It’s easy to make vegan parmesan at home. I have two recipes for you to try today!
Both recipes are in Let Them Eat Vegan. One is for the nooch-lovers, the other is perfect if you aren’t so fond of nutritional yeast.
Vegan Parmesan #1: Cheesy Sprinkle:
This vegan parmesan combines almonds with cashews, along with seasoning and nutritional yeast. For me, the blend of cashews and almonds is just right – cashews being a little softer/creamier and almonds harder/drier. This is my favorite blend, but of course if you prefer to use the full amount of either cashews or almonds you certainly can. It’s pretty much an ‘instant’ parmesan. Once processed, ready to use.
For a nut-free version, check out my recipe in Plant-Powered Families.
Cheesy Sprinkle
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup raw almonds see note
- 1/4 cup raw cashews or more raw almonds
- 1/2 tsp scant sea salt (about ¼ + 1/8 tsp)
- 1/4 tsp lemon zest optional
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients into a standing blender and pulse until very fine and crumbly. Don’t overprocess, just pulse several times. That’s it! Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Makes about 1 scant cup
Notes
- Adult-Minded: Try adding 1⁄8 teaspoon of onion or garlic powder.
- Kid-Friendly: I make this often for our kiddos, and make it quick and simple using just the nooch, nuts, and salt. You may enjoy added flavor depth from the zest, but it’s not essential.
- Savvy Subs and Adds: To make this mixtre nut free, substitute the almonds and cashews with: 3 tbsp hemp seeds, 1 tbsp chia seeds (preferably white chia), and 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds (or sesame or sunflower). Voila!
Let’s talk about parmesan and vegan parmesan.
When I became vegan, parmesan was the last and hardest cheese for me to stop eating. I even bought rice parmesan for a period of time (which was misleading because it contained casein). And you know what? I was hooked on that rice parmesan. I remember searching town for it once when I ran out.
It wasn’t until later that I realized the casein was the culprit. As my friend Julieanna Hever explains in this clip, casein is VERY addictive. And, as Dr. Colin Campbell outlines in The China Study, casein is particularly bad for the body, and promotes the development of cancer. Dairy is bad news. Once I finally kicked the casein – dairy was no longer an issue. I didn’t crave it, didn’t want it. No longer did I “need” that parmesan on my pasta or salads.
Vegan Parmesan #2: Brazil Nut Parm
For me, this is the closest thing to a parmesan topping. No, it doesn’t taste exactly like parmesan, but it gives you the same pleasurable notes as a parmesan… it is salty, tangy, and a richness from the natural whole-foods fats in the nuts.
Unlike the Cheesy Sprinkle, this vegan parmesan delivers the mouth taste and feel. And, it’s all from the technique. It’s the slow, low-heat baking of the sprinkle that allows the tart lemon flavor to infuse into the processed brazil nuts, along with just a hint of cheesy flavor from the nooch that makes magic happen.
It’s especially delicious on pasta, such as my Tomato Artichoke Pasta (check it out in LTEV if you have it)!
Brazil Nut Vegan Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1½ cups brazil nuts see notes
- ½ tsp little scant sea salt
- 1 ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Process the brazil nuts in a food processor or blender until fine and crumbly. Don’t overprocess, or they will begin to heat and become pasty. Just pulse until finely crumbled. Spread on the prepared pan. Toss in the salt, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. Use your fingers to work these ingredients through the crumbled nuts. Place in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, being sure to toss three or four times through the baking process (and check during last minutes of baking; the mixture should become dry and maybe a touch golden around the edges, but should not brown). Remove from the oven, let cool, and transfer to a container to refrigerate. Makes about 2 cups.
Notes
- If This Apron Could Talk: If you cannot eat brazil nuts, I would substitute 1 1/2 cups raw almonds. You could also try about 1 1/4 cup of almonds along with 1/4 cup of pine nuts.
- After trying this for the first time, you might want to double your batch the next time round. It can disappear quickly! It’s one of my husband’s favorites; in fact, he keeps saying, “You should bottle this up and sell it”!
- Kid-Friendly: Your little ones might love this just the way it is, but you can try bumping up the nooch another tablespoon to make it a little more cheesy. Also see Cheesy Sprinkle (recipe follows) for a cheesier-tasting topping.
- Serving Suggestions: Any tomato-based pasta sauce will welcome this seasoning, as will a very modestly dressed pasta, such as one with olive oil and lemon juice. This topping works wonders on salads, and adds crunch and depth to cooked rice and other grains, as well as simple bean preparations.
I’d love to hear how you like these vegan parmesan recipes! x Dreena
christie says
Can you substitute the yeast with baking soda?
Robbie says
No. It’s not there to make anything rise, it’s there for the flavour.
Tragically for the yeast-sentitive or allergic, vegan cheese substitutes always seem to contain nutritional (not baker’s) yeast.
Jenni says
The pic looks like there is lemon zest in the Brazil nuts. The video shows you adding zest I think. But I don’t have any sound for the video. How much zest do you add?
Kota says
These are nutritional yeast flakes : )
Ann says
since many people speak of cashew nuts as being “cheese-like”, I wondered if you could substitute that and still be really good? I don’t have Brazil nuts, but have lots of raw cashews. Any thoughts?
Dreena says
Hi Ann, you certainly can sub cashews. I find they are a sweeter nut, but for sure will still be delicious in this recipe. Enjoy!
Dreena says
Hi Ann, no this is an inactive yeast, it’s used for flavor not for leavening. You can omit it if you don’t have it handy.
Alexa says
Yum, I made brazil nut parmesane, it’s so damn good! (I’m not going vegan in “cold turkey” manner ;], I just try lots of vegan recipies and I enjoy it).
I have got smoked salt, so next time maybe I will make even sharper and more savoury sprinkle than yours.
I make my own almond milk, maybe this “almond cheese” staing on cloth after filterink milk, could be nut base for “parmesane”? Kind of wallet-friendly idea.
Dreena says
Terrific! Glad you enjoyed it Alexa. 🙂 Oh, that smoked salt idea is brilliant – please let us know how it turns out. And, yes, def use your almond milk pulp. I once pureed it into a quick cheese, adding some lemon juice, touch of miso, salt, fresh herbs – was wonderful. Also can be used in baking!
Alexa says
With smoked salt this sprinkle tastes similar to oscpek- traditonal Polish smoked cheese, made with sheep milk. Years ago I used to dry this cheese and use it as sprinkle (this is not so traditional idea), but vegan-smoked-cheese-sprinkle tastes fine, and also sounds less gross than stone-hard sheep cheese 😛
I used smoked salt for soups (some Polish soups are boiled with smoked bacon or sausage, and I hate meat (that makes vegetarianism very easy :D), but without smokey flavour this soups tasted “poor”) and I used ths salt for scrambled tofu, but it worked in this “smoked cheese” idea as well as in “let’s pretend it was boiled with smoked meat” ideas.
And, as I started to talk about Polish stuff, lots of our traditional dishes are meat-based and I don’t like them, but while everyone is excited about quinoa, we have another lovely pseudograin: buckwheat groats. I love it (and in my country it’s as cheap as white rice, so it’s kind of “realistic part of usual diet” :P). With mushroom sauce, or vegetarian stew… yum. And buckwheat flour is great for pancakes and crepes. It’s quite good source of protein and vitammins, becouse botanically it’s not a grain but… nut. Great thing, not marketed as “health food”, but not less healthy and tasty.
The Pigs are safe in the Barn says
Oooh. Clever thought to use the almond milk meal for this recipe. Will try that as well. Love both these recipes. Both of these recipes are delicious and easy. Love that I can enjoy a tasty sprinkle on my zucchini pasta that’s dairy and casein free! Thanks so much.
Jessica says
I made the cheesy sprinkle tonight and it was amazing!!! I sprinkled it on garlic navy bean soup with potatoes and bok choy. Amazing!! I haven’t really cared for nutritional yeast in the past but I thought i would give it another try and I really liked it tonight. Maybe it was the added nuts? it just tasted more rounded and not so in your face. I am pretty new to my transition of eating vegan and I was wondering how often you find you eat nutritional yeast? A sprinkle here and there throughout the day everyday? Or is it an every few days type of thing?
Dreena says
Yeah! That’s great, Jessica! Yes, the nuts round out the flavor, along with the salt. I didn’t even like nooch for the first 10 years or so I was vegan – you’re ahead of me. 😉 I don’t think about how much I eat it really. I WAS a bit addicted to it for a while, ate it every day, several tbsps, prob too much. Now, I use it prob every other day, and in recipes.