Peanut Free Paleo Cashew Parmesan
If you've been missing that salty, savory sprinkle on top of pasta, roasted vegetables, or grain bowls, this dairy-free take on Parmesan is about to become a pantry staple. Raw cashews blitz down into a fine, sandy crumble that genuinely mimics the texture of finely grated cheese, while nutritional yeast brings that deep, umami-rich flavor you'd expect from the real thing. Garlic powder and sea salt round everything out into something that tastes far more complex than a five-ingredient recipe has any right to be. The food processor does all the heavy lifting — just a few short pulses and you're done, no cooking required. Store-bought vegan cheese alternatives can sometimes hide unexpected additives or come from facilities that process tree nuts alongside peanuts, so making your own puts you fully in control of what goes in the jar. Keep it in an airtight container and you'll have a ready-to-reach topping that elevates almost any savory dish in seconds.
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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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