Hazelnut Free Paleo Cashew Parmesan
This dairy-free, plant-based topping delivers that salty, savory, umami-rich punch you expect from real Parmesan — no animal products required. Raw cashews blitz down into a perfectly sandy, crumbly texture in the food processor, while nutritional yeast brings that deep, cheesy flavor that makes the whole thing taste far more complex than a three-ingredient blend has any right to. A little garlic powder and sea salt round everything out, and the optional onion powder adds just enough background warmth to keep things interesting. The whole process takes barely a minute of active effort — a few short pulses and you're done, as long as you stop before the cashews turn into a paste. Store-bought nut-based cheeses can be a minefield when it comes to shared processing lines and unexpected additives, so making your own gives you full control over every ingredient. Sprinkle it over pasta, roasted vegetables, soups, or salads anywhere you'd reach for the green shaker can. Once you have a jar of this in the fridge, you'll find yourself putting it on everything.
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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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