The recipe for this vegan parmesan requires only 3 ingredients: Brazil nuts, nutritional yeast, and salt. There is no soaking of nuts needed, no preparation whatsoever, just blitz the ingredients in a food processor or a nut grinder, and enjoy! So simple, yet so yummy! In my opinion, it taste pretty similar to real parmesan, and is just as versatile. You can sprinkle the vegan parmesan on your spaghetti, pizza, salads, soups, roasted vegetables, or mix it with risotto.
I like using Brazil nuts because they have only a slight nutty taste; they are also higher in fat than other nuts like cashews or almonds, which is beneficial to this recipe as it mimics real parmesan better. Nevertheless, cashews or almonds are a good substitute for Brazil nuts if you don’t want to use the latter. I would only refrain from using walnuts or hazelnuts, or any other nuts that have a stronger and “nuttier” taste.
If you want to intensify the taste, you can add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the vegan parmesan; I like doing this esp. when using the parmesan as pizza topping. Adding a crushed garlic clove also goes a long way.
Recipe
Easy Vegan Parmesan Made with Brazil Nuts
Ingredients
- 100 g Brazil nuts
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 scant teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a food processor or a nut grinder, blitz the ingredients until you get a texture that resembles ground parmesan. You can store it in an airtight container for several weeks in the fridge.
Anja says
Dear Ramona,
I tried this today and it's really tasty! Until now, I used ground almonds for my vegan parmesan, but this is a even tastier alternative... thanks for sharing!
Ramona says
Dear Anja,
Thanks for your comment and for letting me know that you tried out the recipe. Glad you like it. 🙂 You're right, almonds are a great base for vegan parmesan too, I use them if I don't have Brazil nuts on hand.
Cheers,
Ramona
Corinna says
I always use cashews as a base for vegan parmesan. Brazil nuts sound like a fun variation - I will try it 🙂
Ramona says
Hi Corinna,
I've never tried cashews for vegan parmesan, but I can imagine that they work well. The result is probably more "sweetish" as cashews are mild in taste. Brazil nuts have a 'heavier' flavor, almost buttery, and are richer in fat, that's why to me they make the perfect base for vegan parmesan. Next, I'll try macademia nuts, they are buttery too, and their fat content is even higher than that of Brazil nuts.
Cheers,
Ramona