4-Ingredient Vegan Parmesan

a jar of powdered vegan cheese
Number of Servings: 
Makes 2/3 cup (86 g)
Recipe Source: 
Effortless Vegan by Sarah Nevins, ($21.99, Page Street Publishing, 2020). Photo credit: Sarah Nevins

Ingredients

  • 12 cup cashews
  • 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 14 tsp garlic powder
  • 12 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste

Directions

  1. Add the cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt to a blender.
  2. Pulse in 5-second increments until it reaches a sandy texture. Taste and season with a little more salt if needed.
  3. Keep this Parmesan stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks or in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Notes

Before you try anything else, stop what you’re doing and make this Parmesan! Add it to pastas, soups and so much more. I make sure to always keep a jar of this stuff on hand because it really does make everything you add it to taste at least 10% better.

What Is Nutritional Yeast?

Nutritional yeast is essentially baking yeast that has undergone a heating and drying process to render it inactive. Once it’s deactivated, it’s usually fortified with vitamins and minerals. It often comes in a yellow, flaky form; you can also find it powdered.

It’s most commonly fortified with vitamin B12, which is crucial for healthy cells and brain function. It’s especially handy for anyone following a vegan diet because this is a vitamin that is hard to find in plant-based foods.

Why do we use it? Aside from fortifying your food with added nutrients, it also adds a cheesy, umami flavor to your cooking!

Contributor

Sarah Nevins

Sarah Nevins is the voice, author, photographer, recipe developer and self-taught cook behind A Saucy Kitchen and author of Effortless Vegan. Her mission is to provide easy and delicious gluten-free recipes for people who like eating healthy, but get distracted by cookies. Though originally from the US, she now lives in Sheffield, England with her husband, Mike, and their greyhound, Paddy.