This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
You don’t have to miss cheese anymore with this incredibly flavorful vegan parmesan!
Easy Cheesy Vegan Parmesan
The thing that people most miss on a plant-based diet is cheese. And with good reason – it’s delicious and adds a tasty element to dishes. But it’s also very hard to find a decent store-bought vegan cheese. I’ve tried them all and am only impressed with a tiny fraction.
I really like GO VEGGIE’s parmesan cheese…except for the price tag that comes along with it. The good news is that you can make vegan parmesan at home, that tastes better than any store bought parm.
I’ve tried a few recipes by other fantastic food bloggers, like Minimalist Baker’s and Vegan Richa’s. And they were really good, but I felt like something was missing.
Then one day (gosh this is starting to sound like a plot line for a movie), I was munching on Earth Balance’s vegan white cheddar popcorn and noticed they use a combo of garlic and onion to achieve that cheesiness.
So the next time I made parmesan, I added a little onion powder and –ding ding- we had a winner!
How to Make Vegan Parmesan
The ingredients you’ll need: cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion, powder, and salt. I find my nutritional yeast at Whole Foods, but Trader Joe’s just started carrying some, too. You can also find it on Amazon for a good price.
The process for this recipe is insanely simple. You’ll just need a food processor or a spice/coffee grinder. Since I don’t have a food processor (the one kitchen gadget I don’t have yet, I know, kind of shocking), I use my coffee grinder and it works great.
I use this vegan parm on spaghetti, vegan meatball subs, eggplant parm, popcorn…so many possibilities. My personal favorite way to use it is on pizza. I don’t even miss shredded cheese in the slightest because the parmesan is that flavorful.
Alternative Method:
For an even faster way to make vegan parmesan, you can use almond flour:
Easy Cheesy Vegan Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw unsalted cashews
- 1.5 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Using a food processor or spice/coffee grinder, blend all ingredients together into a powder.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Stacy says
The taste is There but it’s pasty, not texture of Parmesan, so there’s no way it’ll sprinkle on or out of a jar.
Karissa says
Hey Stacy, sorry yours didn’t turn out right! You may have blended too much causing the cashews to turn into more of a cashew butter texture.
Patricia G. says
I use pumpkin seeds – works great!
Jennifer says
Simple and DELICIOUS! I unabashedly eat it by the spoonful.
Cara says
Can you skip the nutritional yeast part? I have tried that in other recipes and it tastes awful! Thanks!
Karissa says
Sure!
SG says
What would you use instead of the cashews if you’re allergic to nuts?
Karissa says
Hey! You could try sunflower seeds.
Lynne James says
Game changer for my meals, I can sprinkle this on everything! I love it so much. Growing up in an Italian family we always had a bowl of parm on the table for every meal. I will make a to go shaker for my travel bag now! Thanks!
Bonnie says
Karissa = Just fyi, that You are doing Yourself a disservice..
I was suggesting Your Vegan Parm Recipe to someone on Twitter, and wanted to Tag You in the comment (other chef’s etc); however, was unable to find You on Twitter and none of Your social media account information is listed on this page. I presume You have Twitter & Instagram accounts?!…so just an FYI, You might want to update your page to show (& steer visitors to) Your Social Media Accts…Just Sayin’ a hands off easy way to gain more followers to each acct..*smiles*..& Thanks for sharing Your Recipe!!
Karissa says
Hey, Bonnie! Thanks for the heads up – they are supposed to be linked in my sidebar but that bit of code must have gotten removed somehow. Appreciate you!
Wanda Jenkins says
Thanks for this recipe! I love it and you were right! That onion and garlic powder really make a difference! I added one more ingredient, 1/4 teaspoon of lactic acid, and it gave it that “twang” that parm has. Try it!
Paula Kelly says
Thanks for this great recipe! So much tastier than store bought versions.
Deborrah Cooper says
Best results are when you pulse a few times. Don’t leave the food processor running. Too dangerous. lol
CJ says
How do you keep the cashews from making this too creamy instead of a powder?
Karissa says
I only have to grind this recipe for 10ish seconds, not long enough for the cashews to get creamy.