This easy vegan & dairy-free parmesan cheese substitute is salty, cheesy, and so delicious you'll want to sprinkle it on everything you make!
I've been using this easy dairy-free parmesan cheese in my recipes for years now!
It only takes seconds to mix together and goes perfectly with just about EVERYTHING. It's cheesy, salty, and no one will be able to tell the difference between the homemade and store-bought variety 🙂
Ingredients
This recipe only requires 5 simple ingredients:
Blanched almond flour
Most vegan parmesan cheese recipes use cashews for a base. However, I think blanched almond flour works just as well, if not better.
Unlike raw cashews, I always have blanched almond flour on hand and there's no food processor involved!
Plus, the taste and texture is just perfect for parmesan cheese.
Nutritionl yeast
Nutritional yeast is what gives this recipe a "cheesy" flavor. It's usually found in the spice aisle of your local natural food store and is full of B vitamins.
It's sold in the form of yellow flakes and is totally different than the yeast you cook with to make bread!
Salt
Cheese is naturally salty, so salt is an essential ingredient! I use sea salt. If you use a different type of salt, you may need to alter the amount.
Garlic and onion powder
Garlic and onion are 2 more essential ingredients to give the cheese some depth of flavor and complexity - similar to real Parmesan.
Top tips
- You can make your own blanched almond flour for this recipe by grinding slivered almonds in a food processor until it becomes a finely ground flour. I don't recommend using a blender.
- You can double or triple the batch if you'd like!
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge until the expiration date of almond flour.
What to serve this with
This dairy-free parmesan cheese recipe goes so great with a variety of meals! Here are just a few options:
Looking for more dairy-free recipes?
Or this Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup from Allergy Awesomeness looks delicious too!
If you've tried this recipe please let me know what you think in the comments below!
Craving more? FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or E-Mail to find more delicious food!
📖 Recipe
Dairy-Free Parmesan Cheese Substitute {Paleo & Vegan}
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Blanched Almond Flour
- ½ tsp. Sea Salt - more to taste
- 1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast - more to taste (gives it a cheesy taste, found on the spice aisle of your local health food store)
- ⅛ tsp. Garlic Powder
- ⅛ tsp. Onion Powder
Instructions
- Thoroughly combine all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Add Your Own Notes
Notes
- You can make your own blanched almond flour for this recipe by grinding slivered almonds in a food processor until it becomes a finely ground flour. I don't recommend using a blender.
- You can double or triple the recipe if you'd like!
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge until the expiration date of almond flour.
Nutrition
NET CARBS = Total Carbs - Fiber - Allulose - Xylitol
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary. Sugar alcohols, xylitol, and allulose are included in the total carbs and fiber.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out my
Sue says
I made this for baked ziti for my gluten-free, dairy-free friend. I have a lot left. How long will this keep in the refrigerator? Would it work to freeze it?
Cassidy Stauffer says
Hi Sue!
It can be kept in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks. And while I haven't tried freezing it myself, I think it should freeze beautifully and would probably last around 3 months. I hope this helps 😀
XO,
Cassidy
AngelaKin says
I always prefer Cashew Parmesan as a meal topper. But this looks great..
侯奕瑄 says
Could I substitute almond flour to coconut flour?
Cassidy Stauffer says
I've never tried it with coconut flour so I can't say for sure. While it would probably work as a topping, it would have a slightly different taste because coconut flour is sweeter. Also, I wouldn't try cooking with it because coconut flour is SUPER absorbent!
I hope this helps! If you give a try please come back and let me know how it goes!
-Cassidy
Gina says
What could you substitute for the almond flour? This looks delicious but I have a nut allergy.
Cassidy says
Hi Gina,
I'm really not sure. The only sub I can think of is finely ground raw cashews. Maybe finely ground sunflower seeds or sunflower seed flour would work - but I'm not sure if it would have an aftertaste or not??? If you try it please come back and let me know how you liked it!!!! Sorry I couldn't be of more help!
-Cassidy
Cat says
I'd just eliminate the flour altogether. I've sprinkled nootch (nutritional yeast) on my "pasta" and it's great by itself! The one thing I miss about grated parmesan is that beautiful tang - so a little lemon squeeze on top helps tremendously!
Jules Shepard says
Love just how easy this recipe is...no reason to not just whip it right up! Thanks for sharing!
Cassidy says
Thanks Jules, yes it's super easy!!
jenna | the urben life says
Yum 🙂 I'll have to give this a try! I loooove using nooch, so this will be perfect. I've never tried blanched almond flour but of course, it's on Amazon!
Elisheba says
Thank you for this website! I just found your site today and am very excited. In reading your postings I was glad to hear that you were going to take the plunge and go completely grain free! Awesome! I'm totally siked about your "cornbread" muffins. I was just as siked about your Parmesan cheese except for the use of nutritional yeast. In my studies on foods that contain MSG(which is practically all pre-package foods) nutritional yeast IS nothing but MSG. So very unhealthy. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any substitute for this cheesy flavored "yeast". Again thank you for this wonderful site.
Sincerely,
Elisheba
Cat says
Elisheba - the hype against MSG was totally debunked, when the originator of that hype admitted he'd made it all up. There's a really great This American Life broadcast about it: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/668/transcript.
Cassidy Stauffer says
Anonymous-
I just don't know if brown rice would taste good or not. Almond flour has a very earthy, nutty flavor. I don't know how the brown rice would compare?? But if you try it, be sure to let me know how it turns out!
Anonymous says
Could this be made using brown rice flour?
CassidyS says
Yes, I think this tastes a lot like parmesam! Since I am not 100% dairy free I had the luxury of being able to taste actual parmesan cheese while working on this recipe. It obviously doesn't taste exactly the same but is very close!
May 18, 2011 10:57 PM
Betsy says
So this tastes a bit like parmesan?? I just found your site and am also gluten and dairy (and soy) free as well. I can't wait to give this a try.