Vegan Parmesan Cheese To Grate
Servings
1 bloc
Prep Time:
10 min
Cook time:
0 min
Perfect For:
Condiment
About this Recipe
Giving up cheese for me has been the hardest part of turning vegan, way harder than giving up meat.
Maybe it’s because store-bought vegan cheese in Canada was the most horrible thing on earth when I did the transition a few years ago (yup, sorry Canada!).
Luckily it’s better now, but often not very healthy.
That being said, I discovered over the years that you can make delicious and much healthier vegan cheese at home.
Making Healthy Vegan Cheese at Home
The beauty of making your own cheese is that you have complete control over the ingredients you put in it! This recipe is only made with healthy, simple ingredients that you know and have in your pantry, unlike store-bought cheese.
Simple tips and tricks
- Grated or not grated? You have two options for this recipe. Most vegan Parmesan cheeses are a simple crumble of cashews and nutritional yeast. You can achieve this with this recipe, but you can also shape it and grate it. You only need to blend it longer and add a little oil. (See the recipe.)
- How to store it? If you decide to shape it and grate it, store it in the fridge for up to 7 days, or in the freezer! This is a great way to make it really firm and easy to grate. Of course, it’s also perfect for keeping it longer. Bottom line, make sure your cheese is cold before grating it, otherwise, it won’t grate as well.
- Adjusting the taste to your liking: This recipe is only a guideline, and you can of course adapt it to your personal preference. For example, adding more nutritional yeast will add sharpness to the cheese, while adding more lemon juice/vinegar will give it more acidity.
- Shaping it: I shaped it into a triangle, but you can simply make a wheel. You can use plastic wrap to help you, but I prefer saving on plastic so I just used my hands. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
- A word about coconut oil: Coconut oil helps the cheese to harden in the fridge, as this oil becomes solid when cold. That being said, you must make sure that the coconut oil you’re using is odorless and tasteless, otherwise, you will end up with coconut cheese and we definitely don’t want that! That being said, you can use another oil like sunflower oil if you don’t have coconut oil on hand. It will help create a shapable ball instead of a simple crumble, and if you freeze it, it grates perfectly.
Recipe
Vegan Parmesan Cheese To Grate
This vegan version of Parmesan cheese is easy to make and grate and is made with wholesome, simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tbsp refined coconut oil (tasteless and odorless) , or other neutral oil
- 1/2 salt (or more, to taste)
Instructions
- In a blender, blend the cashews until they become a fine crumble.
- Add all the other ingredients except the oil, and blend for a few seconds until they are incorporated. You can stop here if you would like to keep your Parmesan cheese as a crumble. If you want to shape it and grate it, follow the next steps.
- Add the oil, and blend until the mixture forms a ball that can be shaped with the hands, like dough.
- Take it out, and shape it the way you want with your hands.
- Store it in the fridge or the freezer, and make sure it's cold and hard before you grate it. (Preferably serve the next day, but you can also grate it even if it's still a bit soft).
Notes
Store in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Vegan, Lactose-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free
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