How To Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese

I had tried other vegan “Parmesans” before, and they were nice, but not gorgeous. Since I’ve never been a big fan of parmesan I didn’t care, but my husband wasn’t happy with them. This time, he just asked: “I suppose this parmesan isn’t real either?” so I think your recipe comes very, very close to the real thing! I blame the garlic powder, it’s the only difference I see to other recipes, or maybe the fact that I used sunflower seeds. So I’ll definitely stick to sunflower and garlic!

Ok, I was of the “how good can this be?” mindset and I am completely blown away! I used a raw garlic clove because I didn’t have any garlic powder and I am eating it out of the food processor with a spoon as I write! Delicious! Can’t wait to put it on sautéed kale and butternut squash tonight!

I can’t seem to find any nutritional yeast around where I live, will any other type of yeast work too? or any substitutes for this?

BEST vegan cheese alternative ever. I don’t even like nutritional yeast (yes i know weird for a vegan to say lol) but this tastes JUST like parmesan when baked. I make garlic cheese bread, garlic cheese fries, and pizza with it. It’s amazing. even my non vegan family love it!!!

I can’t use nutritional yeast or olive oil. What can I use as a substitute for these things?

Hi! I have only recently discovered your blog. I’m in love with all your vegan recipes and tips. They are often harder to come across than usual diet types’. Really hugely grateful for them. Please keep them coming!

Thank you very much. All the best!

I made your vegan parmesan to go along with your vegan alfredo recipe. I’ve been eating the parmesan by the spoonful – it is sooooooo delicious! I love nutrional yeast on my popcorn so I’m gonna try this on my popcorn next!

You saved Thanksgiving!!! I’ve been GF/DF for a while, but one of my sons now has to be as well, and I wanted so badly to make a Brussels gratin bake to go with our ham (hubby allergic to poultry – sheesh!). Now I can!

I use this recipe all the time! I use only 1/4 tsp of salt and I go more freely on the garlic but very good and simple! I also tried substituting 1/4 cup of cashews with pistachios and it’s like heaven in my mouth! It adds a buttery taste that complements the nooch very well!

Sooooo good!!! Simple, easy to make and very tasty.

A total winner! My husband loves it and so do I!

I rely on your recipes so much; thank you! Re: the vegan parm, I use it daily. My big (huge) Q is: at what ratio would you substitute it for regular parm, as in pea pesto? Thanks for letting me know!

I’ve just started my vegan diet, and this would be a great healthy alternative topping to pasta dishes!

While I’m not gonna say it taste exactly like Parmesan cheese, it is absolutely DELICIOUS!! Thank you so much for this recipe, I have a feeling my cashew consumption is gonna skyrocket, hehe. x)

OMG. I am obsessed with this. I made it with a cup of cashews yesterdays and it is GONE. I am the only one who has eaten it; mostly just straight out of the bottle! It feels like there is some magical chemical thing in there that makes you have to have more! I did use a little less salt.

This is the best vegan parm I have ever tried. So happy I found your blog awhile back. I have made several of your recipes and they are all delish….the pizza, the singapore noodles, and a few others I can’t recall off hand. Thanks so much for sharing. Cheers, Jaime

Love this site! have you ever tried adding a little white miso to this parm? it just gives it that savory/salty edge that real parm has. i will never go back!

I would like to find out how to make an alternative”cheese spread “using Tahiti and yeast extract?

Waaaay better than grated parmesan and so very easy to make. I made some spaghetti sauce and roasted a spaghetti squash for dinner. My brother was in town so I was trying to show off my vegan recipes. I could tell he was a little skeptical about the “cheese” and, to tell the truth, I didn’t know how it would taste. Imagine my surprise when I gave him a taste and he said, “Oh, this is better than parmesan.” I tasted it–fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe–its genius! And it doesn’t hurt that it takes about 30 seconds to make.

I love your recipes!! Can’t wait to make this, but I don’t own a food processor!! What food processor do you recommend?

Excellent. My prayers have been answered !!!

As a lover of cheese and an aspiring vegan, I wish I could try this recipe! I’m allergic to nuts, yep all nuts, and I’m finding that a lot of vegan recipes use them T_T I know it’s a long shot, but do you think I can substitute the cashews for a type of seed? Thank you in advance! Vegan parm sounds delicious!

Just made it, and I love it. Thank you so much, you are making my transition to becoming a Vegan a lot easier.

Wowzy! Your food always looks so amazing! YUM, YUM!

I made this last week and it is fabulous! It is wonderful on popcorn!

The cashews do not require soaking before processing? I have noticed that a lot of cheese requires soaking the nuts before using the food processor.

I just have a question. The cashews do not require soaking before processing? I often see recipes for cheese that call for soaking the nuts before processing. I am guessing it would change to texture if you soak the nuts.

What if I dont have nutricional yeast?

Would a clove (or less) of fresh garlic also work? I don’t believe I’ve seen garlic powder in Europe or the Middle East, is it an American thing?

So simple and so GD good! Put it on popcorn and change your life…

This recipe is perfect! Just made it, and my omnivore husband said it taste just like regular parmesan cheese :) Thank you for sharing this recipe!

Thank you for another easy delicious recipe. We carry a small jar of this when traveling or eating out to top cheeseless pasta or pizza.

Do you know if you can use this in a recipe? I’ve an old tried and true recipe for Scalloped Eggplant (from my childhood). It calls for Parmesan sprinkled on top and I’m wondering if this would be a good substitute.

Now that I think about it, I’m just going to go ahead and give it a try and see how it turns out.

MUST MUST do this, sounds AMAZING.
I’m thinking boooooooy, this would be fantastic on just-popped popcorn, too – yuuuuuum…
Thanks so much for this EASY recipe! :)

I just made this for the first time — so quick, easy, and tasty! It was literally an afterthought but i went from Google to on my pasta in less than 5 minutes – perfect!

One question: I have a Nutribullet with a milling blade which I use for this sort of project. But I had a hard time getting all the cashews crunched up. Any adaptations you can suggest for someone who doesn’t have an actual food processor?

Finally a Vegan Parm Cheese I can get onboard with. It is FANTASTIC! I can’t believe how good it is!

Used this tonight on a pasta dish via Cookie and Kate and WOW it is delicious! I’ll be keeping this in the fridge for my ‘cheese’ needs!

This is the best vegan Parmesan I have had or made. Beautifully simple, though I will try it with a tad less salt next time, maybe just half a teaspoon. Slightly too too for my taste, but that could be me. Thanks!

Dana, this recipe is delicious. I just started going dairy-free and this and other recipes of yours are making it an enjoyable transition. Thank you! You are very gifted at this.

Reese

so, OMG. I just whizzed this together this evening and was pretty blown away! Struggling with converting to a vegan lifestyle, but with tidbits like this there’s no excuses any more… Delish!

Better than the real thing!! I can’t stop putting this on everything. Parmesan cheese is one of those non-vegan things I had a very hard time letting go of. Thanks to you, it’s not even a thought in my mind anymore. You are an angel. Thank you!

This is pretty fantastic, I have to say. Leaves me wanting to eat more.

I’m thinking of making this really soon! My only question is this: I have horrific pollen allergies that make me allergic to raw nuts and fruits. I can eat cashews if they’re roasted though. Would I be able to use roasted cashews for this recipe? Thanks in advance for your answer :)

I’m wondering if there’s anything you can substitute for the garlic powder. My daughter has a sensitivity to garlic. Would onion powder work? Thanks for any advice :)

This is delicious. Thank you for posting Dana. I could kiss you. I’ve been putting this on salads and making a vegan caesar salad and this parmesan cheese is so delicious!

Tried your vegan parm; fabulous!
Now, pleeease can you make a recipe for vegan feta?
If so, my vegan cheese dreams will have come true!

Simple, quick to make, and delicious. Thank you!

I’ve now started doubling the recipe when I make this because it’s so good (and versatile). Thanks for such a great parm substitute. (It’s particularly delicious on soft-baked breadsticks.)

just tried this recipe. vegan parmesan cheese. i had to put the jar quickly in the fridge because i could just have it spoon by spoon. really totally delicious. and got the nutritional yeast at the pharmacy in switzerland since i live in zermatt high up in the mountains and its not really a vegan or vegetarian village. tomorrow i am so making 30 minute vegan alfredo . could i use chick pea flour instead of the arrow powder ? or what else could i use? . not sure i will get that here. thanks for sharing these wonderful recipes <3

Brilliant recipe, thank you!

I had managed to use up the last of my garlic powder in last night’s dinner and had to look for a subsitution. I borrowed some garlic salt from the neighbors. Using it in place of the salt and garlic powder for flavor worked but there was a bit of cornstarch in the salt, so it is clumping like a nut butter. Still extremely tasty but not quite it. Wanted to pass that on so no one else makes the same (delicious) mistake I did.

Oh, my carnivore neighbors got a sample with the return of the garlic salt and they were amazed. “This would be great on roasted veggies… or CHICKEN!” I got a good laugh from that last one.

Wow! This is delicious! I used less salt because my pallet isn’t that into salty flavors aand because I try to eat low sodium as much as possible. Even with less salt this is fantastic–even down to the mouth feel of it! Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us who follow your blogand use it as a “go to” resource when stuck for a new and delectable gastronomy experience. I’ve shared it on Facebook too :)

How long would this keep for? Can you make a batch and store it in the fridge?

Love it! We put it on pizza and I put it on my salads like I used to with the highly processed soy parm. Thank you!

Hi everyone! I just want to share that when I am extra lazy…er…time crunched, I have used almond flour with great success for vegan parmesan. No gadgets, just a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast and almond flour in a bowl with a little salt and garlic powder, mix with a fork to combine. Comes together in less than a minute : )

Thought I had taken the recipe from this website but realised I had used an American website.
Made this for my Daughter former vegetarian now vegan. Who had eaten pasta for breakfast (independent student, lack of funds) anyway totally agree this is fantastic. I was happy as a mum store cupboard food tasted so much better and she got her vitamin b from yeast protein from nuts. Gave the recipe to local wholefood store in Tavistock Devon who helped with the ingredients. The american recipe said unreconstituted yeast (dried powder) whilst no garlic in that one it tasted amazing. Went back to store with sample and gave them the recipe as lady who served me and suffered with migraines couldn’t eat some cheeses. PS love your recipe for falafels

Breastfed daughter shows signs of dairy allergy, so I was looking for dairy-free popcorn options. Nutritional yeast on its own really fell off on oil-popped corn. Used Bragg’s (only brand available at my store). Raw cashews ground into a powder (not a butter!) with this parm recipe makes an EXCELLENT popcorn topping! Back to eating the whole bowl…

Garlic powder (used McCormack) is not exactly the same as dried garlic, in my experience, and its flavor is more of a shaper than a discernable garlic presence. I’m a little horrified at the idea of using fresh garlic because of the juice factor, so someone fess up if it actually works!

Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I’m not a huge fan of cheese by itself but this tastes great! I was skeptical at first but am pleasantly surprised. You rock!

Dan

hey – great recipe – thanks for posting. Really appreciate it.

(non Vegan from Australia)

This is a very simple and delicious recipe!! I was going to half it until I saw that it keeps a while in the fridge. This was delicious on my veggie pizza!

I made the vegan pares an cheese. All I can say is “Outstanding!” I am going to share this with my boss. It is understandable why you go through so much of it in a couple weeks.

Do you think fresh garlic would be okay? I’m not too found of dried. Thanks and can’t wait to try this with your stuffed mushrooms this evening :)

Really liked this. Used a tad less nutritional yeast as I’m not a huge fan of it. Great to have some parmesan now to put on my pasta. Like alot of people that switch to a vegan diet, cheese is the one thing that I miss on certain things. Mainly parmesan for pasta dishes, and mozzarella for pizza. Still looking for a good vegan substitute for mozza (NOT a fan of Daiya cheese), but atleast I’m set for parmesan!

I’ve come to terms with the fact that dairy and I don’t get along so well anymore. This vegan parm is awesome. I’ve made it using other recipes (mainly with pine nuts) and find this is much better. The cashews keep it “drier” and more parm-y.

This is so simple and so tasty it’s unbelievable. Many thanks for the recipe.

I made this exactly as the recipe stated buy it got all stuck together?? What did i do wrong? I got raw cashews from trader joes and everything blended is not powder… Could the oils in the cashews have caused it to clump up?

Hi! This sounds amazing! I was wondering if anyone knows of a substitute for nutritional yeast though…I have systemic candida and have been told by my naturopath that nutritional yeast is not good for someone with overgrowth of yeast. Any suggestions? I have a bit of a restriction because I have Celiac, and am allergic to dairy and corn also. Thank you for any input!
~Deborah

Does the cashews have to be raw or will pasteurized work as well??

Oh, my goodness!! I made this parm cheese using walnuts. It was the absolute BOMB!!!!!!! I haven’t used it on any foods, yet, I just eat it out of the spoon!! It is so GOOD!! Now, I have to make more, so I can try it on broccoli tomorrow night.
Oh, wait, I lied. I did use some, with some vegan pesto over spaghetti last week. Deeee-lish!!!!!

Made it! Love it! Thank you Dana! <3

I just wanted to say thank you so much for this recipe and your Cheese Cracker recipe! My daughter found our her lifelong migraines were caused by dairy, wheat, egg and cane sugar allergies and she is going crazy for cheese and pizza. I am very grateful to you for sharing this recipe! It has made this transition easier for her.

I’m excited to try this… I’m currently in the market for a food processor, as well as a blender, do you have any recommendations? Thanks!

Finally, thanks for this simple and doable recipe! I will be making this very, very soon.

Can I use instant dry yeast for this recipe?
Nutritional yeast is not available in my country. Thanks!

I just made some and I LOVE it! Now if I could only find a good substitute for cottage cheese.

So simple! Should this be stored in the fridge? And up to how long will it stay good for?

This vegan Parmesan cheese is fantastic. I used it in the polenta recipe and a hummus pizza recipes I posted on my blog this week. Thank you for always providing great content. Your site is an inspiration in so many ways! :)

Heya,

I’m super excited about trying this recipe as I’m allergic to dairy, but my boyfriend is allergic to cashews.
Any good nut substitutes so i don’t make him sick with my food cravings? : P

This has been an ongoing issue with vegan cheese and cream sauce recipes

Really easy to make. Used peanuts instead of cashews and it still tasted great! (Although, it might taste better with the cashews, I haven’t tried it yet). Way better than anything you could buy at the store. Thanks for this!

Just made this and OMG….amazing! In my opinion it tastes better than the ~real thing.

this is AMAZING. thank you. I’ve had it on pasta (great!) and today i had it on fried plantains (OMG) :-) All-around great substitute – thanks! And super easy to make. I store it in my fridge an an old jam jar. so glad to have found this recipe.

As a new vegan I was a bit apprehensive about trying this, but I was happily surprised how good it was. I didn’t miss having real parm on my pasta last night at all. The biggest surprised was that my wife even liked it (who is not vegan). Thanks for the great recipe.

Another FANTASTIC and simple recipe! And cheap too :-) I had everything but the $2 worth of cashews at home. I put this on top of a chickpea lemon salad and it was just perfect. I think I’ll have some spaghetti tomorrow just as a vehicle for this cheese. Thanks!

Quick and easy to whip up and really adds an easy kick of flavor to whatever we are eating. We sprinkled some on soft pretzels last night. Nom Nom Nom.

Can it be made without the yeast?

Just wanted to let you know this recipe totally rocks! We are not vegan but my 1.5 year old has a lot of food allergies – especially egg and dairy – so getting her the right nutrition can be tricky. I tried buying her vegan cheese at the store but most have pea protein, which she’s also allergic to! I’ve made this cheese four times now and she’s even started saying “cheese” because she loves it so much! I subbed walnuts because she’s allergic to cashews too. Came out so great. I think the flavor is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe.

I would like to make you vegan parmesan cheese but I am allergic to tree nuts is there an alternative I can use? Sunflower or pumpkin seeds?

Thanks

Alan

Wish I could post a photo comment! Just made this and it’s brilliant, thanks!

Hi Dana
Can you use walnuts they are similar texture?
I have made other vegan cheese that way?
Thank you Carrie 0:)

What brands of nutritional yeast do you recommend? I’m just beginning a dairy free journey and trying to do all the right research so I stick with it! I’m so excited to use this to make your eggplant parm recipe and to stop the spinach and kale dip with it. Thank you for such an intentional, tasty, and healthful site!

I just made this and it was brilliant! Other vegan cheese recipes have called for lots of ingredients, but this was so simple and easy. I think I will be making this for years to come! Thanks so much!!!

would “Bragg Nutritional Yeast Seasoning” work?

THANKS

Very tasty. Used roasted no-salt cashews. Used garlic granules from Earthfare. Family consensus is that they produce a really terrible smell. Will perhaps try a tiny bit of raw garlic instead.

Hi, by food processor do you mean blender? Wondering, because I’m not sure you could feed the small portion through and then pulse with a food processor.

What brand of nutritional yeast do you use? I’ve only tried it from bulk bins at Whole Foods and wasn’t impressed. Thanks!

Wow, Dana, this sounds fantastic. A must try for me, thanks!

Do the cashews need to be soaked first?

I’ve been making this with cashew flour which is finely textured.. do you think it’s better to use the whole cashews instead? I think it might affect the flavor in the end as processed (ground) cashews probably lose flavor after awhile…?

Yum! Made this tonight to put on pasta & to keep in my fridge….really good, so fast, and better than the processed vegan stuff they sell in the store.

Could I use almonds instead of cashews? Only because I cant have cashews

This Vegan Parmesan is just delicious! My entire family loves it – even the lone non-Vegan.

We just made your Vegan Pizza tonight and this was just perfect on it. Thanks so much!