ½ cup blanched slivered almonds
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the "S" blade. Pulse until a fine meal forms. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 49
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 41 mg
- Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.4 g
- Protein: 1.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Katy says
Just made it........Fantastic!
thismess says
That's so wonderful Katy! I am glad you love it too!
Hard_Ang_The_Herbivore says
So good. I will be making this again!! Can’t wait to show it off!! 😁😁😁
thismess says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
Julie says
Just made this with only cashew nuts, didn't have almonds. It is incredibly delicious. Need someone to come in and stop me eating it all .
thismess says
Yay Julie - I love that you tried it with cashews!!!
Janet says
Thank you! I made your recipe tonight with raw hazlelnuts and it is delicious. I have never tried vegan parmesan before but I'm doing the whole 30 diet and can't have dairy for 30 days. I will still use this after it though! I had it over zucchini pasta (no grains either) and roasted eggplant with tomato sauce. Yum!
thismess says
Wow Janet!!!I love the addition of hazelnuts, I'm going to have to try that. I'm so glad you love this recipe, it's amazing how it tricks the tastebuds into thinking you're eating cheese right? Good luck on your Whole 30!!
Daneel says
Thank you I was hoping that I could have Vegan parm cheese with my Vegan pasta .