This nut-free, vegan, Parmesan cheese made from hemp seeds is delicious when sprinkled over just about anything! It’s easy to make, free of all major allergens, and packed with nutrients! Sprinkle it over pasta, stuffed shells, or popcorn for a cheesy Parmesan flavor without dairy.

A plate of vegan spaghetti and meatballs with a silver shaker sprinkling vegan Parmesan cheese over the top.

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Why you’ll love hemp parmesan

Over the years, I’ve seen some recipes floating around for homemade vegan Parmesan cheese, but they all had cashews or other nuts. I made some using a variety of different nuts, but since no one else in my family likes nuts, they hated every version that I tried.

While using hemp seeds for another recipe, I realized they would have a great texture and flavor for dairy-free Parmesan!

I ground up the hemp seeds with some nutritional yeast, salt, and a little garlic powder with my immersion blender. It tasted pretty good, but it wasn’t exactly the right consistency.

I added some gluten-free flour to mellow out the flavor and make it less sticky, and it worked! My kids sprinkle it on everything now!

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Nutritional Yeast – for the cheesy flavor.  This is an essential ingredient for this recipe and you can’t swap it for anything else.  Nutritional yeast is a yellow flaky substance with a cheesy umami flavor.  It is not the same as baker’s yeast or brewer’s yeast.  You can find it in most health food stores or large supermarkets.
  • Hemp Seeds – whole raw hemp seeds work great, but you can also use pumpkin seeds or white sesame seeds.  (If you like nuts, you can also use pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts instead.)
  • Sea Salt – or kosher salt for flavor.
  • Garlic Powder – for flavor. You could also use onion powder.
  • Potato Starch – for an anticaking agent.  The hempseed (and nuts) are sticky when ground up, the starch keeps it from sticking together and clumping up. You can also use some all-purpose gluten-free flour or rice flour instead.
A silver Parmesan cheese shaker filled with vegan Parmesan in front of a plate of spaghetti with pesto.

How to make hemp seed parmesan

Step 1 – Add hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, gluten-free flour, salt, and garlic powder to an immersion blender container.

Step 2 – Pulse for a few seconds making sure to grind up the seeds well, then store them in a jar in the fridge until you are ready to use them.

A series of 4 pictures showing the steps for making vegan Parmesan cheese with no nuts.

Pro Tips

  • You can use a regular blender or food processor too. I just find the immersion blender a little easier.
  • Store your vegan parm in an airtight container in the fridge so it’s ready to sprinkle over all of your savory dishes. It’s great on pasta, rice, veggies, popcorn, or anything that you would sprinkle parmesan cheese onto.
  • You can leave out the potato starch if you choose, it will be a little sticky without it.
A Parmesan cheese shaker filled with vegan Parmesan in front of a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.

Sprinkle it on

A white plate filled with spaghetti tossed in pesto and topped with vegan Parmesan cheese.

More vegan cheese recipes

I love to make homemade vegan cheeses. I have a whole vegan cheese section on my blog and have written a cookbook filled with easy vegan cheese recipes. Here are some of my favorites.

Vegan parmesan cheese recipe

A plate of vegan spaghetti and meatballs with a silver shaker sprinkling vegan Parmesan cheese over the top.
Diet
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5 from 9 rating

Vegan Parmesan Without Nuts

Yield: 4
Prep: 3 minutes
Total: 3 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A quick easy way to make a vegan parmesan cheese without using nuts.
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Ingredients

Equipment

  • blender or immersion blender

Instructions
 

  • Put all ingredients into a blender or an immersion blender container.
  • Blend for about 30 seconds until the seeds are ground and ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
  • Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Notes

  • You can leave out the potato starch if you choose, it is just a little more sticky without it.
  • You can use a regular blender or food processor too. I just find the immersion blender a little easier.
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge so it’s ready to sprinkle over anything you like. It’s great on pasta, rice, veggies, popcorn or anything that you would sprinkle parmesan cheese onto.
Serving: 2tbsp, Calories: 115kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 292mg, Potassium: 75mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 86IU, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!

*This recipe was originally posted on October 20, 2017.  It was updated on April 3, 2020, to include updated pictures and improved techniques. 

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