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Vegan Parmesan Cheese (Nutritional Yeast-Free)

February 14, 2022 by JennifersKitchen 22 Comments

You’ll only need six ingredients for this delicious, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free cheese, and it’s soooo quick and easy to make. 5 minutes and you’re done!

In fact, this delicious, vegan Parmesan is so easy that you may want it to become a staple in your refrigerator or freezer so you can sprinkle it over your spaghetti, salads, and steamed vegetables any time you want.

Oh, and your fresh, garden tomatoes! This stuff is scrumptious on fresh, garden tomatoes.

I’ve been experimenting with creating a vegan Parmesan recipe on and off for several years now. I’ve tried using different a number of different ingredients and while some of the results were good, none of them were amazing.

And then, I found the secret ingredient!

Lemon juice powder, which is simply dried lemon juice (and can be easily purchased) was just the ingredient needed to pull all the other ingredients together into the salty tangy deliciousness that this Parmesan lover needed.

Vegan Parmesan Ingredients

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You’ll need only 6 ingredients to make this luscious, vegan cheese.

1. Sesame seeds

Sesame seeds give a bit of a cheesy, umami flavor to this vegan Parmesan.

2. Blanched raw almonds or raw cashews

Blanched raw almonds give the cheese its characteristic nutty flavor and tender texture.

Bonus: almonds are full of beneficial nutrients, such as magnesium, vitamin E, and fiber. And cashews are a good source of magnesium, zinc, and fiber.

3. Granulated onion and celery salt

Granulated onion and celery salt gives this a nice flavor boost.

4. Salt

Since regular Parmesan is quite salty, salt is an essential ingredient to make Parmesan taste . . . well, like Parmesan.

5. Lemon powder

The secret ingredient for the best vegan Parmesan cheese is lemon powder. Lemon powder is made from dehydrated lemon juice and adds just the right flavor to this plant-based cheese. Here’s where I get my lemon powder.

How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese

I make my dairy-free Parmesan cheese in my food processor. I haven’t tested it in a blender, but it may work if you use the pulse function of your blender and scrape the sides and bottom of the blender jar often.

Vegan Parmesan Cheese Nutrition

Not only is this plant-based cheese absolutely delicious, but it’s also super good for you! Made with whole-food ingredients (no oil, no sugar, no refined ingredients) and loaded with fiber, protein, magnesium, and other nutrients, you can enjoy this luscious topping guilt-free.

Plus, this vegan Parmesan contains no nutritional yeast. While there is limited research on the health effects of consuming nutritional yeast and more studies certainly need to be done, many people try to avoid nutritional yeast because it may possibly affect neurotransmitter function in the brain, cause chronic pain, and cause cravings.

Vegan Parmesan Cheese Questions

How long will this vegan Parmesan cheese keep?

This vegan Parmesan keeps for about a month in the refrigerator or longer in the freezer.

Does this vegan Parmesan tastes just like dairy Parmesan?

If you ate this vegan version alongside the dairy Parmesan, you certainly would be able to tell the difference. I mean it’s made with nuts instead of milk, so I wouldn’t expect it to taste the same. That said, it definitely has that tangy, cheesy flavor that I love(d) about regular Parmesan cheese and it will definitely fill that void if you prefer to not eat dairy.

How do you eat this vegan Parmesan?

Here are some of my favorite foods to sprinkle this Parmesan over:

Pasta with Marinara Sauce

Creamy Cannellini Spinach Pasta

Steamed broccoli

Creamy Fettuccine

Fettuccine with Parsley Almond Pesto

Vegan Lasagna

Chickpeas Italiano

Do you have more vegan cheese recipes?

Yes! You can find all of my vegan cheese recipes here.

2 votes

Print

Vegan Parmesan Cheese (Nutritional Yeast-Free)

Prep 5 mins

Total 5 mins

Author All recipes on jenniferskitchen.com are property of Jennifer's Kitchen and cannot reprinted in any other form (including online) without prior written permission.

Yield 1/2 cup

A healthful alternative to Parmesan cheese that’s vegan, gluten-free, nutritional yeast-free.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon ground sesame seeds
  • 1/3 cup blanched raw almonds or raw cashews
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon powder
  • 1 pinch celery salt

Instructions

  1. If not already ground, grind sesame seeds in a coffee grinder until very fine.
  2. Place all ingredients in a dry food processor and process until very fine. Do not over-blend the mixture.
  3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

One quick request: if you like this recipe, please leave a rating and a comment. Ratings help more people find these healthy recipes!

Notes

Do not soak nuts before using them. Make sure they are completely dry before placing them in the food processor.

 

* * * This Recipe for Vegan Parmesan Cheese is … gluten-free, plant based, oil-free, sugar-free, high in fiber, dairy free, egg-free, vegetarian, vegan, and made from real, whole foods.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Valerie

    February 17, 2022 at 10:27 pm

    I am quite allergic to nutritional yeast. Thanks for making a parmesan cheese replacer without it!

    Reply
    • JennifersKitchen

      February 18, 2022 at 1:56 pm

      You’re welcome, Valerie. I hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Margaret

    February 23, 2022 at 12:14 pm

    I am so thankful that you have put time to figure this out! I have been looking for recipes that don’t use nutritional yeast and have been trying to figure out substitutions!

    Reply
    • JennifersKitchen

      February 23, 2022 at 12:35 pm

      So happy it will be useful to you. I hope you enjoy 🙂

      Reply
  3. Susan Frederick

    March 20, 2022 at 4:34 pm

    I made this Vegan Parmesan Cheese last week to put over my spaghetti, and it is DELICIOUS! I ended up also adding it to salad, veggie soup, and lentils. I’m sure I’ll find more places to use it. This is an excellent substitute for the real thing. It’s so good.

    Reply
    • JennifersKitchen

      March 20, 2022 at 7:37 pm

      So happy you liked it! I’ve never tried it in veggie soup, but that sounds really good.

      Reply
  4. Neva

    March 20, 2022 at 5:26 pm

    I tried to sprinkle this on the Brazilian Beans but ended up eating it by the spoonful instead. Yes, I lack self-control.

    Reply
    • JennifersKitchen

      March 20, 2022 at 7:38 pm

      Lol!!! 🙂 🙂 I have to admit I’ve done the same. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Laura

    March 20, 2022 at 6:28 pm

    Any recommendations for lemon powder? I’m allergic to all citrus products.

    Reply
    • JennifersKitchen

      March 20, 2022 at 7:40 pm

      Hmmm … I really don’t know of anything that would work as a substitute here. I suppose you could leave it out, but it wouldn’t taste the same. Sorry I’m not much help.

      Reply
  6. Renee Bushor

    March 21, 2022 at 10:02 am

    what about this lemon juice powder? It is cheaper, would it work?
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0912MVY4N/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=newmeaweilos-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0912MVY4N&linkId=b0c881f4a2d6d57e1a23fbbf50df09a6

    Reply
    • JennifersKitchen

      March 21, 2022 at 10:33 am

      Hi Renee,
      I’ve never tried this brand, so I can’t say for sure. I suppose its worth a try, but it is more expensive than the lemon powder I buy.

      Reply
  7. Deborah

    March 28, 2022 at 7:57 am

    Hello, this looks great. I was wondering if you had a catsup recipe? I thought I saw one but can’t seem to find it.
    Thx for your time,
    Debbie

    Reply
    • JennifersKitchen

      March 29, 2022 at 11:04 am

      Hi Debbie,
      I don’t currently, but I will certainly put that on my list and hopefully you’ll see it on the blog in the near future. 🙂

      Jennifer

      Reply
  8. Kae

    April 8, 2022 at 10:53 am

    Thanks for the yeast flake free recipe. Can’t wait to try it. It was a surprise to me that yeast flakes are fermented. Makes since since they taste like cheese.

    Reply
    • JennifersKitchen

      April 8, 2022 at 12:05 pm

      You’re welcome, Kae. I hope you like it!

      Reply
  9. Renee Bushor

    May 3, 2022 at 2:45 pm

    Thx is really good! Tried it last Friday in my spaghetti pie…was delicious!

    Reply
    • JennifersKitchen

      May 3, 2022 at 7:54 pm

      I’m glad you liked it, Renee. Thank you so much for your kind comment and rating.

      Reply
  10. Irene

    May 3, 2022 at 9:57 pm

    Could I use lemon zest in place of lemon powder?

    Reply
    • JennifersKitchen

      May 3, 2022 at 10:03 pm

      Hi Irene,
      As I was developing this recipe, I tried lemon zest, but was really, really unhappy with the results. I definitely recommend lemon powder. It’s worth it.

      Reply
  11. Ashanna Arthur

    June 12, 2022 at 5:49 pm

    Good Evening. Thank you so much for sharing these recipes. I`m hoping to try this one out. Do you think Almond Flour would work instead of crushing the whole almonds in the food processor?

    Reply
  12. JennifersKitchen

    June 12, 2022 at 6:25 pm

    Hi Ashanna ,
    Yes, almond flour should work just fine
    Hope you like it! 🙂

    Reply

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