Vegan Parmesan Cheese Topping
Published: May 12, 2021
Modified: December 10, 2024
This easy vegan Parmesan cheese is the perfect topping for your vegan pizzas, pastas, salads, and more! Even better, this recipe requires just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make, so you can always have it on hand when you need it.
This vegan Parmesan cheese topping is just what you need to level up almost any meal. Although it can't be used as a dairy-free Parmesan substitute when you need a melty cheese for sauces (like Alfredo sauce), it does add lots of cheesy flavor when you sprinkle it on top of pizzas, pasta, or garlic bread.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
If you're wondering how to make this recipe nut-free or where to find nutritional yeast, this is the section for you! Feel free to leave a comment if your question isn't addressed here.
blanched almonds: Parmesan is a naturally nutty-tasting cheese, so I like using blanched almonds for this recipe. You can also use almonds with the peel on, but the peel does contain tannins, which may inhibit the absorption of nutrients in the body. You can also use raw cashews in this recipe, or choose hemp seeds for a nut-free option.
nutritional yeast: This ingredient lends a cheesy flavor to our vegan Parmesan, so it's absolutely essential. You should be able to find this in the seasoning section of most organic food stores (like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods), or you can purchase it online.
seasonings: A blend of onion powder, garlic powder, and salt add to the cheesy flavor of our vegan Parmesan topping.
Serving Suggestions
I always keep some of this vegan Parmesan in my refrigerator and reach for it any time I'm eating pasta or pizza. It would be great on top of a vegan Caesar salad, too. Here are some more vegan recipes that either use this vegan Parmesan as an ingredient or pair perfectly with it as a topping:
- vegan garlic bread
- vegan garlic smashed potatoes
- Detroit-style vegan pizza
- vegan vegetable lasagna
- vegan butternut squash ravioli
How to Store Vegan Parmesan Cheese
One of the best things about this recipe is that its ingredients don't spoil easily. I recommend refrigerating your vegan Parmesan in an airtight container, where it will last 2 to 3 months. If you want to store it even longer, you can freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 year.
More Homemade Vegan Cheese Recipes
Cheese may be one of the hardest animal-based foods for many people to give up, so I've worked hard to create some easy and delicious alternatives. If you liked this vegan Parmesan, here are some more vegan cheese recipes that you might enjoy:
- vegan Gruyère cheese
- vegan mozzarella cheese
- vegan liquid pizza mozzarella
- vegan queso dip
- vegan feta
- vegan ricotta
And if you're looking for the best store-bought vegan cheeses, check out the results of my vegan mozzarella taste test and vegan cheese slices taste test.
Vegan Parmesan Cheese Topping
Yield2.7 oz. (76 g.) vegan parmesan
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Timen/a
Total Time5 minutes
Pin itIngredients
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
Add almonds, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to a blender or food processor.
Pulse the blender or food processor until your almonds have been reduced to tiny pieces. You don't want pieces that are too large, but you also don't want to blend your almonds into almond flour.
Use your vegan parmesan as a topping on pizza, pasta, garlic bread, or anything else you would top with grated parmesan!
Notes & Hints
For a nut-free option, use hemp seeds instead of almonds.
This vegan parmesan recipe is not a substitute for parmesan that needs to melt (for example, to use in alfredo sauce).
If your blender or food processor's blades are too high to blend a single batch, double up the recipe.
Nutrition Data
Serving Size 1/20 of recipe
| Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 23 | Calories from Fat 18 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 2g | 3% | |
| Saturated Fat 0g | 0% | |
| Trans Fat 0g | ||
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% | |
| Sodium 49mg | 2% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 1g | 0% | |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 4% | |
| Sugars 0g | ||
| Protein 1g | 2% | |
| Vitamin A 0mcg RAE | 0% | |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin B12 1mcg | 42% | |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% | |
| Calcium 10mg | 1% | |
| Iron 0mg | 0% | |
| Potassium 39mg | 1% | |
| Zinc 0mg | 0% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note: This data should be used only as an estimate. Please see the nutrition section of my terms and conditions for more information on how this data is calculated.
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