Parmesan cheese is a classic Italian cheese that is used in many dishes. It's a flavorful and salty cheese perfect for sprinkling on pasta, pizza, or salad. But, if you're vegan, you might not be able to enjoy this cheesy dish. Until now! This Homemade Vegan Parmesan cheese recipe is easy to make and tastes great. You need just four ingredients.
This vegetarian alternative to Parmesan cheese tastes pretty much like real cheese. It’s hard to tell the difference. It is a fantastic recipe calling for parmesan cheese, like eggplant parmesan, asparagus pasta, or mushroom risotto.
Another plus of making this plant-based parmesan recipe yourself is that it is usually cheaper than buying it at the store. I make this version with walnuts, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder, making it preservative and additive-free.
You can make this cheese with any nuts. Try to use raw unsalted one, but if you can’t, ensure you fine-tune the amount of salt suggested in the recipe.
This recipe is one of those preparations that are always available in our kitchen since we use it almost every day, and as soon as we run out of it, we can make it in less than 5 minutes.
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🧾 Ingredients
- Raw walnuts
- Nutritional Yeast (see substitutions)
- Garlic Powder (can be replaced with onion powder)
- Sea salt (skip to reduce sodium content)
See quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card.
🔪 Instructions
This is How to make vegan parmesan cheese: you just need to throw all the ingredients in an immersion blender or a food processor and blend for 30 seconds.
To get an even texture, I pulse and shake the food processor low-speed button and repeat. Otherwise, it can turn into oily clumps. It will not affect the flavor, but you may not achieve the powdery texture we are looking for.
Place all the ingredients in a food processor.
Pulse until it reaches the desired consistency.
Although this non-dairy Parmesan cheese doesn’t melt, it goes very well with any dish that calls for regular parmesan cheese.
🥢 How to serve
It goes well over pasta dishes like our 3-ingredient pasta, homemade pizza (recipe), dinner recipes, and baked goods. I regularly use this mixture on salads to replace oil-based vinaigrettes, and to make whole foods seasoning.
- We also use it as a parmesan cheese replacement on our mushroom risotto, saffron risotto, and sun-dried tomato risotto.
- We also add it to our favorite snacks, like these fantastic pasta chips, a recipe that we find very original.
- We also use this recipe to add it to any cheese sauce or white sauce like a vegan bechamel sauce.
- Sprinkle it on top of your vegan lasagnas.
- Finally, we love using this recipe to replace vegan ricotta cheese, on our Argentine spinach empanadas, for a change.
This recipe is tasty and so good. You only need a few ingredients usually available in any plant-based kitchen and a blender to make it. The result will be a versatile and delicious plant-based cheese that will boost the flavor of any pasta dish in place of grated parmesan cheese or sprinkle on top of a baked potato, zucchini noodles, roasted vegetables, or salad.
🫙 Storage
This recipe is not made with fresh ingredients, so it lasts if properly stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I can’t tell you exactly how much as I always use it within a couple of weeks, but I am sure it will last at least a month.
🍶 Substitutions
- Nuts - instead of walnuts, you could use Brazil nuts, toasted raw cashews, roasted cashews, or almonds and still have that nutty flavor. We even make another variant of this vegan parm cheese with raw sunflower seeds and sesame seeds; check out the seeds parm recipe and seeds parm recipe avoiding nuts.
- Organic Nutritional yeast - a good substitute for nutritional yeast in this recipe is finely group dried shiitake mushroom or powder miso soup.
- Garlic powder - sub for onion powder.
🤔 About Nutritional yeast
In vegan cooking, where we look at dairy-free ingredients, nutritional yeast is a very important ingredient. It is a staple of vegan cooking, so ensure you get a good quality brand; it will add a distinctly cheesy taste and savory flavor to your meals.
You can use it in many vegan Italian dishes, especially vegan parmesan recipes, pesto sauces and risottos, and vegan cheese recipes like vegan bechamel sauce.
According to WebMed, nutritional yeast is rich in nutrients, often lacking in vegetarian and vegan diets. It’s also free of gluten, soy, and sugar, making it an excellent dietary addition for people with food sensitivities.
However, research shows that its nutritional content can benefit any diet since it also has protein and B vitamins, which are very important to supplement in a vegan diet.
Adding Nutritional Yeast to your diet is a good idea.
💡 Nutritional yeast substitute
If you're looking for an alternative to nutritional yeast, there are plenty of options depending on your needs.
For example, if you're looking into a nutritional yeast replacement for:
- Adding umami and cheesy flavor to your dishes: use dairy-free cheese shreds such as vegan shredded mozzarella, finely chopped dried shiitake mushrooms for the nutritional yeast, and powdered miso soup. You could also use white miso, miso paste, or coconut aminos if you plan to add or replace nutritional yeast on stews or risottos.
- To boost the vitamins and minerals content of a meal or a similar texture, consider ground flaxseeds or almond meal (recipe) to your dish, salads, or these vegan parm cheese.
Looking for a nutritional yeast alternative can be tricky; just like substituting eggs, you need to consider what you are substituting. Is it flavor, texture, consistency, or nutritional aspects... the answer will be different depending on your aim.
📚 More recipes using nutritional yeast
Some Recipes where you can use this Nutritional Yeast Parmesan
If you want to try another vegan parm recipe using sunflower seeds, look at our recipe.
- Vegan Eggplant Involtini
- No fry Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
- Vegan Basil pesto
- Plant-based Arugula pesto
We also use this recipe for recipes like Ribollita Tuscan soup to give it a final touch, which works wonderfully!
🧀 More vegan cheese recipes
If you try this vegan parmesan, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
📋 Recipe
Homemade Vegan Parmesan Recipe + Substitute for Nutritional Yeast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts unsalted, raw
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Add unsalted walnuts, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt to a blender or a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds. Pulse, open or shake and repeat. Stop before you think you should; otherwise, it can turn into oily clumps.
- Taste and adjust flavor. Add more nutritional yeast for “cheesiness” and extra garlic powder for a more intense note.
- Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. It works perfectly as a topping for pasta, pizzas, vegan eggplant involtinis, and adding it to salads.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts
🌡️ Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.
Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I recommend all of the products listed because they are companies I have found helpful and trustworthy.
Tayler says
I made this vegan parmesan for some friends and they absolutely loved it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Gus says
Thanks for sharing, Tayler!
Dana says
You guys are my absolute saviors when it comes to cooking vegan. I have a very good friends who's vegan so anytime she comes by for a meal I always hit up your site and this was my most recent recipe, added to some basic noodles and marinara. Such a hit! Loved the flavor. You're always impressing!
Gus says
Hey Dana!, Thank you very much for your review. We live for this kind of reviews LOL. You brought a smile to my face, and I am really glad you are enjoying our vegan recipes! Please keep coming for more!
Tayler Ross says
I have vegan friends, so I can't wait to make this for them! I love the simple ingredients!
Casey says
My daughter is vegan and loves this "cheese!" She said it's better than the Trader Joes version 🙂
Suja md says
Truelly amazing in taste and flavors in this recipe. Will definitely make again, very good recipe!
Gus says
Thanks for your review Suja. I am glad you enjoyed our version of vegan parm!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
I was looking for a recipe like this, thank you for sharing! I can't wait to try it soon!
KIM MARIE EVANS says
Hi, What kind of nuts can I sub as I can't have walnuts do to an allergy? would pecans work?
Gus says
Hi Kim, yes, all types of nuts work. But I would be very hesitant to use any type of nuts if I had nuts allergies. Even thus, nuts that are not "officially" nuts like peanuts may affect people with nut allergies. Have you ever tried consuming pumpkin seeds (pepitas)? They are relatively close to nuts in terms of fats but are not nuts, just the seeds. I have successfully made vegan parmesan with sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, which are not nuts. In botany terms, nuts are a particular kind of dry fruit with a single seed, a hard shell, and protective husk. Chestnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts fit the true definition of a nut. Peanuts and almonds do not meet the botanical definition of a true nut, but people with nut allergies are usually also allergic to almonds.
Claudia Lamascolo says
This is perfect I love a vegan parm make it also but this is easier!
Natalie says
Oh wow, I never tried vegan parmesan. Sounds delicious and so healthy. Love walnuts. I can't wait to give this a try
Beth says
Oh wow! My son is going to just love this vegan cheese recipe! These days he's been loving the recipes I've made from your site! So excited!
Kay says
You have taken Nutritional Yeast to the next flavour level with minimal effort required! We love it!
Elle says
This is way too easy to prepare for how tasty it turns out! Great recipe, I have some left for the next couple of days in the fridge (if I don't finish it before the next meal!).
Ann Wycoff says
Thank you very much. The picture and link will go live in my next post.
Yes, it is a very good feature. I definitely think it is worth it. Being able to change units is a nice feature too instead of having to manually do the conversion myself. For a convenience standpoint it is very nice.
Ann Wycoff says
Sure, the least I can do. Thanks for sharing a great recipe that was easy to throw together.
Gus says
hope you keep trying our recipes! We just made a major upgrade to the website in terms of look and feel and user experience, hope you are enjoying it!
Ann Wycoff says
I am enjoying the site and the recipes, thank you. I particularly like the feature where you can change the number of servings and it automatically updates the ingredients list.
I'm working on my next blog post. May I grab a picture, with the usual link and photo credit, from your post?
Gus says
Sure thing! Please go ahead. Yes, we love that feature. We incorporated it with a plugin we purchased since we have both a Spanish Speaking and English Speaking community, and we also needed the metric/international units conversion. We took a big breath and purchased the not very cheap plugin as an investment for our readers, although as new bloggers, it Is not there, we thought it was worth it! So happy to have that first feedback on that feature 🙂 you make us feel it was worth it!
Ann Wycoff says
Will have to give this a try. I already have all of the ingredients for it on hand.
Gus says
Sure! It is certainly one of the easiest things to do! I also use it for salads and is lovely! Let us know how it turns out!
Ann Wycoff says
I made a half batch of this today (I was low on walnuts as it turned out) and it is really noble stuff. My husband loves it and so do I. I suspect we'll be keeping some in the frig as a regular thing for awhile. As usual, I'll put a link back on my blog for the recipe.
Gus says
Nice! Great to hear that you liked it! and thanks for the referral. Really appreciate it!