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    Home » Vegan cheeses

    Vegan parmesan cheese with cashews

    Updated: Apr 4, 2025 · Published: Aug 23, 2022 by Cadry Nelson · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 2 Comments

    Jump to recipe
    Text overlay: Vegan parmesan cheese. Hand reaching fork into a bowl of pasta topped with vegan parmesan cheese.

    Made with just a handful of ingredients, this vegan parmesan cheese recipe is ready in minutes. Keep it on hand for adding cheesy flavor to spaghetti or pizza with a sprinkle. Dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.

    Vegan parmesan cheese being sprinkled onto pizza slice.

    Vegan parmesan was the first vegan cheese I ever made. It’s super quick and easy to prepare. Great for beginners!

    It’s simply made by grinding nuts & seeds with nutritional yeast and spices in a food processor.

    Start to finish, it’s ready in only minutes.

    When I first started making vegan parm, I’d always use walnuts for the nuts. But over the years, I moved to raw cashews and hemp hearts instead.

    Their flavors are more neutral and creamy, which really lets the other ingredients shine.

    It’s delicious on pasta dishes or sprinkled over a hot slice of ‘za. It adds cheesy flavor and flaky texture.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step instructions
    • Make it your own
    • Serving ideas
    • Storage ideas
    • FAQ
    • More vegan cheese recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    Here are the simple ingredients you will need for this cashew parmesan cheese recipe.

    Labeled ingredients for vegan parmesan cheese.

    Raw cashews: Raw cashews have a mild, neutral flavor. They add fat & creaminess without taking over. 

    If you can’t find raw cashews, they can be replaced with roasted cashews.

    Hemp hearts: Hemp hearts are the tender inner morsels in hemp seeds. They also have a pleasant neutral flavor that lets the nutritional yeast shine.

    Find them in the center aisles of the grocery store by the seeds and nuts.

    Nutritional yeast flakes: This is what gives the vegan parmesan its cheesy flavor.

    Nutritional yeast, also known as nooch, is an inactive yeast with a nutty flavor. (Do NOT use brewer’s yeast or active dry yeast.)

    It’s sold in the center aisles of the grocery store, often near the spices or flour. It’s sometimes available in bulk bins. I buy it at Trader Joe’s.

    (Read more about nutritional yeast flakes in this post, What is nutritional yeast?)

    Salt: A little salt makes all of the flavors pop.

    Seasonings: Dried herbs and seasonings add a burst of flavor that works well with the Italian-style dishes typically served with a sprinkle of parmesan.

    This recipe includes dried basil, dried oregano, granulated onion, and granulated garlic.

    Step by step instructions

    Here’s how to make the recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts and instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

    Cashews, hemp hearts, nutritional yeast, and spices in food processor bowl.

    Put the following in a food processor:

    • Raw cashews
    • Hemp hearts
    • Nutritional yeast flakes 
    • Salt
    • Dried basil
    • Dried oregano
    • Granulated onion
    • Granulated garlic
    Vegan parmesan cheese in food processor bowl.

    Turn the food processor to low.

    Process for 10 to 20 seconds, or until the cashews have been ground into tiny granules.

    Don’t blend too long. It will get clumpy if the cashews turn into cashew butter.

    Make it your own

    Fork digging into pasta with vegan parmesan and garlic bread.

    You can easily make this recipe your own by varying the ingredients or making some simple substitutions.

    Replace the raw cashews or hemp hearts

    You can either make this recipe entirely with raw cashews OR hemp hearts. 

    Or you can replace either one or both with walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, or pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds).

    To make this recipe nut free, use hemp hearts, sunflower seeds, and/or pepitas. In total, you’ll need ½ cup of the seeds of your choice.

    Omit or replace the seasonings

    If you don’t want additional seasonings & spices, simply leave any or all of them out.

    Or replace all of them with 1 teaspoon of your favorite Italian spice blend.

    I do NOT recommend making this recipe without nutritional yeast flakes. It’s the dominant flavor and main source of cheesiness.

    Change the grinding method

    Instead of processing the ingredients with a food processor, use a clean spice or coffee grinder.

    Since coffee grinders are small, I recommend grinding the raw cashews and hemp hearts separately.

    Then combine them in a bowl with the spices. 

    Serving ideas

    Slice of pizza with cashew parmesan.

    Cashew parm is great anywhere you’d use standard non-vegan parmesan.

    • Sprinkle it on pasta with marinara, air fryer lasagna, or roasted gnocchi.
    • Use it as a seasoning on air fryer radishes or roasted fennel.
    • Add several dashes to a slice of pizza or pizza bagels.
    • Use it in the breading of eggplant parmesan. (It’s great with noodles or in an eggplant parmesan sandwich.)
    • Add a spoonful to cilantro basil pesto for extra cheesiness.
    • Add a sprinkling to veggies like air fryer asparagus or air fryer spaghetti squash.
    • Use it as a finishing salt on popcorn.
    • Sprinkle a little on creamy vegan tomato soup just before serving.
    • Give a jar of cashew parmesan as a vegan food gift along with local pasta and jarred marinara in a basket or colander.

    Storage ideas

    Vegan meatballs & spaghetti in bowl with vegan parmesan cheese.

    To keep the ground raw cashews and hemp hearts fresh, store cashew parmesan in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. 

    It will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. And the freezer will extend it even further (up to 3 months).

    I like to store the vegan parmesan in a covered jar or shaker jar. That makes it easy to transport to the table.

    Or if you’re freezing it, you can keep it in a sealed freezer bag instead.

    FAQ

    Does vegan parmesan cheese melt?

    No, vegan parm doesn’t melt. It’s closer to a finishing salt. It adds cheesiness and spices right on top of a dish, making those flavors more pronounced.

    More vegan cheese recipes

    Keep the vegan cheese love going with any of these homemade non-dairy cheeses.

    • Tofu ricotta
    • Vegan feta cheese
    • Vegan chili cheese dip
    • Jalapeño cashew cheese
    • Vegan blue cheese dressing
    Cashew parmesan in shaker jar on table.

    If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

    📖 Recipe

    Homemade vegan parmesan cheese in sprinkle jar.

    Vegan parmesan cheese with cashews & hemp hearts

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 1 vote
    Cheesy and flavorful vegan parmesan cheese is delicious on top of spaghetti, pizza, or anywhere you'd use non-vegan parmesan. It comes together in just minutes, thanks to the food processor.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 4 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 minute minute
    Servings: 12 people
    Course: Topping
    Cuisine: Italian, Vegan
    Keyword: parmesan alternative, vegan cheese

    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup raw cashews
    • ¼ cup hemp hearts
    • ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
    • ¼ teaspoon dried basil
    • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
    • ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
    • ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Put all of the ingredients into the food processor.
    • Process on low until the cashews have broken down into fine pieces.
      The time will vary depending on your food processor, but it takes mine about 10 to 20 seconds. Do not over blend.
    • Move vegan parmesan cheese into a covered jar or shaker container. Store it in the refrigerator (or freezer for longer storage).

    Notes

    Store in a covered container in the refrigerator or freezer. It will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. In the freezer it will last up to 3 months.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 43kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 97mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen, and the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Since launching her blog in 2009, Cadry has been making plant-based cooking approachable, and reimagining classic comfort foods. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Parade, VegNews, and more. She regularly appears on local TV shows, demonstrating to a broad audience how easy vegan cooking can be.

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    1. Mari

      August 24, 2022 at 4:29 pm

      I’ve never used hemp hearts for parm before, but it’s a great idea! Thanks for the tip and the recipe. It’s really simple and straight forward. I have made it with just cashews in the past, but I think this will be better. I have ten pounds of raw cashews in my freezer. Recipes like this and Alfredo sauce are why! Now I need to stock up on hemp hearts. Thanks Cadry

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        August 26, 2022 at 10:25 am

        Wow, ten pounds of cashews! You have a lot of deliciousness ahead of you. I look forward to hearing what you think of the recipe!

        Reply

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