This Vegan Parmesan Cheese Topping is an Easy Way to Add Savory Flavor to Meats, Pasta, Vegetables and Side Dishes.
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Vegan Non-Dairy Parmesan Cheese Topping
This Vegan Non-Dairy Parmesan Cheese Topping is a great way to add cheesy flavors and textures to meat dishes. Parmesan cheese is one of Shoshy’s favorite foods. When she was a kid, every time she would go to a restaurant she would order penne pasta with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese and make the waiter stand over her shredding parmesan cheese onto her pasta until you couldn’t see the pasta. The other night I made this parmesan for a pasta night and she had it on her pasta even though there was regular parmesan cheese next to her. It’s that good.
This Vegan Non-Dairy Parmesan Cheese Topping comes from the magical team of Molly Patrick and her kitchen wizards from her blog, Clean Food Dirty Girl. All of her recipes use no animal products and no added oil. This is one of the public recipes from her site. There is also a paid meal-plan subscription service that provides many more recipes as well as a shopping list and instructions for batch cooking. Those recipes will not be replicated here. Be warned, Molly does use some off-color language on her blog.
What ingredients are in Vegan Parmesan Cheese?
The first ingredient is walnuts, although I have found that pecans make a delightful substitute. It also contains nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt.
What is nutritional yeast? Is that the stuff that comes in the little packets?
No, nutritional yeast is completely different from the little packets of yeast that are used for baking. Nutritional yeast comes in jars or cans and is made with inactive yeast so it will not do anything to help your bread rise. It is a good source of B vitamins, but unfortified nutritional yeast is also available. Some people think it lends a cheesy flavor to food. It is delicious on popcorn.
Where can I find nutritional yeast?
It is available online and at health food stores. You may also find it in larger supermarkets in the natural food aisle. It may be shelved with the supplements rather than the groceries. One brand of nutritional yeast that is both kosher and gluten-free is Bragg’s. There are taste differences between brands so you may want to try several.
What happens if I blend it too long?
Not to worry. I have done that more than once and while you can’t sprinkle it on anything, it is a fabulous sandwich filling or spread for crackers. This stuff is delicious in any form.
Products used in this recipe:
Bragg Premium Nutritional Yeast Seasoning 4.5 Ounce

Vegan Parmesan Cheese
This Vegan Parmesan "Cheese" Topping is an Easy Way to Add Savory Flavor to Meats, Pasta, Vegetables and Side Dishes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
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Add all ingredients to blender or food processor. Blend in short bursts, checking frequently to maintain powdery texture. Do not over blend.
This is genius! Who would have thought — walnuts on spaghetti and meatballs!? Feels like I’m back at Bubby’s all over again, am I right?!
Thanks, Sarah! We are glad you like it 🙂
surprised that it has such an amazing taste
and its healthy
so good i just ate it plain on a teaspoon
Thanks so much, Larry! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I never thought to make mine with walnuts, I just use ground almonds and rub everything together with my fingertips. Even my meat-eating Italian friends loved it as the only cheese on their vegan lasagne! I’m definitely trying your version, thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much! Please let us know how it works out.