Every Italian dish needs a little sprinkle of cheese, but if you’re eating dairy-free, this may be a challenge! You don’t have to miss out, though.
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite foods. You just need to find creative alternatives that are delicious and easy to make. This recipe fits the bill!
Table of Contents
How to Use Vegan Parmesan Cheese
You can use vegan Parmesan cheese for so many things! I keep a batch in my freezer at all times and use it in many of my kitchen hacks. Here’s a little chef’s inspiration.
- Top your homemade spaghetti with a sprinkle of Parmesan. This cheese is also a crowd-pleaser for dinner parties!
- Shake a little dairy-free cheese over your salads. Yum!
- Turn on your favorite movie and pop some organic, non-GMO popcorn. Top it with coconut oil, a dash of sea salt, and vegan Parmesan cheese. Movie night done right!
- Use it in place of bread crumb topping.
- Need a kid-friendly side dish? Try sprinkling our Oven Roasted Potatoes with a bit of vegan cheese!
- Add it to the crispy topping mixture on my favorite Tuna Noodle Casserole.
- Use it to add extra flavor to your omelets!
- Are you missing ultra-cheesy pizza? Sprinkle some vegan Parmesan on your pizza along with a bit of crushed red pepper. Ah, pizza heaven!
This alternative cheese freezes well, so you can add it to your freezer meals with confidence. We love making Gluten-Free Lasagnas in advance, so we always have a healthy meal on hand.
Ingredient 101
You may be wondering what goes into vegan Parmesan cheese? Some vegan cheeses can look a little sketchy! The best part about this recipe is that you can pronounce every ingredient. No fillers are needed!
Organic Raw Cashews: Cashews are among the best nuts to use in vegan recipes. They’re mild in flavor, so they mesh well with other ingredients. They also blend well into creamy cheeses and are processed into a Parmesan-style powder.
Cashews are a tasty way to support your body! Aside from being versatile, cashews are excellent for your health. They’re full of antioxidants that fight against inflammation brought on by free radicals. Inflammation causes many issues in the body, such as aches and pains, and it can develop into a chronic disease (1).
Organic Raw Pine Nuts: If you’ve had pesto, you’ve probably had pine nuts! They are a favorite in Italian recipes. They taste slightly sweet, which pairs well with basil and parsley.
Eating pine nuts is the intelligent thing to do… literally! They’re packed with omega-3s, which can improve your brain health and even keep your mind sharp as you age. Consuming enough omega-3s may even reduce your chances of developing dementia (2).
Organic Hemp Hearts/Seeds: This ingredient is part of the Cannabis plant, but it only contains trace amounts of THC. It does, however, include all of the best features of hemp, including fatty acids that can boost your immune system and clear skin conditions (3).
These same fatty acids are also remarkable for your endocrine system. Studies have shown a connection between essential fatty acids and decreased PMS symptoms (4).
Organic Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is a popular ingredient in homemade vegan cheese, as it has a flavor reminiscent of the real deal. Many vegans include it in their diets as it’s a complete protein containing all the amino acids a person needs.
You can usually find nutritional yeast at your grocery store.
Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: Traditional table salt undergoes a rigorous harvesting process that strips it of most of its nutritional benefits. We recommend using Colima sea salt because it’s hand-harvested. This process leaves the good stuff intact! Plus, it tastes incredible and adds a gourmet flair to any recipe.
Your body needs a certain amount of sodium to thrive, but it needs the right kind! You can also use Himalayan salt.
Organic Garlic Powder: Garlic makes every recipe better. In this vegan Parmesan cheese, we use garlic powder as it’s consistent with Parmesan cheese texture. For centuries, garlic has been hailed as a cure-all. I’m sure you’ve heard of some home remedies containing this gem!
It turns out that garlic is a great medicinal food. It’s anti-viral and can strengthen the immune system’s response to common colds and other illnesses (5). You’ll find that garlic powder makes this vegan cheese perfect for any casserole, pizza, or Italian dish. Be mindful of where your spices come from! Studies show that spices from China can carry toxic mold and other fungi (6).
Make Cashew-Based Cheese
This recipe comes together within minutes and is easy to make. Your food processor does all the work for you! I love doubling this recipe so I always have a great vegan cheese substitute.
Homemade Parmesan Cheese (Vegan)
Servings
Ingredients
- ¾ cup organic raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons organic raw pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon organic hemp hearts/seeds
- ¼ cup organic nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- ¼ teaspoon organic garlic powder
Supplies
- Food processor OR blender
Instructions
- Add the cashews, pine nuts, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, sea salt, and garlic powder to a food processor or blender. Pulse until the mixture reaches the consistency of Parmesan cheese.
- Use in your favorite Italian recipes, or as you would traditional cheese.
Step One: Blend Ingredients
Add the cashews, pine nuts, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, sea salt, and garlic powder to a food processor or blender. Pulse until the mixture reaches the consistency of parmesan cheese.
Pulse the ingredients until they’re the consistency of Parmesan cheese. Be watchful as the ingredients break down quickly. Use as you would traditional Parmesan cheese!
You’ve found an excellent vegan Parmesan cheese substitute, but what about other Italian dishes? Is it possible to enjoy your old favorites in a way that benefits your body? Yes, it is!
My family loves all things Italian. Pizza, lasagna, dips, appetizers, you name it. So, I got creative and transformed our old standbys into recipes free of gluten, sugar, and dairy. Eliminating those factors doesn’t mean giving up flavor, though.
In my Gluten-Free Italian Cooking Class, I show you how to make these recipes and more. It’s just one of the cooking classes in our Bible Health Academy that you may find helpful to get you started.
My homemade vegan Parmesan cheese may be dairy-free, but it still adds the same savory touch traditional Parmesan does. Give it a try!
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5456284/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25954194/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12848277/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21241460/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26764332/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24176349/
