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Do your next pasta night right, and whip up a batch of this homemade vegan Parmesan cheese. All you need are 5 ingredients and 5 minutes!

I’ve been making my own vegan Parmesan cheese forever! But it’s one of those things where I always threw ingredients in and never actually measured, which I why I didn’t actually have a recipe for vegan Parm until recently.

I was working on a recipe (forthcoming) where I wanted to include vegan Parmesan as an accompaniment, so I decided to finally get to it and create a recipe already.

In the past I’ve used different types of nuts and seeds, different spices and seasonings, and even baked my Parm. But this recipe is my favorite version, and it’s pretty darn easy to make. No baking, just 5 required ingredients (and one optional ingredient), and it takes minutes to make.

The Ingredients

Cashews are my favorite nut for making vegan cheese, and that’s what I used in this recipe. Make sure your cashews are raw. Roasted cashews won’t have quite the right flavor and texture — your cheese will actually taste like nuts. Raw cashews have a very neutral flavor, so they work well as a vehicle for the other seasonings.

You’ll also need some nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast tastes a lot like Parmesan cheese. So much so, that I’ve even been known to use it on its own as a Parm substitute when I’m feeling lazy.

Salt is important here. Cheese is salty, so omitting or cutting down on the salt will make your vegan Parmesan taste less cheesy.

But what if you’re watching your sodium intake? Rather than cutting back on the salt, I would suggest using the amount of salt called for, and going light when sprinkling your Parm.

And then spices! Garlic and onion powder are required ingredients, and they add savory notes that make this stuff taste extra Parmy. White pepper is optional. A reader turned me onto this one as an addition to cheesy vegan recipes a while back. I tried it out and love it! If you don’t normally buy white pepper, feel free to skip it, but it does add a nice bit of sharpness that makes this cheese taste extra authentic.

How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese

It’s so easy. Ready for this: stick everything in a food processor bowl, and blend it to a powder.

How to Store Your Vegan Parm

Vegan Parmesan cheese will keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container for several weeks. How many weeks? Honestly, it depends on how fresh your cashews are to begin with.

I prefer to freeze mine. It’ll keep for 3 to 6 months in a sealed container in the freezer, and it thaws out super quickly. I usually just scoop a little bit out of my container before dinner. By the time I’m done preparing the meal, my cheese is ready to go!

FAQ & Tips for Making Perfect Vegan Parmesan Cheese

• I’m allergic to cashews. Can I substitute another type of nut or seed? Yup! Try macadamia nuts, almonds, hemp seeds or sesame seeds.
• Is this stuff gluten-free? It is!
• Look for nutritional yeast in the natural foods section of your supermarket, or try a place like Whole Foods. If all else fails, order it online.
• Make sure your cashews are raw. If you use roasted cashews your cheese won’t taste right.
• Need something good to put your Parm on? Try my vegan eggplant Parm, stuffed shells, or penne arrabbiata.

Watch my video to see just how easy it is to whip up a batch of homemade vegan Parmesan cheese!

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The post Easy Vegan Parmesan Cheese appeared first on Connoisseurus Veg.

Recipe

Alissa Saenz, Khareem Sudlow