This nut-free vegan Parmesan cheese tastes amazing 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.
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I’ve seen some recipes floating around for homemade vegan Parmesan cheese over the years, 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 that they would be 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.)
- 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.
🥄 How to make hemp seed parm
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.
👩🏻🍳 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.
🍝 Sprinkle it on
- Vegan Squash Risotto
- Simple Vegan Tomato Pasta
- Vegan Vodka Cream Sauce
- Easy Cheesy Vegan Baked Broccoli
- Vegan Bolognese with Hidden Veggies
🌟 More vegan cheeses
I love to make homemade vegan cheeses, I have a whole vegan cheese section on my blog and wrote a cookbook filled with easy vegan cheese recipes. Here are some of my favorites.
- Vegan Smoked Gouda
- Healthy Veggie Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Pepper Jack
- Melty Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Cheddar
- Tofu Ricotta
- Vegan Cream Cheese
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan parmesan cheese recipe
Vegan Parmesan Without Nuts
Equipment
- blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp potato starch or rice flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
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.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted on October 20, 2017. It was updated on April 3, 2020, to include updated pictures and improved techniques.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
Love this savory sprinkle. Just made it for the fourth time tonight and tried the immersion blender instead of my spice grinder. Much better for a big batch! Love it so far on marinara pasta, garlic bread, lasagna, and popcorn. Sometimes I add herbs (usually dried parsley or rosemary) to the mix. Fabulous 😍
Can't wait to try it !!!
Just came across your recipe for vegan parmesan and can't wait to try it out because as an Italian who loves parmesan cheese but wanting to go more plant based , I'm really looking forward to giving this a go and I'll let you know how it compares to the "Real" formaggio parmigiano 🧀
I hope that you enjoy it, Tina! 🙂
Instead of hemp seed can you use chia seeds?
You can if you grind them, but it won't give you the same taste or texture as hemp seeds.
I just made this about 20 minutes ago for our dinner tonight... it is amazing! You're seriously a genius!!! I would NEVER have thought of this combination of ingredients for a vegan parm!
Just curious - in your experience, how long will this last safely in the fridge?
Thanks again for the fab recipes!
I'm so happy that you liked it, Mandy! It will keep well for about a month in the fridge. Enjoy! 🙂
Thank you so much!
Hi Monica, can you suggest a substitute for the flour please. I can't tolerate any wheat flours, even if they're gluten free. I don't have any nut or seed allergies, but maybe there's another 'flour' type I'm not aware of? Many thanks!!
You can just omit the flour. I use it so it's not as sticky, but it will taste just as good without it.
Hemp seeds are the main ingredient here - my son is allergic to seeds! Do you know of anything that I could use instead of seeds in this recipe? Thanks! (My first batch of mozzarella is cooling right now - so excited! Thanks for your awesome recipes!
Most nuts will work in place of the hemp seeds. Walnuts or cashews work well. Hope that you all enjoy my cheeses! 🙂
This is such a fabulous recipe. I can't wait to try it!!
This was really good! My kids love to sprinkle it on everything! I was so happy to finally find a vegan parmesan that was nut free! Thanks so much!