Vegan Parmesan "Cheese"
Parmesan cheese is one of those condiments that's able to make almost anything it's sprinkled on taste better. That's because it's loaded with fat, salt, and amino acids that get friendly with the taste buds in your mouth.
To create a plant-based substitute, I set out to find a set of ingredients that could recreate the right texture, mouthfeel, taste, and aroma. The result is a delicious sprinkle that's good on everything from pastas to salads, to popcorn. It can also be used in sauces and soups to add richness and umami instantly.
Why this recipe works
- Unlike most vegan Parmesan recipes, this one uses a mix of raw cashews and walnuts, which combines the rich creaminess of cashews, with the tannins of walnuts to create a cheese-like mouthfeel that has a chalky acidity.
- Shiitake mushrooms are loaded with guanosine monophosphate, which synergizes with the glutamate in nutritional yeast to produce full-bodied umami that's similar to that of a well-aged cheese.
- By pulverizing the ingredients some of the ingredients into a fine powder, and pulsing the nuts separately, you get a texture that closely resembles parmesan, without the risk of turning the mixture into nut butter.
What are the ingredients for plant-based Parmesan?
- Raw Cashew Nuts - Most recipes for plant-based parmesan call for cashew nuts. They have a neutral flavor, creamy mouthfeel, and umami. When raw cashews are ground into a coarse powder, they resemble grated cheese. These traits all make them well suited as a foundation for cheese.
- Walnuts - a small percentage of vegan parmesan recipes use walnuts. They contain a lot of tannins, which produce an astringent chalky taste that mimics a good parmesan. The problem is that walnuts have a very distinct taste of their own, which isn't desirable here. By blending them with cashews, you get a good balance of cheesy mouthfeel without an overwhelming walnut taste.
- Nutritional Yeast - This is the defacto plant-based seasoning for vegan cheeses, and as a product of fermentation, it not only adds some cheesy funk, it's also loaded with umami producing amino acids such as glutamate.
- Dried Shiitake Mushroom - nutritional yeast alone produces a passable Parmesan, but it ends up being a little one dimensional without another source of umami. Dried shiitake mushrooms are loaded with guanosine monophosphate, which synergizes with the glutamate in the nutritional yeast to produce well-rounded umami that's greater than the sum of its parts.
- Salt - salt boosts the taste of umami and plays a crucial role in making a convincing cheese.
How to Make Vegan Parmesan "Cheese"
You can make this in a spice grinder, blender, or food processor. The first thing I do is grind the dried shiitakes, along with the nutritional yeast and salt, until they form a fine powder.
Then I grind the walnuts, by pulsing them a few times. You really need to be careful here as walnuts have a ton of oil and they will quickly go from being crumbly to a paste, and then to walnut butter. You can make this a little easier by freezing them first.
Then I grind the cashews separately as these will turn to butter as well if over ground, but they are harder than walnuts and require a few more pulses to get crumbly.
Finally I put everything together in a bowl and mix and mash everything together until the mixture is a uniform consistency (like wet sand).
What you can use this on
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 5 grams dried shiitake mushrooms (1-2 small mushroom)
- 16 grams nutritional yeast (~¼ cup)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 50 grams raw cashew nuts (~⅓ cup)
- 35 grams walnuts (~⅓ cup)
Instructions
- Remove the tough parts of the stems from the dried shiitake and crumble it into a spice grinder, food processor, or blender along with the nutritional yeast and salt. Pulse until it has turned into a powder. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add the walnuts to the spice grinder and pulse until it's roughly crumbled. Transfer this to a bowl with the nutritional yeast.
- Add the cashew nuts to the spice grinder and pulse until roughly crumbled and transfer to the bowl.
- Stir the mixture together until it is uniform and the texture of damp sand.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until use.
Kathy says
This is so tasty! I'm not a vegan, but what I always appreciate is how vegan cooks examine flavors in dishes and innovate to come up with similar plant-based flavors. Many times the results are even more delicious! I also love how vegan cooking breaks the norms of traditional cuisine. You may have been aiming to replicate Parm, but you came up with something that can span many genres. This could liven up a curry, top a plank of tofu, get added to a mix for frying. I could even see it sprinkled on a frozen dessert or fresh fruit!
I had tried nutritional yeast in the past and didn't care much for it, but in this mix, it's craveable. Trader Joe's just started carrying it (their own brand), and it was affordable, so I got some. Then I remembered this recipe! I had a bit of technical difficulty with my spice grinder; I guess I will just have to double the batch and use my chopper.😁
Leigh says
I am vegan and have been through every vegan parm recipe there is out there....thought I had had the the best of them, until now! Dried mushrooms! Brilliant! That's what got me when I read it. The only thing I did differently (second time I made it) was to add 3/4 tsp of Druid's Lactic Acid and it took it over the top! This is a fantastic recipe. A major keeper and definite staple in my kitchen! Thank you!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks Leigh, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Great idea adding lactic acid for a bit of tang, I'm gonna have to try that.
Kathy says
This is so tasty! I’m not a vegan, but what I always appreciate is how vegan cooks examine flavors in dishes and innovate to come up with similar plant-based flavors. Many times the results are even more delicious! I also love how vegan cooking breaks the norms of traditional cuisine. You may have been aiming to replicate Parm, but you came up with something that can span many genres. This could liven up a curry, top a plank of tofu, get added to a mix for frying. I could even see it sprinkled on a frozen dessert or fresh fruit!
I had tried nutritional yeast in the past and didn’t care much for it, but in this mix, it’s craveable. Trader Joe’s just started carrying it (their own brand), and it was affordable, so I got some. Then I remembered this recipe! I had a bit of technical difficulty with my spice grinder; I guess I will just have to double the batch and use my chopper.
Kathy says
Sorry to repost, but the comment count was saying "0". Still seems to not recognize the comment.🤷♀️
Marc Matsumoto says
Sorry about that, not sure what happened here, but it's I can see both of your comments now.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks Kathy! This is also really good sprinkled on popcorn and French fries. Yeast-based products like nutritional yeast and Vegemite can have a strong taste, but the magic is in the enzymatic breakdown of protein into amino acids in these condiments. They are loaded with glutamate which creates the taste of umami. Love your idea of sprinkling it on sweet things. I actually add nutritional yeast when I'm making vegan dishes that would normally use butter as it gives cakes/cookies/etc a buttery taste.
AngelaKin says
This is so amazing!!! 😋 I will use it as my meal topper...
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!
Becky says
Just made this to add to some vegan pesto pasta. This is the first time I've seen dried mushrooms in a parm recipe. Delicious.
Marc says
Hi Becky, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed this! It's a nice condiment but it also works well as an ingredient as you've discovered. I use this as a base for my vegan butter with coconut oil as well.