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Home » Recipes » Vegan Parmesan Cheese w/ Hemp Seeds

Vegan Parmesan Cheese w/ Hemp Seeds

by Sarah McMinn / Posted: February 12, 2018 / Updated: July 23, 2020 / Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Total Time: 5 mins

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Make your own Vegan Parmesan Cheese at home with just 5 simple ingredients for a salty and savory cheese to sprinkle on everything.
This vegan homemade parmesan cheese is nutty, cheesy, and delicious + is loaded with important vitamins and minerals for a cheese that everyone will love.
Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Make your own Vegan Parmesan Cheese at home with just 5 simple ingredients for a salty and savory cheese to sprinkle on everything.

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!

Vegan Parmesan Cheese in a glass mason jar with a spoon

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

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.

Cashews, hemp hearts, and nutritional yeast on a wooden board
Table of Contents show
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Serving and Storing
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
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.

Large flake nutritional yeast

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.

Cashews, hemp hearts, and nutritional yeast in a food processor

Vegan Parmesan Cheese in a small white bowl

Serving and Storing

Serving - Sprinkle this parmesan on your favorite dishes for a flavor-enhancing, health-boosting additive. Add it to:

  • Pizza
  • Pasta
  • Lasagna
  • Salad
  • Kale Chips

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 Ricotta Cheese
  • Cheddar Cheese Ball
  • Vegan Feta
  • Cultured Cream Cheese

Vegan Parmesan Cheese in a small white bowl

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Make your own Vegan Parmesan Cheese at home with just 5 simple ingredients for a salty and savory cheese to sprinkle on everything.
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 144kcal
Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup raw cashews
  • ½ cup hemp seeds
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
US Customary - Metric

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. 

Notes

Serving - This vegan parmesan cheese can be sprinkled on anything for a flavor-enhancing, health-boosting additive to your favorite foods. Sprinkle it on Pizza, Pasta, Lasagna, Salad, Kale Chips, and more. 
Storing - This recipe makes about 1 heaping cup of cheese. Leftover cheese can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 2.6mg
@mydarlingvegan on Instagram
If you give this recipe recipe a try, snap a photo and share it on Instagram. Make sure to tag @mydarlingvegan so I can see your creations!
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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 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan.

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest and read more about me here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kimberly Stover says

    August 15, 2022 at 7:25 pm

    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.

    Reply
  2. Jenni says

    August 13, 2022 at 9:32 am

    5 stars
    The one I turn to again and again.

    Reply
  3. Stephanie says

    January 04, 2022 at 11:01 am

    How will I know if my leftover “Parmesan“ cheese has gone bad?

    Reply
  4. Lea says

    September 10, 2021 at 5:44 am

    My omni husband loves parmesan so I'm excited to make this and see what he thinks!

    Reply
  5. Lynn Vare says

    April 04, 2021 at 10:00 pm

    Deliscious!! Easy to make and the taste is so like parmesan I was genuinely surprised and delighted. Will have this in the fridge always..

    Reply
  6. Mollee says

    January 26, 2021 at 5:24 pm

    5 stars
    Best vegan parm recipe ever. Don't judge but I ate a couple spoonfuls of it on its own, it was that tasty!

    Reply
  7. Martha says

    August 07, 2020 at 6:54 pm

    Can I use sunflower seeds instead of cashews nuts?
    Thank you

    Reply
  8. Linda mcclintock says

    February 16, 2019 at 2:34 am

    I can't get my hemp seeds to break up.. But still tasty

    Reply
    • sos says

      December 13, 2020 at 3:54 pm

      Try shelled hemp seeds (a.k.a. hemp hearts). They work a treat.

      Reply
  9. Natalya says

    March 04, 2018 at 4:31 am

    5 stars
    Thanks a lot. I cooked it. Pretty good! Could you recommend how to serve it?

    Reply
  10. Jackie says

    February 23, 2018 at 8:38 pm

    I'm allergic to cashews. Do you know what other nut could work?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 25, 2018 at 11:02 am

      You could try macadamia nuts or blanched almonds.

      Reply
      • Liz says

        February 06, 2023 at 10:56 am

        I actually use walnuts as my preference - the taste is a little sharper. Been making it for years!

        Reply
  11. Ashley says

    February 21, 2018 at 1:23 pm

    Oh this is perfect for having on hand! So versitile and it looks amazingly delicious.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 22, 2018 at 8:16 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  12. Ashley Bianchi says

    February 16, 2018 at 10:51 am

    5 stars
    Worked and tasted great!

    Reply
  13. Andrea says

    February 13, 2018 at 7:52 am

    Are Chia seeds an acceptable replacement for hemp seeds?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 13, 2018 at 8:18 am

      That would not give you the same results; I wouldn't recommend it.

      Reply
      • Keks says

        February 22, 2018 at 7:09 pm

        5 stars
        What would a good substitute for the hemp seeds be? They are illegal in my country 🙁

        Reply
        • Sarah says

          February 25, 2018 at 11:07 am

          Here's a recipe that uses basically the same ingredients without hemp seeds: https://www.karissasvegankitchen.com/easy-cheesy-vegan-parmesan/

          Reply
  14. Maura Mark says

    February 12, 2018 at 2:24 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 13, 2018 at 8:17 am

      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/

      Reply
      • John says

        February 17, 2018 at 5:29 pm

        5 stars
        Very interesting about msg.

        Reply
  15. Song says

    February 12, 2018 at 1:11 pm

    5 stars
    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

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Sarah McMinn, author and recipe developer here at My Darling Vegan. I am a classically trained chef and professional photographer. With 14 years of vegan experience, my goal is to make vegan eating easy, fun, and accessible for all.

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Hi! I’m Sarah McMinn, author and recipe developer here at My Darling Vegan. I am a classically trained chef and professional photographer. With 14 years of vegan experience, my goal is to make vegan eating easy, fun, and accessible for all.

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