Almond Free Paleo Cashew Parmesan
This dairy-free parmesan alternative is the kind of pantry trick that quietly transforms everything it touches — pasta, salads, roasted vegetables, soups, you name it. Raw cashews and nutritional yeast do the heavy lifting here, delivering that savory, umami-rich depth that makes real parmesan so addictive. A little garlic powder and sea salt round out the flavor, and the whole thing comes together in a food processor in under a minute. The key is pulsing in short bursts so the mixture stays dry and crumbly rather than turning into a paste — nail that texture and it genuinely looks like the real thing straight from the shaker. Since every ingredient goes straight from your pantry into the processor, there's no guesswork about what's actually in it, which is a relief when store-bought vegan cheeses can be surprisingly hard to decode. Keep a jar in the fridge and you'll find yourself reaching for it constantly.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp onion powder (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Add the cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and onion powder (if using) to a food processor.
- 2
Pulse 10–15 times in short bursts until the mixture resembles coarse, dry crumbs — about the texture of finely grated Parmesan. Stop before the mixture turns into a paste; the cashews should still look dry and sandy, not clumped.
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