This Plant-Based Parmesan recipe couldn’t be simpler: Just measure the ingredients into a food processor or small chopper and pulse for a few seconds until well-combined. That’s it!
There’s so many uses for this cashew-free, dairy-free, parmesan cheese. It’s perfect for our easy plant-based Caesar Salad, for adding a cheesy note to pasta or pizza, sprinkled over grilled veggies, or as a topping on casseroles.
About the Ingredients
This recipe is just 5 ingredients: almond flour, nutritional yeast, miso, coconut milk, and salt.
Using Almond Flour Saves You From Grinding Nuts
We use almond flour regularly in our recipes here at not not nutritious.com . Using almond flour saves you from having to process the nuts, as in many cashew-based Parmesan recipes. We use superfine almond flour, also known as blanched almond meal. It’s just skinned, finely ground almonds. You can find almond flour in the baking section of your grocery, in bulk food bins, and stores like Costco.
Using Cashew Flour Instead
Some readers have asked us whether cashew flour would work instead. Short answer - we think so! But we haven't tried this yet, as cashew flour is a little harder to come by where we live.
Nutritional Yeast and Miso Provide Cheesy Notes
Nutritional yeast is a non-active yeast. A little bit nutty, a little bit cheesy, nutritional yeast is a common ingredient in many plant-based or vegan dishes. It works perfectly in this Plant-Based Parmesan recipe, and it’s such an easy add-in because there's no preparation required. Just measure it right out of the container.
We’re also adding a teaspoon of miso to amp up the cheesy flavour. Miso is a fermented paste made from beans and grain. If you are gluten-free, please check the ingredients, as some misos are gluten-free and some are not. For this recipe, we used amano genmai, or brown rice miso, which contains brown rice, soy beans, sea salt, water, and a culture. You’ll find miso paste in the refrigerator at most well-stocked grocery stores or Asian markets.
Coconut Milk Adds Richness and Texture
These recipe uses a very small quantity of coconut milk, which adds a bit of richness and moisture to the parmesan. You can use the rest of the coconut milk in any of these recipes: 1-Pot Spicy Black Bean Soup, 15-Minute Thai Chickpea Curry, Indian-Inspired Cashew Sauce, 1-Pot Coconut Lentils Vegetable Soup or Tom Kha Soup. Or you can save it and add it to smoothies or soups.
Salt
Regular Parmesan cheese is of course salty, so our recipe requires salt. You can use sea salt or regular salt, whichever you prefer. Keep in mind that table salt is a bit saltier than sea salt, so add less to start with.
Tips: Straight talk about plant-Based cheese
This recipe does NOT taste exactly like dairy parmesan. But, we think it tastes good or we wouldn't have posted the recipe. Only you can be the judge of your own preferences.
Many people find giving up dairy difficult. You'll see different schools of thought on how to approach this - some people even suggest not trying plant-based alternatives for a few months until your taste buds have changed. If possible, keep an open mind and don't expect that something made from plants is going to taste identical to its animal-based counterpart.
As more people move toward plant-based eating, recipe creators and food manufacturers are developing more and better (tastier) alternatives to dairy cheese. Don't be discouraged if you try some things that you don't like. It might take some patience and some experimentation to find recipes and brands that work for you.
Related Recipes
Other Recipes with Plant-Based Cheese
Other Recipes with Almond Flour
Almond flour is also one of the key ingredients in the Mother Mix, which is a DIY pantry staple that jumpstarts over 15 different dairy-free soups, dips, sides, and mains.
Recipe Card
1-Minute Plant-Based Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond flour (finely ground, skinned blanched almonds)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (start with less if using table salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon miso
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut milk
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a food processor, blender, or small chopper. Pulse until well-combined (about 20 seconds in a small chopper.)
Yum! This is great if you don’t have cashews on hand or just don’t feel like using them. I didn’t have any coconut milk, so I subbed in Miyoko’s vegan butter for richness. It turned out great! Going on my Caesar salad tonight!
Dana – thanks for your generous review and the brilliant substitution idea – I’ve wanted to try Miyoko’s butter for a while and now I have a great excuse!
Can I substitute almond flour for anything else?
Hi Katie – I have not tried other nut flours so I can’t say for sure, but I might try cashew flour, or just grinding up some cashews (or skinned almonds) into a fine powder in your blender. If you give that I try, please come back and tell us how it worked out.