Vegan hemp parmesan cheese indulges you with salty, tangy, umami flavors with every spoonful of this delectable 5-ingredient plant-based, nut-free cheese sensation.
Vegan parmesan is a versatile condiment. Add a sprinkle over your next pot of arrabbiata sauce, Instant Pot seasoned tomato sauce, or veggie mushroom bolognese sauce.
Preheat the oven, grab a small baking dish, mix and go. It's that easy!
Table of Contents
⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A delicious recipe made without nuts or nutritional yeast.
- Simple ingredients, 5 minutes of prep, and one dish that bakes quickly.
- Keeps for months (I rarely have it around that long), and it maintains the integrity of its original flavor and texture.
📋 Recipe Ingredients
Hemp seeds - Use hulled hemp seeds (outer shell removed). Once removed from their shells, hemp 'hearts' or hulled hemp seeds are slightly soft seeds with a mild nutty flavor. You can rely on hemp hearts for texture and just a snippet of crunch. They always deliver this. Hint: they make excellent bacon bits too!
Miso paste – My secret ingredient for vegan tuna noodle casserole and nut-free cauliflower parmesan bites delivers the same umami flavor to hemp parmesan cheese.
Oregano – wait, what? Oregano in parmesan? Don’t knock it until you try it. Oregano has an earthy flavor.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
🥄 Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the miso paste, lemon juice, oregano, and salt into a smooth paste. Mix in the hemp seeds.
Step 2: Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Once the hemp seeds start to brown, remove them from the oven.
⏲️ Pro Tips
I find that a smaller glass baking dish works best for this recipe.
The parmesan won’t be completely dry when you remove it from the oven. That will happen after it cools.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
Toss this savory condiment with joy over all your favorite pasta sauces and more! I love the extra umami for vegan cauliflower bechamel and blender artichoke pesto in equal measures.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
If you can't possibly find hemp seeds, then the best substitute for making nut-free vegan parmesan is flax seeds or chia seeds. Although hemp seeds can be an alternative to sesame seeds, the opposite isn't as desirable for the flavor of vegan parmesan.
Italian seasoning is a good alternative to oregano for making baked hemp parmesan. You'll get that touch of herby flavor that balances the lemon juice and miso paste.
Whether it's made with hemp seeds or cashews, most homemade vegan parmesan recipes are designed as an alternative to grated parmesan. You'll get the savory flavor of parmesan cheese; it won't properly melt.
Store hemp parmesan in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator. It lasts for a month without losing flavor.
More Vegan Condiments
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Vegan Hemp Parmesan Cheese (Nut-Free)
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Ingredients
- 1 cup hemp seeds - hulled
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons miso paste
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F (160 C).
- In a shallow baking dish, mix the miso paste, lemon juice, oregano, and salt.
- Mix in the hemp seeds and spread the mixture across the bottom of the dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes and then toss the mixture, breaking up any clumps that form. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- Remove the parmesan from the baking dish and toss it a bit to separate it. It will dry and get a bit firmer as it cools.
- Stove in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last several months (I’m serious).
Notes
- Makes 1 cup. Nutrition is based on 1 tablespoon per serving.
- Because they have a mellow flavor, hemp seeds make the best parmesan (in our opinion). If you need another nut-free substitute, consider flax or chia seeds.
- Be sure to check the hemp parmesan often. Toss it as many times as you like. Ovens can be fickle and fussy, so adjust as you see fit.
- Hemp seeds are non-psychoactive, so if you are looking for a consumable with 'properties, these aren't them. Any high you get is just from the flavor and joy of eating.
- This recipe is adapted from the book, Salad Samurai by Terry Hope Romero.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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Susie
I love the taste! And like you, the “other” parm recipes were missing something. I baked as directed and then cooled the batch. I am wondering if I baked it long enough. Should it be dry enough to sprinkle? Mine is still sticking together. Thank you for sharing.
Denise
Hi, you may need to bake it a little longer, but it does burn easily so be careful. It will dry a bit after baking, so break it apart - maybe even put it in a jar or container with a lid and give it a shake. I've been trying out other parmesan alternatives and I always come back to this one. It's an absolute favorite.
Susie
Made another batch today, cooked a wee bit longer and perfection! I then transferred to a “shaker” bottle that used to have dried minced onion. Now I have sprinkle cheese! Today, I used it in my lasagna recipe. Ymmmm! I sprinkled it over the tofu ricotta layer. This added so much more Unami flavor to the lasagna.
Denise
I think you've nailed this one! The umami flavor is all about the miso. It was always the missing ingredient and when I realized it and included it, well, I think you can understand that it makes this vegan parm irresistible. I have to channel a lot of willpower not to just eat it by the spoonful 🙂
AngelaKin
I just loved it!! Will definitely gonna try it for sure!!
Denise
Glad you liked it - I actually made a batch yesterday and sprinkled some on my salad at lunch today. Primo 🙂
Stefani
I make this over and over again! We sprinkle it on salad, pasta, soup and pizza. Thank you!
Denise
Yahoo! I'm so happy you like this. We always try to have some in the fridge. I love that it keeps a long time (although we never keep it around that long).
Joy Houssney
Hello! I kept waiting to put parmesan in this, but NO. Can you share your lasagna recipe with us, please! THANKS!
Yesterday, I made a Lebanese HEAVEN recipe! Look up and try to find MUJEDDAREH. Lentils and rice, cumin and fried onions! YUMMY.
Denise
Hi, the veggie lasagne recipe is coming soon. Meantime, hemp parmesan is great on all kinds of pasta, salads, and pizza too. 🙂