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    Home » Vegan recipes

    Vegan Parmesan cheese recipe: magical 'fairy dust'

    Last Modified: Mar 29, 2020 by Becky Striepe

    Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Privacy Policy for more details.

    Recipe Print
    jar of the vegan parmesan cheese recipe with text overlay
    jar of vegan Parmesan cheese fairy dust with a spoon in it
    vegan fairy dust in a jar on a white tea towel

    Sprinkle this magical Fairy Dust - a flavorful, homemade vegan Parmesan cheese recipe - on everything! It's a delight on pizza, pasta, veggies, salads, potatoes, and more.

    jar of vegan parmesan cheese on a white tea towel with a black background

    Jump To:
    • Why 'fairy dust'?
    • How to make it
    • Raw or roasted?
    • How to store it
    • How to use it
    • Vegan Parmesan cheese fairy dust

    Why '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.

    spooning a scoop of Magical Fairy Dust

    How to make it

    What's great about this 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. We usually use pecans, like in the written recipe, 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.

    Raw or roasted?

    A reader recently asked for clarification on whether raw or roasted nuts/seeds will work in this recipe. What a great question! I'm adding this section, because I'm sure others want to know, as well.

    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.

    How to store it

    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.

    How to use it

    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 fairy dust? Let's get down to the nitty gritty. Let's get this show on the road!

    vegan fairy dust in a jar on a white tea towel

    Vegan Parmesan cheese fairy dust

    Sprinkle this magical Fairy Dust - a spin on homemade vegan Parmesan cheese - on everything! It's a delight on pizza, pasta, veggies, salads, potatoes, and more.
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 61kcal
    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.
    • Store in an airtight container. Will keep for up to 3 weeks, but I bet you'll use it all before that.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 61kcal
    Tried this recipe? Share your photo!Mention @GlueAndGlitter on Instagram or Twitter!
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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

    1. 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
    2. 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
    3. 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
    4. 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
    5. 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
    6. 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
    7. 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
    8. 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
    9. 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
    10. 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
    11. 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
    12. 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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    About Me

    Glue and Glitter
    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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