One of the hardest things about going plant-based, at least for me, was taking cheese out of my diet. Not that I ever ate a lot of cheese, but I’ve never been one to pass by brie and not indulge … and my favorite man seems to think queso is an essential part of every football game, every stay-up-and-watch-a-movie late night, every Friday night, every meal … well, OK, maybe not every meal but you get the point. Anyway, discovering how to make this “Parmesan” was pretty damn cool I mean, no, it’s not brie and it’s not queso and its not even Parmesan, but it’s great sprinkled on pizzas, pastas, popcorn … just about anything.

The secret to vegan cheese is nutritional yeast.

Now, I will tell you that if you Google “vegan Parmesan” you’ll get a bunch of recipes that are essentially exactly the same. So my suggestion is to play around with the measurements a little until you have the exact version you prefer. Start with this one, and then add and subtract as you see fit 🙂

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes

• 1 cup cashews, unsalted
• 3-4 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until it reaches that same crumbly texture as traditional Parmesan. Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

DISCLAIMER: Our recipes are just that, ours. Some are modified versions of dishes we’ve had elsewhere or old-favorites that contained animal proteins that we replaced with plant-based options, while others are a concentrated effort of trial and error. But all are intended to be altered by you and made to suit your tastes. So if you want more garlic or none at all, go for it. You do you ; ) Now for the serious part … periodically this site does offer health, nutrition and exercise information. The information provided is not intended as medical advice and is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice given by a licensed physician or other health-care professional. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, consult your physician and never delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have read on this site. The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk.