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    Home » Recipes » Dressings, Dips, and Sauces

    Vegan Hemp Cashew Parmesan “Cheese”

    Published: Jul 23, 2020 Last Modified: Jul 23, 2020 by Allison

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    One of my go-to seasonings is this vegan hemp cashew parmesan “cheese.” Made with hemp, cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt, this is one of the simplest recipes imaginable, and it’s oh so versatile. 

    a straight on shot of a jar of hemp cashew parmesan on a white marble board

    It has been a couple of years since I shared my original vegan parmesan cheese recipe (sunflower seed parmesan). This is how I make it most often, now: with a combination of hemp and cashews. While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of vegan parmesan recipes out there, I still wanted to share my version, since I make it so often and use it almost every day. I sprinkle it on pasta, salads, bowls, and popcorn. I eat it on its own as a snack. Heck, I’m even planning to add it to a salad dressing recipe I’m working on today! Vegan parmesan is one of the most versatile seasonings you will ever make, and while it doesn’t masquerade as its dairy counterpart (for one, it doesn’t melt), its flavour is rich, salty, and “cheesy” all at once, thanks to the combination of nuts, seeds, salt, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast. As long as you have a food processor, you can whip this up in less than two minutes!

    overhead shot of the hemp cashew parmesan in a food processor

    What’s so healthy about this vegan parmesan “cheese?”

    Beyond its delicious flavour and its ability to turn virtually any dish into something extra special, this “cheese” has a lot going for it from a nutritional point of view. You might have noticed that hemp features in many of my recipes, and that is because it is so darn good for you! It’s rich in magnesium, iron, protein, and is said to have the ideal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 essential fatty acids. On top of that, cultivating hemp has a low environmental footprint compared to other crops, since very few inputs (pesticides, fertilizer, or water) are required.

    Cashews are particularly rich in copper. While other minerals, like magnesium and iron, seem to get all the attention, adequate copper intake is also incredibly beneficial to your health. As the amazing World’s Healthiest Foods notes, “copper is a component of the enzyme superoxide dismutase, which is important in energy production and antioxidant defenses.” Copper also contributes to the cross-linking of collagen and elastin, which helps provide flexibility in blood vessels, bones, and joints.

    Nutritional yeast, an inactive yeast made by culturing yeast on a nutrient medium for several days, is very high in the B vitamins, making it an excellent way for vegans to ensure that they are getting enough of these important micronutrients! B vitamins are known to enhance cellular energy production.

    And I’d be remiss not to mention sea salt! I believe that sodium gets a bad rap. On top of its ability to add incredible flavour to a dish, the body needs sodium to send messages from the brain to the body and to regulate heartbeat. Particularly if you eat a natural foods diet and you are physically active, you probably should not be worrying about your sodium intake. (That is, unless you have a genetic history of hypertension.) In fact, not consuming enough salt can be dangerous if you sweat a lot. The only recommendation I will make is to opt for unrefined sea salt over refined table salt. Table salt has been stripped of all of the other amazing minerals that sea salt contains, and I find it too intensely salty. Of course, like most things, salt is best enjoyed in moderate amounts. All I am trying to say is that sodium is a mineral that our bodies need, and it is certainly not something to vilify or avoid at all costs!

    how to make cashew hemp parmesan

    This is a one-step kind of recipe! Just add cashews, hemp, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt to a food processor, and process until a coarse powder forms. Transfer into a container or jar and store in the fridge.

    Watch this video to see how it’s made!

    Uses for vegan parmesan

    I mentioned it earlier in the post, but here it is again. You can use vegan parmesan wherever you would use dairy parmesan: just know that it doesn’t melt the way that real parmesan does. Here are a few of my favourite applications:

    • Salads
    • Bowls
    • Pasta
    • Popcorn
    • Salad dressings
    • And more! The possibilities are endless.

    overhead shot of a jar of cashew hemp parmesan

    I hope you enjoy this simple, versatile recipe. If you make it, leave a comment and rating below to let me know how you enjoyed it. And if you post a photo to Instagram, be sure to tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen so that I can feature it in my stories!

    Enjoy!! 🙂

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    a straight on shot of a jar of hemp cashew parmesan on a white marble board

    Vegan Hemp Cashew Parmesan “Cheese”


    ★★★★★

    5 from 3 reviews

    • Author: Allison
    • Total Time: 2 minutes
    • Yield: 1 cup 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    One of my go-to seasonings is this vegan hemp cashew parmesan “cheese.” Made with hemp, cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt, this is one of the simplest recipes imaginable, and it’s oh so versatile. 


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ½ cup raw cashews
    • ½ cup hemp hearts (also called hulled hemp seeds)
    • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 1 scant teaspoon fine sea salt

    Instructions

    1. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor fitted with the standard ‘S’ blade and process until a coarse powder forms, 10-15 seconds. Transfer into an airtight jar or container and store in the fridge.

    Notes

    Make it nut-free: Use raw sunflower seeds in place of cashews.

    • Prep Time: 2 minutes
    • Category: How To, Condiments

    Keywords: vegan cashew hemp parmesan cheese

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @upbeet.kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #upbeetkitchen

     

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Cindy

      July 24, 2020 at 6:02 pm

      This is a great idea. It was easy make and I always wanted some extra flavour only popcorn with health benefits. I sprinkled extra on my salad and on my pasta, it was perfect.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Allison

        July 24, 2020 at 7:39 pm

        Thanks for being so quick to come back and comment, Cindy! I’m glad that you like it!

        Reply
    2. John

      August 14, 2020 at 8:41 pm

      Since I can’t tolerate dairy, this is a perfect parmesan substitute. It worked really well on my pasta and on my salad.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Allison

        August 15, 2020 at 10:59 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    3. AngelaKin

      July 26, 2021 at 4:19 am

      It has become so much more enjoyable and tasty! Thanks for the recipe❤

      Reply
      • Allison

        July 26, 2021 at 10:18 am

        Hi Angela, thanks for your comment. I’m happy to hear that! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Shellie

      April 24, 2022 at 5:13 pm

      Love this parmesan recipe. It’s perfect. No need to make another. Thanks.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Allison

        April 24, 2022 at 5:19 pm

        Hi Shellie, that’s awesome! I’m happy to hear that. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!

        Reply
    5. Gin

      May 04, 2023 at 8:55 am

      Looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it out. Any idea how long it’ll last in the fridge?

      Reply
      • Allison

        May 15, 2023 at 9:03 pm

        Thank you!
        This should keep in the fridge for a few months. Enjoy!

        Reply

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