you only need a few ingredients to make this easy vegan parmesan, you might even have them in your house already! it takes a few minutes to make and you can grate it over your pasta!
Traditional Parmesan
In Italy cheese making is a serious deal. Parmagiano Reggiano is a traditional cheese made from cows milk and aged for 12 months. It is hard and granular. Parmesan cheese (that is not Parmagiano Reggiano) is unregulated and can be aged in as little as 10 months. So, I tried my best to recreate something similar to parmesan cheese with a bit of an aged cheesy taste. Also, you may not have known this but Parmagiano Reggiano is actually not even suitable for vegetarians! I will let you google as to why if you are curious. So, the good news is this vegan parmesan is great for everyone and doesn’t need to be aged for at least 10 months!
Recipe Inspiration
When I first went vegan the classic vegan parmesan substitute was mixing up ground up cashews with nutritional yeast. I have done it before and it does taste good! The first time I ever had it was actually a vegan restaurant and I was so surprised by it. However, I wanted to give you a little something different. I was googling vegan parmesan online and found this recipe from Veggies Don’t Bite. Her idea of mixing it all up to be able to form it into the shape you want seemed amazing. So, I pulled some inspiration from there! It is fun to be able to grate your own vegan parmesan over pasta or a soup.
The Ingredients
This vegan parmesan only has a few ingredients, most of which you may already have at home.
- Almond Flour: I wanted to use almond flour for this since its already blended up finely. I also just wanted to offer something than the typical cashew parmesan.
- Olive Oil: you can use any neutral oil you like. I prefer olive oil. The oil helps to bind the vegan parmesan together.
- Vegan Yogurt: you can use any plain vegan yogurt for this. I used the Forager’s one. This will also help to bind it and will add in some tanginess.
- Salt: to make it salty.
- Nutritional Yeast: to add in cheesy umami and B vitamins.
- Lemon Juice: to add in a little tang.
I would not recommend substituting any of these items as they work really well together. If you need to use ground up cashews instead of almond flour that will be okay. If you have an allergy to yeast you can replace it with a bit of miso paste. However, when you make changes in a recipe just remember it may come out differently than intended.
How to Use Vegan Parmesan
This easy vegan parmesan can be used in so many fun ways. Of course you can sprinkle it on your pastas, soups, salads, etc. You can also use it to make parmesan roasted potatoes or sprinkle it over roasted vegetables. It would also be great on a cheese board for entertaining! You can truly use this in anyway you want! There are so many ways to enjoy this recipe. You can also grate it all up and then store it as grated vegan parmesan in your fridge. There are so many fun ways to use this recipe.
Is This Actually Like Parmesan?
The question with vegan cheese is “is this actually like the real thing?” Well, no not entirely. However, if you are looking for a fun way to make an easy vegan cheese at home and something that is similar to parmesan this is it! It tastes salty and cheesy because of the nutritional yeast. I do think this is truly great for grating over pasta or salads. True parmesan is a bit harder in consistency this vegan parmesan is a little soft which is what makes it so important for keeping it in the freezer.
Why You Need This Recipe
This vegan parmesan is an easy to make recipe. It will impress your family, friends, or just yourself with something delicious. It is a great alternative to store-bought vegan parmesan. The ingredients are easy to find and something that truly anyone can make. I think it is a great way to enjoy some vegan cheese. No animals need to be harmed and it is great for everyone! It is also great for anyone with a dairy allergy.
More Cheesy Recipes
Why Does This Need To Be Frozen?
This vegan parmesan cheese is a bit softer than a traditional parmesan. So, if you want it to be good for grating you will need to keep it stored in the freezer. This will help keeping the oil solidified in the vegan cheese making it suitable for grating. If you store it in the fridge it may not be cold enough. This also helps it to be great for breaking off into bite size pieces. Also, keeping it out of the fridge for too long will soften it. If you grate it, then you can store it in the fridge after.
Easy Vegan Parmesan FAQ
- Does this have to stay in the freezer? I suggest you keep it in the freezer to make it easier for grating.
- Can I substitute the almond flour? Unless you want to substitute for cashews there unfortunately isn’t a substitute. You could try making this with hemp seeds but I haven’t tried so I can’t speak to how it will work.
- Can I make this oil free? I haven’t tried leaving out the oil. If you decide to you may want to add in 5 extra grams of vegan yogurt.
- Can I turn this all into a grated vegan parmesan? Sure! You can just grate it all and then store it in a container in the fridge.
- Can I substitute the nutritional yeast? While I don’t recommend it (unless you have an allergy) you can try using some miso paste.
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Easy Vegan Parmesan
Ingredients
- ½ cup (60g) almond flour
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) olive oil
- ½ teaspoon (4g) salt
- ⅛ lemon, juiced (about 5ml)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) plain vegan yogurt
- 3 tablespoons (15g) nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients into a blender. Blend until it forms what looks like a wet dough. It should be clumping onto itself.
- Taste and see if you want to make it saltier.
- Transfer into a small rectangle container. I lightly sprayed mine with oil just to prevent any sticking. Use a spatula to create a triangle (or you can make it a square).
- Freeze for at least 1 hour before using. Then grate anywhere you like. Store in the freezer.
Video
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