This vegan parmesan is mildly pungent, nut-free and grateable! Just the thing to enhance your dairy-free creations.

grated homemade vegan parmesan on wood cutting board with wedges of cheese stacked in background.

Why You’ll Love This

I have always loved experimenting with food, which has been a strong bond between Sylvia and me since we met in boarding school, many, many years ago. We created a lot of unique (sometimes even edible 😂) dishes in our dorm room hotpot, not realizing it would inspire us to become chefs and open a restaurant years later! This vegan cheese recipe reminds me of those times when a unique combination of ingredients somehow transforms into something amazing!

I was really surprised by this vegan cheese! It tastes so good and is easy to make. The flavor is rich, sharp, and salty. The texture is a little softer than a hard cheese, but it will crumble and can be grated, sliced, shaved, fried, and even frozen. It even looks parmesan-ish!

Vegan Parmesan Ingredients

ingredients for vegan parmesan laid out - soy milk, potato starch, coconut oil, salt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, white miso.
  • Unsweetened Soy milk: The base to the vegan cheese. Any rich, neutral, flavored plant milk will work.
  • Potato starch: Not potato flour. This creates the texture and hold the cheese together.
  • Lemon juice and white vinegar: For acidity and tanginess. The white vinegar gives an important sharp flavor.
  • Refined coconut oil: Keeps the flavor neutral while giving the right texture to the vegan parm. Unrefined coconut oil will work but will give an essence of coconut flavor.
  • White miso paste: Adds a mild umami taste and nutty, subtly sweet flavor.
  • Nutritional yeast and dry mustard powder: For cheesy flavor and umami.
  • Salt: You’ll need regular salt and coarse sea salt. The coarse salt mimics the crystalized tidbits common in aged parmesan cheese.

How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese

1. Prep your container. Line a glass container with parchment paper, letting it hang over the edges so you can bring it up to cover the cheese. Make sure the container fits in the steamer you are using. I used a glass food storage container with a locking lid. Avoid using a plastic lid during steaming, however you can store the cheese with a plastic lid.

2. Blend ingredients. Using a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients, except coarse salt, together until smooth.

3. Transfer. Transfer the vegan cheese mixture into the lined container. Sprinkle the coarse salt over top and swirl.

4. Cook. Fold the parchment over and place a piece of foil over top. Place in the steamer basket. Heat the water in the bottom pot to a steady simmer, then place the steamer basket in. Cook for 45 minutes with the lid on. When done, the texture should be a little bouncy to the touch and the color should be a little translucent.

5. Refrigerate. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 6 hours or overnight.

plate of spaghetti with grated vegan parmesan cheese on top next to smaller plates with grated parmesan and wedges of parmesan.

Chef’s tips

  • What type of container to use: I use the glass part of a 4-cup square storage container. You can steam with the plastic lid snapped on, but I did not want to take any chances of leaching plastic into the cheese. I use parchment and foil over the top.
  • What type of steamer to use: I use a 6-quart pot with a steamer basket. You could also use a bamboo steamer.
  • For a craggy parmesan look, Lightly score the cheese and then break it apart into rustic-edged wedges.

StorIng Vegan Parmesan

Store the vegan parmesan cheese in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week. You can also store in the freezer in wedges or pre-grated!

Serving Suggestions

  • Grate the parmesan and add it to pasta, soups, salads, or pizza. It tastes especially great over our Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Roasted Cauliflower Pasta, or Grilled Romaine.
  • When serving over warm dishes, like a soup, the parmesan will melt, but if left too long it will disappear into your food!
  • You can also sear it in cubes and use it like halloumi cheese. You can try this for a vegan substitute in our Halloumi Wrap!

FAQs

What does vegan parmesan cheese taste like?

Vegan parmesan is savory, salty and nutty, with rich umami flavor and hints of sweetness.

Does vegan cheese taste like real cheese?

Because vegan cheese and dairy cheese are made with different ingredients, it will not taste exactly like traditional parmesan cheese, but it does replicate the flavor and has its own incredible taste!

Does vegan cheese melt like cheese?

This parmesan cheese melts differently than regular cheese. It blends into your dish instead of maintaining a melted shape. If left too long on a warm dish, it may disappear but still adds great flavor.

Are there nuts or seeds in vegan parmesan cheese?

Many plant-based cheese recipes are made with nuts like raw cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, or pine nuts, or seeds like hemp seeds or sunflower seeds. Our nut-free version uses soy milk, coconut oil, and potato starch as the base.

wood cutting board with a pile of grated vegan parmesan cheese and a stack of parmesan wedges.

Hope you enjoy this easy Vegan Parmesan Cheese recipe! Once you get the hang of it, you’ll never buy store-bought again!

Let us know how you use it. 🙂

More Vegan Recipes You Might Like

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This vegan parmesan is mildly pungent, nut-free, grateable and meltable! Just the thing to enhance vegan pasta, pizza, soup and salads!

Vegan Parmesan Cheese Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Tonia | Feasting at Home
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes + 6 hours chill time
  • Total Time: 6 hours 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 ounces
  • Category: side dish, vegan side, vegan condiment
  • Method: steamed
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This vegan parmesan is grate-able, mildly pungent, nut-free and just the thing to enhance your vegan creations!


Ingredients

Units
  • 1/2 cup soy milk ( or other neutral, rich, plant-based milk)
  • 75 grams (1/2 cup) of potato starch (not potato flour)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup refined coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon white miso paste
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/41/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt


Instructions

  1. Line a glass container with parchment paper- let it hang over the edges so you can bring it up to cover the cheese (make sure the container fits in the steamer you are using- I used a glass food storage container with a locking lid. It’s not recommended to steam with the plastic lid on, use the lid when storing it in the fridge.).
  2. Blend (or use a food processor) all ingredients, except coarse salt, together until very smooth. 
  3. Scrape the vegan cheese mixture into the lined container. Sprinkle in the coarse salt, if using, (this gives those crystalized tidbits common in aged parmesan cheese). Swirl it in to distribute.
  4.  Cover with the parchment and place a piece of foil over the top , sealing it, and place it in the steamer basket.
  5. Heat the water to a steady simmer and then place the steamer basket in the pot. Cook for 45 minutes with the lid on. When finished, it should be more translucent in color and a little bouncy to the touch. 
  6. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight with an airtight lid.

Notes

I use the glass part of a 4 cup square storage container. You can steam with the plastic lid snapped on but I did want to take any chances of leaching plastic in to the cheese. I use parchment and foil over the top.

I used a 6-quart pot with a steamer basket.  You could also use a bamboo steamer.

Freeze in wedges or pre-grated! 

Keep in the fridge in a sealed airtight container for up to a week.

This parmesan cheese melts differently than regular cheese. It blends into your dish instead of maintaining a melted shape. If left too long on a warm dish, it may disappear but still adds great flavor.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 ounce
  • Calories: 107
  • Sugar: 0.3 g
  • Sodium: 157 mg
  • Fat: 7.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 9.4 g
  • Fiber: 0.4 g
  • Protein: 1.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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Comments

    1. In baking, they can be used interchangeably haven’t tried it here, you can experiment with this and let us know!

  1. Waouh !!! Géniale cette recette !
    Je suis en France et l’huile de coco que nous utilisons pour ce genre de recette et désodorisée, donc je pense que c’est ce que tu emplois, quand tu dis raffinée ?
    Ta recette est facile et pas d’ingrédients difficile à trouver, j’adore …
    J’ai tout sous la main, il n’y a plus qu’à … Verdict bientôt, Merci

    “Wow!!! This recipe is brilliant!
    I’m in France and the coconut oil we use for this kind of recipe is deodorized, so I think that’s what you’re using, when you say refined?
    Your recipe is easy and no ingredients are difficult to find, I love it…
    I have everything at hand, all that remains is… Verdict soon, Thank you”

    1. Fill up to the bottom of the steam basket, you do not want it to touch the container with the cheese.

  2. I have a question…

    I have a steam oven. How long would I steam this delicious-sounding cheese?

    Thanks!

    1. I do not have experience with a steam oven, sorry Marcene. Perhaps looking up a conversion chart would be helpful?

  3. So creative 👍 I’m wondering if there is a way to replace the nutritional yeast. Maybe increase the miso? Nutritional yeast is not so “nutritional”

  4. I would love to see a recipe for vegan cheese that doesn’t use coconut oil. Coconut oil is so high in saturated fat. Could this be adapted to use a less saturated fat, such as avocado or olive oil?

    1. This rely’s on coconut oil’s ability to solidify. You would not have the same results substituting with a liquid oil. Perhaps you could play around with adding more potato starch and use avo oil?

  5. I’m confused about the glass container used in the photos. It doesn’t show a lid of any kind, just the parchment and the foil. Wondering if I need a locking lid? Thanks for any help. I REALLY want to make this!

    1. It is a glass container with a locking lid. The lid is only used for storing in the fridge. You can always use any glass container that fits in your steamer and after it chills, remove and transfer to well sealed container.

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