This vegan parmesan is hands down the best out there! It’s made with simple whole foods, and can be made crumbles or as a block to grate!
This post was originally published on October 8, 2017.
This experiment came from the invention of my vegan Cotija cheese. I realized that changing up a few things yielded this salty tangy deliciousness that could actually be shaped into a ball and hardened to grate the next day!
I am not saying that if you eat it side by side with dairy filled parmesan you won’t be able to tell which is which, but I am saying that it is pretty darn close and it will definitely fill that void if that’s what you’re looking for.
In my long search to see if anything similar was out there, I couldn’t find a single recipe that was like this, this simple and using only whole food easy to find ingredients. So excited to have discovered this fun new way to make an easy grateable Parmesan!
Ingredients
A handful of simple, easy to find, whole food, plant based ingredients is all you need to make this easy vegan cheese:
- Raw cashews
- Lemon juice
- Distilled white vinegar
- Sea salt
- Ground mustard
How To Make Vegan Parmesan
- Place dry cashews in a food processor and blend until they are a fine crumble.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse.
- Shape into a wheel and refrigerate overnight.
- Grate and use on everything!
Serving suggestions
This vegan parmesan is fabulous on basically everything! Here are some of our favorite recipes to pair it with:
- Broccoli Pesto
- Vegan Carbonara
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Tuscan Ribollita Soup
- Gluten-Free Eggplant Parmesan
- Caesar Salad
- Or on a homemade pizza with easy pizza sauce!
Tips and tricks
In order to make the best vegan parmesan cheese, make sure to check out these helpful hints:
- The easiest way to shape into a wheel is by wrapping in plastic wrap and press into your desired shape.
- Keep the cheese chilled until you’re ready to grate. It will soften and not grate very well if left out of the refrigerator.
- The white vinegar is what gives this recipe the sharpness and tanginess of Parmesan. If you substitute it for another vinegar you will not get the same flavor.
- You can also just use this crumbled straight from the food processor. Store the crumbles in the fridge, it will harden up once refrigerated.
- For added sharpness and flavor you can add some miso and/or nutritional yeast.
- For best grating results wait until it chills overnight in the fridge. If you can’t wait keep checking for hardness every few hours!
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7 days.
- You can also store in the freezer for longer periods of time.
Common Questions
There are many versions of vegan parmesan cheese out there. Many include cashews or seeds, seasonings, and nutritional yeast. This recipe uses simply cashews, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and ground mustard.
There are store-bought vegan parmesan cheeses, but it’s so easy to make your own at home! That way you can customize the flavor, and know you’re only eating real whole foods.
In my humble opinion, this one! It’s simple to make with easy to find whole food plant based ingredients and tastes absolutely fabulous! Plus, it has that classic hard texture that’s perfect for grating!
More Cheesy Vegan Dishes You Might Like:
Vegan and cheese don’t usually go together, until now! These plant based cheesy recipes are made with easy to find whole food ingredients:
- Green mac and cheese
- Vegan Mexican Chili Cheese Dip
- The perfect vegan cheese and dip platter
- Vegan queso blanco (Mexican white cheese dip)
The Best Vegan Parmesan Cheese Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews , do not soak
- 2 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 ¼ teaspoons distilled white vinegar (see note)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt , can use up to ¾ teaspoon
- pinch ground mustard
Instructions
- Place dry cashews in a food processor and blend until they are a fine crumble.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until incorporated. Stop here if you prefer not to grate this but simply use it in crumbled form.
- If you are shaping it into a wheel to grate, then you can keep blending until smooth. It should come together into a ball, almost soft and dough like.
- Shape into a wheel and refrigerate overnight. You can use plastic wrap to store it in or shape with your hands and store in an airtight container.
- It will be ready to grate in the morning, but if you can’t wait keep checking for hardness every few hours!
- This also stores very well in the freezer if you know you won’t use it all within 7 days.
Notes
- Keep cheese cold in the fridge until ready to grate. It will soften and not grate well if left out. It also stores very well in the freezer for extended periods of time.
- The white vinegar is what gives this recipe the sharpness and tanginess of Parmesan. If you sub it then you will not get the same flavor.
- You can also just use this crumbled straight from the food processor or store crumbled in the fridge if you don’t want to grate it. If you simply store it crumbled, it will harden as crumbles in the fridge.
- This makes 1 wheel about 5 inches by one inch, or a little over 1 ¼ cup grated. Serving size is 1 tablespoon.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Pana says
can this cheese be shaved instead of grated?
Sophia DeSantis says
Hi Pana! Yes! Just keep it hard in the fridge, or even freezer, then shave.
Denise K says
What would you suggest for replacing the lemon juice? I am allergic to all citrus. I have pomegranate powder that I use in place of lemon in some recipes. Thank you.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Denise! I would suggest a little more vinegar. The different flavors help contribute to the end result but you can play around and see how it works with the vinegar only. I’d start small and taste as you add. I have never tried pomegranate powder so not sure how that would work!
Deb Z says
Love this easy, healthy cheese. Wanted to grate but didn’t wait until it was smooth enough. Still loved it. Next time will go all of the way! My go to vegan parmesan. Thank you! One question….if I want to try adding miso and or nutritional yeast, how much would you recommend?
veggiesdontbite says
I am thrilled you liked it Deb!!
Sarah says
Same question as Deb, if I were to add miso or NY, how much would you recommend?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Sarah! Since I don’t eat nutritional yeast, I can’t help you there. If you added miso I’d start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more until you get the flavor you prefer. Enjoy!
Greg says
I added 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast and it was very good, but a bit strong. I think 2 tablespoons would just about right.
Sarah says
This vegan parmesan is perfection! It add the perfect salty taste to my pasta and soups. Currently adding to the regular recipe rotation!
veggiesdontbite says
So happy you like it!
Ramya says
will be making this soon for me i never had cashew parmesan before will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks Ramya! Hope you enjoy!
Alexandra says
Hi. With distilled white vinegar do you mean white wine vinegar ?! 🤔
In Denmark I never heard of distilled white vinegar.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Alexandra! It’s not white wine vinegar, it’s just white vinegar. It has a lot of tang, and helps give the cheese a sharp flavor. But you can use white wine or apple cider, the end result may just not be as sharp. But still good!
Melissa says
I made this, and it is very good! I’ve made other vegan parm recipes, but this one is better, I think because of the vinegar and lemon. Next time I might also add some miso, as in your note. Great recipe, thanks!
veggiesdontbite says
I am so happy to hear Melissa!! Thank you so much for the great review!
David Gomez says
Hi I was just wondering if you think almonds would work as well??
veggiesdontbite says
Hi David, cashews give a more cheesy type flavor. Almonds will work texture wise, but your flavor won’t be exactly the same. Let me know if you try it!
Malini says
I’m sorry I meant, can I use dijon mustard instead of ground mustard?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi! The dijon mustard has moisture so the texture may turn out a bit different but you can give it a try!
Malini says
Can ground mustard be used instead of dijon mustard?