Make your own Vegan Parmesan Cheese at home with just 5 simple ingredients. It's a salty and savory cheese to sprinkle on all your favorite recipes. Made in just 5 minutes!
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You will find several recipes on My Darling Vegan that call for vegan parmesan cheese, such as my Kale Caesar Salad, Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta, and Cream of Asparagus Soup. I'm also getting ready to share a couple more Parmesan-heavy recipes in the upcoming weeks.
Spoiler alert: keep your eyes out for a vegan Eggplant Parmesan that I think you will love!
To keep things simple, I've usually suggested grabbing some store-bought parmesan. But over the years I've come to realize that not only is store bought parmesan difficult to find (unless you live in a vegan-friendly city), it's also incredibly simple to make at home. Beyond being simple, you have more control over how homemade parmesan tastes and, all-in-all, it's cheaper to make.
So finally, after almost 6 years of blogging, I have for you homemade vegan parmesan cheese.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Making homemade parmesan cheese is super simple to make! You only need a handful of ingredients and one single kitchen appliance - a food processor!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cashews - This recipe can also be made with blanched almonds or macadamia nuts for a similar taste and texture.
- Hemp Seeds
- Nutritional Yeast - Nutritional yeast is a common food additive made from deactivated yeast and is common in vegan cooking. Read all about it below.
- Garlic Powder
- Salt
Recommended Equipment
You don’t need much to make impressive nut-based cheeses at home. However, you will need a food processor. Having a high-quality food processor is very beneficial for plant-based eating and especially when it comes to nut-based cheeses. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
What is Nutritional Yeast?
It’s only yeast in that it comes from the same fungi family; it does not taste, look, or work like baker’s or brewer’s yeast. Rather, it is bold in color and flavor. It comes in yellow flakes (see picture above) and has a DELICIOUS nutty cheesy taste. But that’s not all. It is also highly nutritious as it is full of B-vitamins, including the hard-to-get B12 vitamin.
Nutritional yeast is commonly added to foods to give it that nutty cheesy flavor such as popcorn, tofu pasta, cheese sauces, and nut-based cheeses. You can often find nutritional yeast in the bulk section of well-stocked grocery stores or you can pick some up online. (<<affiliate link)
How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Step One - Combine the Ingredients
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until the cashews and hemp seeds are fully incorporated and broken down to resemble parmesan cheese, about 1 minute.
Step Two - Serve or Store
Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container.
Serving and Storing
Serving - Sprinkle this parmesan on your favorite dishes for a flavor-enhancing, health-boosting additive. Add it to:
Storing - This recipe makes about 1 heaping cup of cheese. Store leftover cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup hemp seeds
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until the cashews and hemp seeds are fully incorporated and broken down to resemble parmesan cheese, about 1 minute.
- Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Kimberly Stover says
This was good. Would have liked for it to have been a little cheesier (after adding more nutritional yeast) but overall satisfied what it was used for.
Jenni says
The one I turn to again and again.
Stephanie says
How will I know if my leftover “Parmesan“ cheese has gone bad?
Lea says
My omni husband loves parmesan so I'm excited to make this and see what he thinks!
Lynn Vare says
Deliscious!! Easy to make and the taste is so like parmesan I was genuinely surprised and delighted. Will have this in the fridge always..
Mollee says
Best vegan parm recipe ever. Don't judge but I ate a couple spoonfuls of it on its own, it was that tasty!
Martha says
Can I use sunflower seeds instead of cashews nuts?
Thank you
Linda mcclintock says
I can't get my hemp seeds to break up.. But still tasty
sos says
Try shelled hemp seeds (a.k.a. hemp hearts). They work a treat.
Natalya says
Thanks a lot. I cooked it. Pretty good! Could you recommend how to serve it?
Jackie says
I'm allergic to cashews. Do you know what other nut could work?
Sarah says
You could try macadamia nuts or blanched almonds.
Liz says
I actually use walnuts as my preference - the taste is a little sharper. Been making it for years!
Ashley says
Oh this is perfect for having on hand! So versitile and it looks amazingly delicious.
Sarah says
Thanks!
Ashley Bianchi says
Worked and tasted great!
Andrea says
Are Chia seeds an acceptable replacement for hemp seeds?
Sarah says
That would not give you the same results; I wouldn't recommend it.
Keks says
What would a good substitute for the hemp seeds be? They are illegal in my country 🙁
Sarah says
Here's a recipe that uses basically the same ingredients without hemp seeds: https://www.karissasvegankitchen.com/easy-cheesy-vegan-parmesan/
Maura Mark says
Have you heard that Nutritional Yeast is really just MSG wrapped up in a pretty package? Please look into this. It's a shame that it has been mistakenly touted as a health food. I love your blog and recipes. I Just have to get this critical information out there. I truly do love what you're doing. Thank you.
Sarah says
That is actually a myth. There's quite a few articles on that, but here's one for you to read: https://www.livekindly.co/nutritional-yeast-and-the-msg-myth/
John says
Very interesting about msg.
Song says
Definitely going to give this a try. I love the idea of hemp seeds. I’m thinking that this would probably freeze well too.
Thank you for sharing