Vegan Parmesan
I don’t know about you, but Parmesan cheese really adds a certain something to pasta and roasted vegetables. But have you seen how much pre-made vegan Parmesan costs at the store? It’s upwards of $5 for a tiny 4 ounce jar! Bananas, I say! So I set out to make my own for much cheaper. The most expensive ingredient is the cashews, but I still kept it under $5 for over 2 cups of parm.
This recipe is pretty fool-proof and can be adjusted to your tastes. If you don’t use a lot of parm, cut the recipe in half. If you like pesto, make the full batch and I’ll show you how to make vegan pesto soon!
Vegan Parmesan
Equipment
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews pieces or whole
- 1/2 cup nutrtional yeast
- 1 tsp salt or more, depending on your taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Process/blend until you get your preferred texture. I like little bits of crunch but you can process until you have a fine powder.
- Adjust flavor as needed. Add more salt, or nutritional yeast for a more “cheesy” flavor.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Feeling fancy?
I got a recipe from Minimalist Baker for a vegan Parmesan cheese without nutritional yeast. MB gets extra-fancy by adding dried basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes to her recipe. She suggests blending until you get a finer dust so it melts into dishes. I rather like the grainy, bitty texture of Parmesan so I leave more “bits” unprocessed. Sometimes I add almonds toward the end of blending so I get more of those crunchy bits. But it’s good to know how to achieve both results.
