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.
I’ve seen some recipes floating around for homemade vegan Parmesan cheese over the years, but they all had 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 vegan 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 seed 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.
- 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.
🥄 Instructions
- Add hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, gluten-free flour, salt, and garlic powder to an immersion blender container.
- Pulse for a few seconds making sure to grind up the seeds well, then store in a jar in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
👩🏻🍳 Pro tips
- 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.
- 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
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
A quick easy way to make a vegan parmesan cheese without using nuts.
- 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
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Put all ingredients into a blender or an immersion blender container.
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Blend for about 30 seconds until the seeds are ground and ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
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Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
- 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.
*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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