5-Ingredient Vegan Parmesan Recipe – So quick and easy! (2024)

This vegan parmesan cheese recipe is quick, easy, and it tastes amazing—and you only need 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make it!

5-Ingredient Vegan Parmesan Recipe – So quick and easy! (1)

Parmesan cheese is one of those magical foods that has a way of making just about everything taste better. When I went vegan, I knew I needed to find a plant-based alternative…

In walks in five super simple ingredients: cashews, nutritional yeast, sea salt, garlic powder, and an unexpected addition that made all the difference, onion powder. Five minutes, a lifetime of happiness, and lots of cheesy vegan pizzas.

So, how and why does this taste like parmesan cheese? If you’ve ever made cashew butter, then you know that it grinds down into a meal similar to almond meal before turning into its gooey butter goodness. That cashew meal mimics parmesan cheese in texture and consistency.

The cashew meal provides the perfect base to add nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is the vegan go-to for cheese-like flavour and it has tons of B12, making it delicious and nutritious. Then the other three ingredients—garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt—add even more flavour, slight saltiness, and an extra hint of cheesiness.

If you miss adding that crumbly, shakeable cheese on all the things, you’re going to want to keep this vegan parmesan on hand!

5-Ingredient Vegan Parmesan Recipe – So quick and easy! (2)

Notes on Ingredients

Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

  • Raw cashews – For the right texture and flavour, raw cashews (not roasted or salted!) are a must.
  • Nutritional yeast – You can find this in the bulk section or with the seasonings in many grocery stores, or it can be ordered online.
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Sea salt

What Is the Purpose of Nutritional Yeast?

Nutritional yeast is commonly used in vegan recipes because it brings a funky, cheesy flavour to the table when traditional cheese isn’t an option. It’s also an excellent addition to vegan diets because it contains protein and vitamin B12, along with many other vitamins and minerals.

How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Get ready, friends! Your vegan parmesan will be ready to sprinkle on pizza, pasta, salads, and more in just a few minutes.

Grind the cashews. Add the cashews to a food processor and process until they form a coarse meal, similar to the shelf-stable grated parmesan sold in plastic containers at the grocery store.

Finish. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse a few times until everything is combined.

How to Use Vegan Parmesan

Use vegan parmesan any way you’d use regular parmesan! Here are some of my favourite ideas:

  • GrilledMexican Street Corn
  • Grilled Lemon Garlic Zucchini
  • Creamy Cashew Pea Pesto
  • Pesto Zucchini Noodles with Burst Cherry Tomatoes
  • Vegan Garlic Parmesan Dinner Rolls
  • Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs
  • Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta
  • Vegetable Lasagna
5-Ingredient Vegan Parmesan Recipe – So quick and easy! (3)

Tips for Success

As you can see, there’s really not much to this recipe. Here are a few additional pointers, though:

  • Nut allergies? No problem! You can substitute the cashews for sunflower seeds or pepitas. Just note that this will alter the colour and flavour—you’ll still get that funky-cheesiness, but with more seed flavour.
  • Don’t over-mix. If you run the food processor too long, you’ll end up with parmesan paste—not very appetizing! Just pulse until everything has come together.
  • Use a food processor. A blender just won’t cut it here. If you don’t have a food processor, you can place the cashews in a plastic bag and pound them with a rolling pin to crush them. The result will be a coarser vegan parmesan, but it taste just as good.

How to Store

Store your vegan parmesan cheese in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. (Although all of the ingredients are technically shelf-stable, the fridge will keep the raw cashews from going rancid.)

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

If you want your vegan parmesan cheese to last longer, you can place it in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze it for up to 6 months. As long as there’s no moisture in the container, you should still be able to scoop it and use it directly from frozen.

Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan parmesan cheese, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!

5-Ingredient Vegan Parmesan Recipe – So quick and easy! (4)

How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Servings: 18 tablespoons

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 5 minutes mins

This easy vegan parmesan cheese is the perfect addition to pizza, pasta, salad, and more!

5 (from 15 ratings)

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp raw cashews
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 3/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  • In a food processor, add the cashews and blend until they became ground down into a meal.

  • Add all the other ingredients and mix together until combined.

  • Enjoy!

Notes

This vegan parmesan cheese should be stored in an airtight jar in your fridge. It will last up to 2 months.

Calories: 32kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 98mg, Potassium: 49mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Cuisine: American, Italian

Course: Snacks

Author: Jessica Hylton

5-Ingredient Vegan Parmesan Recipe – So quick and easy! (2024)

FAQs

What is vegan parmesan made from? ›

Vegan parmesan is made from a mixture of nuts and seeds, nutritional yeast, a couple pantry spices, salt, and pepper. I like to use a particular mixture of nuts and seeds, my favourite combination being: raw walnuts, sliced almonds, and hemp seeds.

What is a good non-dairy substitute for parmesan cheese? ›

Dairy Free Parmesan
  • 1 c cashews.
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast.
  • 3/4 tsp sea salt.
  • 1 tsp garlic OR onion powder optional.
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper optional.

What are the ingredients in go veggie parmesan? ›

INGREDIENTS. Rice Flour, Coconut Oil, Rice Maltodextrin, Isolated Soy Protein, Rice Meal, Natural Vegan Flavors, Tricalcium Phosphate, Sea Salt, Glycerin, Yeast Extract, Lactic Acid (non-dairy), Soy Lecithin.

How is vegetarian parmesan cheese made? ›

BelGioioso Vegetarian Parmesan is made with fresh milk gathered daily from our local farmers, and without any animal rennet. Each wheel is aged in special caves for over 10 months. BelGioioso's Master Cheesemakers carefully inspect and hand-turn each wheel to ensure a consistent aging process.

Is there a vegan cheese that tastes like parmesan? ›

Violife Just Like Parmesan packs all the rich, nutty Parmesan flavor you love in a convenient block that is ready for you to grate with abandon. Pile high our Just Like Parmesan and never say “no” to grated parm again. Who knew 100% dairy-free and vegan could taste so good?

What is the closest vegetarian cheese to parmesan? ›

Old Winchester Cheese is a great British mature cheese full of crunchy crystals, matured for 18 months or more, it's an amazingly tasty, slightly nutty very hard cheese. Being vegetarian, it's quite a good substitute for parmesan when a vegetarian option is needed.

What is a cheaper alternative to parmesan cheese? ›

Grana Padano

Here's another Italian cow's milk cheese with a protected name. Like Parmesan, Grana Padano has to be made in a certain region of Italy, but Grana Padano's region is much larger, which ultimately makes the cheese more affordable, since more producers can make the cheese.

Can you make parmesan without rennet? ›

In fact, according to European Union law, Parmigiano-Reggiano must contain animal rennet in order to use the name. Luckily, you can still find veg versions of Parmesan (and other European-style cheeses) made Stateside.

What are the three ingredients in Parmesan cheese? ›

True Parmigiano-Reggiano is a storied cheese with a tightly controlled process and simple recipe. It has only three ingredients: fresh milk from the Parma/Reggio region of Italy, salt, and rennet. Many kinds of cheese labeled Parmesan are created with more or different ingredients.

What is the non vegetarian ingredient in Parmesan cheese? ›

Animal rennet is an enzyme that's extracted from the stomach lining of cows. 1 The reason it's added to parmesan cheese (and many other cheese products like gorgonzola, pecorino romano, gruyere, and manchego) is because the enzyme helps separate milk into curds, which creates the actual product.

Is there a vegetarian Parmesan cheese? ›

Vegetarian Parmesan Style Cheese - Gran Moravia - 1kg +/- 10%

Are calves killed for rennet? ›

Parmesan cheese is made with animal rennet which is an enzyme that comes from the fourth lining of the stomach of animals, typically calves, goats, and lambs. The animal is usually killed in the process. The rennet is then taken and dried so it becomes solid.

What are the ingredients in Belgioioso vegetarian parmesan? ›

Ingredients: Cultured milk, enzymes, salt. Chunk for snacks or cheeseboards. Shred, shave or grate for salads, pastas, pizzas, and vegetables.

Can you make vegetarian rennet? ›

Vegetable rennet is made from plant enzymes that have coagulating properties. Vegetable rennet may be produced with plants such as thistle, artichokes, and nettles, but other plants like ground ivy, dried caper leaves, and fig juice have also been known to serve as coagulants.

What's the difference between vegetarian parmesan and regular parmesan? ›

Is Any Parmesan Cheese Vegetarian? The good news is yes. Because although the enzyme that comprises rennet is always animal-based, there are now vegetable-based enzymes—obtained by soaking plants like artichokes or thistles—and microbial-based substitutes, which are made from mold enzymes extracted in a lab.

What ingredient in parmesan isn't vegetarian? ›

So why isn't Parmesan cheese vegetarian? Great question. In this case, it has to do with the use of something called rennet, which is pretty crucial to the Parmesano-Reggiano production process. Rennet is usually taken from the fourth stomach of a relatively young grazing animal like calves, goats, or lambs.

What are the ingredients in vegan cheese? ›

What Ingredients Are in Vegan Cheese? Vegan cheeses are 100% animal-free and made using vegetable proteins. Usually, they're made from soy; nuts, such as cashews and macadamias; and vegetable oils, such as coconut oil. You can also find cheeses that derive from agar, tapioca, peas and arrowroot.

What animal products are in parmesan? ›

Parmesan cheese is made with animal rennet which is an enzyme that comes from the fourth lining of the stomach of animals, typically calves, goats, and lambs. The animal is usually killed in the process. The rennet is then taken and dried so it becomes solid.

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