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    Home » Simple Vegan Recipes

    Vegan Parmesan cheese recipe: magical 'fairy dust'

    Published: Oct 24, 2022 · Modified: Jun 3, 2023 by Becky Striepe · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Recipe Video Print
    glass jar of vegan parmesan cheese with a wooden scoop in it
    close-up of the vegan cheese sprinkles on a spoon
    glass jar of vegan parmesan cheese with a wooden scoop in it
    glass jar of vegan parmesan cheese with a wooden scoop in it, text overlay

    Sprinkle this flavorful, homemade vegan Parmesan cheese on everything! It takes less than five minutes to make.

    glass jar of vegan parmesan cheese with a wooden scoop in it

    Did you know that conventional parmesan cheese isn't just not vegan. It's not even vegetarian. Like a number of other cheeses, it's made with rennet, which is an animal-derived enzyme.

    Luckily, it's incredibly easy to make flavorful vegan parmesan cheese at home! This recipe takes just a few minutes with the help of your blender, and it adds a flavor punch to everything from pizza and pasta to salads and potatoes.

    Jump to:
    • How to make it
    • Why call it 'fairy dust'?
    • How to store vegan parmesan cheese
    • Serving suggestions
    • Frequently asked questions
    • More cheesy recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    How to make it

    What's great about this vegan parmesan cheese recipe is that it's really flexible. You can use any nuts and seeds that you like to make the base, so you can make it nut-free, if you need.

    nutritional yeast, nuts, and spices in bowls on a marble table

    We usually use pecans but I've also made fairy dust with:

    • cashews
    • almonds
    • sunflower seeds
    • walnuts

    The other great thing about this recipe is that it takes about three minutes to make in the blender. Just toss all of the ingredients into the blender, then pulse until you have a crumbly mix.

    close-up of the vegan cheese sprinkles on a spoon

    Why call it 'fairy dust'?

    This "fairy dust" is a basic vegan Parmesan cheese recipe with a few bonus additions to make it great.

    SPEAKING OF MAKING IT GREAT.

    Y'all, my kid is obsessed with this one Pizza Hut training video from the 80s. My husband is a nostalgia blogger, so he spends time each week looking up old commercials and other vintage videos. For some reason, this one really resonated with my kid:

    In case you don't have time to watch, I'll sum up: The training video walks you through how to make a Pizza Hut pizza, including sprinkling on "Fairy Dust."

    Obviously, the next time we made pizza at home, my kid wanted to sprinkle fairy dust on top. This beefed-up vegan parmesan sprinkle is our vegan version of fairy dust, and we are obsessed with it.

    How to store vegan parmesan cheese

    Your fairy dust will keep for a few weeks in your pantry in an airtight container. I like to store it in a half-pint wide-mouth mason jar with this cool shaker lid on top.

    You can use a regular jar, but this way, my family doesn't stick their gross fingers into the jar to grab a pinch of fairy dust 18 times a day.

    Serving suggestions

    Use this simple vegan parm anywhere you'd sprinkle or grate dairy parmesan cheese. I love it....

    • sprinkled onto my macaroni and cheese before baking.
    • on pasta, like my red pepper pesto fettuccini.
    • on a baked potato.
    • over veggies, like roasted broccoli or sauteed kale.
    • as a topping for baked ziti.
    • on salads.

    Any time you want to add a bit if texture and a burst of flavor to a savory dish, that jar of fairy dust is your friend. We try to always keep some in the pantry.

    I tend to double or triple the recipe below, because I'm truly obsessed!

    Ready to make some vegan parmesan sprinkles? Let's get down to the nitty gritty. Let's get this show on the road!

    Frequently asked questions

    Should I use raw or roasted nuts?

    A reader recently asked for clarification on whether raw or roasted nuts/seeds will work in this recipe.

    In general, with harder nuts or seeds -- like almonds or pumpkin seeds -- either raw or roasted will work. For softer nuts and seeds -- like cashews or sunflower seeds -- I'd go with roasted.

    What is vegan parmesan made of?

    This cheese is made from nuts or seeds of your choice plus nutritional yeast, spices, and salt.

    What does vegan parmesan cheese taste like?

    This vegan parmesan sprinkle is zesty and salty with a rich, cheesy flavor. It doesn't taste exactly like dairy parmesan sprinkles, but it gives the same vibe. I actually like it better, because of all the seasonings!

    Does vegan parmesan cheese melt?

    This cheese does not melt.

    More cheesy recipes

    • hand picking up a chip from a plate of vegan nachos with mugs of beer in the background
      Easy Vegan Nachos with 6-Minute Vegan Queso
    • bowl of vegan grits topped with tomato, green onion, and mushroom bacon
      Vegan Cheese Grits with Mushroom Bacon
    • serving vegan baked ziti from a casserole dish
      3-Cheese Vegan Baked Ziti

    📖 Recipe

    glass jar of vegan parmesan cheese with a wooden scoop in it

    Vegan Parmesan Cheese Recipe

    Sprinkle this flavorful, homemade vegan Parmesan cheese on everything! It takes less than five minutes to make.
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Keyword: vegan parmesan cheese
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12
    Author: Becky Striepe

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup nuts or seeds of your choice - pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, etc.
    • ½ cup nutritional yeast
    • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt

    Instructions

    • Put all of the ingredients into your blender, and pulse until you have a crumbly mix.

    Equipment

    • Blender or food processor

    Video

    Notes

    In general, with harder nuts or seeds -- like almonds or pumpkin seeds -- either raw or roasted will work. For softer nuts and seeds -- like cashews or sunflower seeds -- I'd go with roasted.
    Store your fairy dust in an airtight container. Will keep for up to 3 weeks, but I bet you'll use it all before that.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Parmesan Cheese Recipe
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    46
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    3
    g
    5
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    0.4
    g
    2
    %
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    2
    g
    Sodium
     
    98
    mg
    4
    %
    Potassium
     
    84
    mg
    2
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    3
    g
    1
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    0.04
    g
    0
    %
    Protein
     
    2
    g
    4
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    7
    IU
    0
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    0.1
    mg
    0
    %
    Calcium
     
    11
    mg
    1
    %
    Iron
     
    0.5
    mg
    3
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    About Becky Striepe

    Headshot of Becky Striepe in front of a teal wall

    Hi there! I'm Becky Striepe (rhymes with sleepy), and I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here.

    Learn more about me >>>

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Mary

      April 21, 2023 at 8:24 am

      5 stars
      We love this very much but I am slightly confused about the ingredients - in your FAQs you mention lemon juice as an ingredient but it doesn’t appear in the recipe and I can’t really imagine it should be in the recipe as it would turn everything to a paste? Anyway, without the lemon juice, it is amazing - thank you!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        April 27, 2023 at 7:59 am

        Oh dear! That should say salt, and I must have been exhausted when I wrote lemon juice instead. Thank you for telling me, so I can correct the FAQ!

        Reply
    2. Mary

      June 09, 2022 at 4:29 pm

      5 stars
      This is far away the best vegan ‘parmesan’ we have made (and we’ve followed a lot of recipes) - it’s hard not to eat it all straight out of the jar!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        June 10, 2022 at 12:48 pm

        Haha I'm glad that I'm not the only person who has that problem, Mary! Thank you for coming back to rate and share your experience!

        Reply
    3. Cathy

      September 30, 2020 at 2:05 pm

      Mine turned out mushy - i used a Nutribullet - maybe I processed it too long? Which blade did you use? I used roasted and salted pecans......turned out more like a seasoned nut butter....

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        September 30, 2020 at 2:47 pm

        Yes, it does sound like you processed for too long. With a high speed blender like that, you just need to pulse a few times. It should only take a few seconds. What you could do with the mushy stuff is keep processing until you do have a nut butter, then use it as a spread to make garlic bread! Just mince some fresh garlic to sprinkle on top of crusty bread slices, spread on the over-processed Fairy Dust, and toast it.

        Reply
        • CAH1

          April 20, 2022 at 7:07 pm

          Great idea for the mushy stuff!

          Reply
          • Becky Striepe

            April 28, 2022 at 9:08 am

            lol gotta have some crunch!

            Reply
    4. Heatha

      September 17, 2020 at 2:48 pm

      Could I freeze this? I’m single so I don’t think I would use it before it went bad! :)

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        September 18, 2020 at 8:50 am

        I haven't tried freezing it, so it's tough to say. You can halve the recipe, though, if that would work for you!

        Reply
    5. DavetteB

      August 26, 2020 at 6:23 pm

      Just future reference, the shaker tops from Parmesan cheese canisters will fit regular mouth canning jars, they have a shaker side and a wide side for a spoon. If you don't use the powder cheese, you probably have a friend that does ?

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        August 26, 2020 at 7:03 pm

        That's great to know!

        Reply
      • Marge Teilhaber

        May 08, 2022 at 1:03 am

        5 stars
        Every ingredient is totally freezable so I will triple this recipe and pretty much store it in the freezer. I'll report back! Also, this could be used as a broth base, no? 1C fairy dust to 4 or 5C water????

        Reply
        • Becky Striepe

          May 11, 2022 at 7:52 am

          Ooh let me know how freezing and using it as a broth base goes for sure! My only concern with using it for broth is that the nut meal might be a bit gritty. It might soften, if you boil for a bit, though!

          Reply
    6. Karla

      April 03, 2020 at 9:24 am

      I used half hemp fiber and half almond flour, and just whisked it together instead of using a blender. Left out the garlic and onion for low fodmap. The color was a little darker from the hemp, but it is good!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        April 03, 2020 at 10:10 am

        Ooh that's good to know that you can modify it for low FODMAP! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment!

        Reply
    7. Debbie

      March 28, 2020 at 8:10 pm

      Raw or roasted nuts??

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        March 29, 2020 at 12:26 pm

        Great question! I'll add this info to the post, as well. Either is fine for harder nuts, like almonds. For something softer, like cashews, I'd go for roasted.

        Reply
    8. Shelley

      March 30, 2019 at 9:08 am

      Could you use almond flour?

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        April 01, 2019 at 8:04 am

        Oh, that's a good question! I'm not sure, because I've never tried it. If you did, I wouldn't do it in the blender, because you'd likely end up overblending. You can definitely use whole almonds, though.

        Reply
    9. Janet

      August 09, 2018 at 3:57 pm

      5 stars
      OMG,OMG!! This is by far the best Vegan parmesan cheese ever I mean ever!! You just have to make sure you use good quality nutritional yeast (my brand is "Sari Foods" brand) not "Braggs" sorry folks. And no I don't get paid lol. Keep up the wonderful work your doing with your receipes!!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        August 09, 2018 at 5:10 pm

        That is wonderful to hear! Enjoy it, Janet.

        Reply
    10. Cadry

      March 28, 2018 at 1:08 pm

      I didn't realize that Dave is a nostalgia blogger! I enjoyed reading through his site. The Halloween post was especially fun. I always marvel at how good kids have it nowadays with fancy Disney-worthy costumes, while we were wearing hard plastic masks & bibs with a character's picture on it.

      I'm loving the looks of this fairy dust! I used to make something similar with nooch, walnuts, and salt. But nowadays, I tend to just sprinkle on some nutritional yeast and call it a day. Your version sounds so much more flavorful!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        March 28, 2018 at 1:17 pm

        He doesn’t talk about his blog nearly enough. He works so hard on it! That Halloween post is great. I have clear memories of shopping for horrible costumes at toys r us as a kid.

        And thank you! Darrol is obsessed, and I’m so glad we found a non-ketchup condiment that he likes with veggies. Haha

        Reply
    11. Amu Estes

      March 28, 2018 at 8:40 am

      This looks so good! I need it!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        March 28, 2018 at 8:46 am

        You do!

        Reply
      • Anne

        September 29, 2019 at 4:19 pm

        5 stars
        Truly magical! Hard to keep my spoon out of it! ??

        Reply
        • Becky Striepe

          September 30, 2019 at 10:34 am

          Haha the best kind of problem! Thank you for coming back to rate and comment!

          Reply
    12. Kathy Hester

      March 26, 2018 at 8:03 pm

      I made some tonight for my pasta and it was delicious!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        March 26, 2018 at 9:14 pm

        Hooray! So glad you dug it, Kathy!

        Reply
    13. Sarah De la Cruz

      March 26, 2018 at 7:48 pm

      We love homemade vegan parm! We use hemp seeds in our vegan parm for a nut free option, because, you know, I'm obsessed with hemp! I love the addition of Italian seasoning in this—such a good touch!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        March 26, 2018 at 9:13 pm

        It makes it super special!

        Reply
    14. Dianne

      March 26, 2018 at 12:09 pm

      This really does look magical! I want to sprinkle it on just about everything!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        March 26, 2018 at 9:13 pm

        Thank you! You should do that!

        Reply

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    Hi! My name is Becky Striepe (rhymes with “sleepy”). I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here. → READ MORE

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