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    Home » Recipes » Dips and Sauces

    Easy Vegan Parmesan Cheese

    Published: Apr 17, 2018 · Modified: Jun 7, 2019 by Kate Hackworthy · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe

    Make this easy cheesy vegan parmesan cheese in just 5 minutes! You only need cashews plus spices, then to whiz them to form a crumbly meal. Sprinkle it on pasta, pizza, salads, popcorn and more. Don't like cashews? I give alternative ingredients too.

    A jar of easy cheesy vegan parmesan cheese, made with cashes and spices, with a plate of spaghetti and aubergine meatballs in the background

    Make this Easy Cheesy Vegan Parmesan Cheese with just a handful of ingredients and 5 minutes!

    It has a lovely flavour and texture that's perfect for salad, pasta, pizza, popcorn and so much more. I've been making this for sooo long and always have a jar in my fridge. I love how it lifts many dishes - like vegan shepherds pie or vegan caesar salad. It would be great on courgetti with lentil meatballs (vegan gluten free) too.

    Many people don't realise that standard parmesan isn't even vegetarian. To make it, they use animal rennet rendering it not safe for veggies. As for vegans, obviously with the milk it won't be vegan at all.

    However, veggies and vegans don't have to miss out. My cashew parmesan packs a savoury flavour punch to liven up meals.

    I've tried store bought vegan parmesan, but I most definitely prefer this version. It doesn't melt at all, but does bring a wonderful savoury flavour to many dishes.

    Easy cheesy vegan parmesan cheese being sprinkled on spaghetti and aubergine meatballs with tomato sauce

    Easy vegan parmesan cheese on spaghetti with aubergine/eggplant meatballs

    Ingredients for Vegan Parmesan

    You will need:
    Cashews
    Nutritional yeast flakes (easily found in supermarkets and health food shops)
    Onion powder (in the spice aisle)
    Garlic powder (in the spice aisle)
    Salt
    Ground turmeric (optional, but adds colour)

    What is Nutritional Yeast?

    Nutritional yeast is made of flakes of dried inactive yeast that looks rather like fish food. However, it's really good for you. The vegan condiment has a cheesy flavour and is full of B vitamins, folic acid, zinc and B12.

    It's actually very tasty and I love using it on soups, stews, casseroles and salads. You just sprinkle it onto hot of cold food and enjoy. It's best not to heat it too much to preserve the health benefits, so just add it at the end.

    Substitutions for vegan parmesan

    • No cashews? Try it with almonds,
    • No blender or food processor? Use almond meal (ground almonds) and stir in the other ingredients well.
    • I'd recommend using the nutritional yeast, as omitting it that will affect the cheesy flavour
    • You can leave out the ground turmeric. I like to use it for colour and extra health benefits, but your cashew parmesan will taste fine without it.

     

    How to make vegan parmesan

    How to make vegan parmesan - step 1: blender with cashews, nutritional yeast, spices

    1: Add cashews, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric and salt to a blender or food processor

     

    How to make vegan parmesan: step 2 - whiz all ingredients in a blender

    2: Whiz all ingredients

     

    How to make vegan parmesan: Step 3 - whiz until it forms a fine crumb.

    3: blitz until it forms a fine crumb - and it's ready!

    How to use vegan cashew parmesan cheese

    I always have a batch of this crumbly cashew parmesan in the fridge and use it in many ways, including:

    vegan caesar salad (I eat this at least once a week!)
    Sprinkled on popcorn
    In pesto (try my pea pesto)
    pasta, soups or stews
    vegan beet pizza
    vegan eggplant meatballs

    Get the Vegan Parmesan Cheese Recipe

    Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
    Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #veggiedesserts.

    A jar of easy cheesy vegan parmesan cheese, made with cashes and spices, with a plate of spaghetti and aubergine meatballs in the background

    Easy Cheesy Vegan Parmesan

    Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts
    You only need 6 ingredients and 5 minutes to whiz up this delicious vegan parmesan cheese. It's delicious sprinkled on pasta, pizza, popcorn, salad and more. 
    5 from 6 votes
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    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 0 mins
    Total Time 5 mins
    Course Dips and Spreads
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 20
    Calories 24 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • ⅔ cup (75g) raw unsalted cashews
    • 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric

    Instructions
     

    • Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Process until it forms a fine crumb, but take care not to overprocess or it will turn creamy.
    • Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 month.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 24kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSodium: 29mgPotassium: 39mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 0.3mg

    The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Choclette

      April 26, 2018 at 9:00 pm

      Totally brilliant Kate. I'm going to try making this next time I have pasta - although actually, why wait?

      Reply
    2. linda spiker

      April 17, 2018 at 2:40 pm

      5 stars
      I made vegan cashew cheese and Parmesan cheese just last week! But I love your addition of turmeric here!

      Reply
    3. Carrie

      April 17, 2018 at 2:22 pm

      5 stars
      Very creative, I bet this is really tasty on pasta!

      Reply
    4. Jennifer D Burby

      April 17, 2018 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      I've been "in" to making vegan and vegetarian dishes recently, so this is right up my alley and looks super delicious on the pasta. Cheers

      Reply
    5. Julia

      April 17, 2018 at 1:41 pm

      5 stars
      I wondered how the vegan parmesan was made. Now I know 🙂 Love how easy it is to make!

      Reply
    6. Claudia Lamascolo

      April 17, 2018 at 1:31 pm

      WOw this is a genius idea! Amazing! I need to save this one!

      Reply
    7. Dawn - Girl Heart Food

      April 17, 2018 at 1:28 pm

      5 stars
      Sounds delicious and I could think of so many ways to use this. I think my favourite would be for popcorn 🙂

      Reply
    8. Erica Hughes

      April 17, 2018 at 1:23 pm

      I love the idea of making a parmesan substitute with cashews. I have been looking for some extra ways to bring more nuts into my diet.

      Reply

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    Kate Hackworthy in the kitchen

    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

    Collage of press logos.

    Popular recipes

    • The BEST Easy Red Lentil Dahl
    • Easy Naan Bread Recipe (yeast-free)
    • Mini Baked Potatoes
    • Easy Lentil Soup

    Easter Recipes

    • Easter Rice Krispie Nests
    • Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua)
    • Mushroom Wellington
    • Nut Roast

    My cookbook

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    Check out my Veggie Desserts Cookbook, full of tasty desserts with vegetables!

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