Vegan Parmesan Cheese Recipe - Running on Real Food (2024)

FAQs

Is there a vegan cheese that tastes like Parmesan? ›

Violife Just Like Parmesan packs all the rich, nutty Parmesan flavor you love in a convenient block that is ready for you to grate with abandon. Pile high our Just Like Parmesan and never say “no” to grated parm again. Who knew 100% dairy-free and vegan could taste so good?

BelGioioso Vegetarian Parmesan is made with fresh milk gathered daily from our local farmers, and without any animal rennet. Each wheel is aged in special caves for over 10 months. BelGioioso's Master Cheesemakers carefully inspect and hand-turn each wheel to ensure a consistent aging process.

Vegan Parmesan Cheese Ingredients:

Vegan parmesan is made from a mixture of nuts and seeds, nutritional yeast, a couple pantry spices, salt, and pepper. I like to use a particular mixture of nuts and seeds, my favourite combination being: raw walnuts, sliced almonds, and hemp seeds.

Being vegetarian, it's quite a good substitute for parmesan when a vegetarian option is needed. Old Winchester is a washed curd cheese and brine washed after pressing.

Miyoko's Creamery: This brand offers a wide range of vegan cheeses that taste like real cheese, including mozzarella, cheddar, and brie. Their vegan mozzarella is great for making vegan pizza, and their cheddar can be used for mac and cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches.

To make a delicious nut-based Parmesan substitute, combine equal parts nuts (such as almonds, cashews, or walnuts), nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt in a food processor. Pulse the ingredients until they resemble fine crumbs. Adjust the flavors to your liking by adding more nutritional yeast or salt.

Parmesan cheese is made with animal rennet which is an enzyme that comes from the fourth lining of the stomach of animals, typically calves, goats, and lambs. The animal is usually killed in the process. The rennet is then taken and dried so it becomes solid.

What is a good substitute for animal rennet in vegetarian/vegan cheese? - Quora. Usually vinegar and lemon - also a few plants - They even have kosher and halal rennet available. Phytic acid, derived from unfermented soybeans, or fermentation-produced chymosin (FPC) may also be used.

Alternatives to Animal Rennet and How They Are Made

Plant-based options like fig leaves, stinging nettle, and thistle can be easily harvested and used to coagulate milk, while microbial rennet is produced using fermentation techniques to create enzymes that break down milk proteins.

This super simple dairy-free parmesan contains only 3 base ingredients, being cashews, nutritional yeast and salt. I've then added garlic or onion powder (both are great) and white pepper to the mix, which really rounds out the flavour giving a much more authentic cheesiness.

Does vegetarian parmesan exist? ›

So is Parmesan cheese vegetarian? While Parmigiano Reggiano is not, it is possible to find vegetarian Parmesan cheese at the grocery store. If you want to avoid cheese made with rennet, look for cheeses labeled vegetarian or check the ingredient list for enzymes instead of rennet.

If you look carefully at your food label, you might see just “enzymes” on the back of the package with little to no further explanation. This refers to either animal, plant, or microbial enzymes. Parmesan is always made with animal enzymes, also called animal rennet, meaning it's not vegetarian.

Gouda/Parmesan Cheese Substitute: Old Winchester

Aged for at least 16mths, it is hard, dry, crumbly and delightfully crunchy. It carries the profile of a mature cheddar, a parmesan and a gouda (in that order for me!!)

Old Winchester shows you precisely what you will get; a ton of flavour and crunch. Not only an excellent cheese for your boards but a fantastic British Parmesan alternative.

Good vegetarian alternative to Parmesan

Nice cheese and a good vegetarian substitute for Parmesan which contains animal rennet.

Asiago cheese is closest to Parmesan, but this cheese is actually a bit sweeter. It's a semi-hard yet smooth cheese with a slightly nutty flavor. Asiago offers a mild sharpness that doesn't overwhelm, but rather accents a mellow vegetable or meat dish.

It tastes salty and cheesy because of the nutritional yeast. I do think this is truly great for grating over pasta or salads. True parmesan is a bit harder in consistency this vegan parmesan is a little soft which is what makes it so important for keeping it in the freezer.

- A vegan parmesan cheese alternative, packed with irresistible Italian flavours. Although they can't label it as traditional parmesan, they don't have to! It adds a cheesy flair to any dish and its tiny umami-packed grains will leave you craving more. For the finishing touch on your freshly baked pizza.

Pecorino Romano is likely the first potential substitute to come to mind, and it's sharp, salty, and acidic — so if you like those qualities in your Parm, the Pecorino Romano route is a good one. Morillo particularly recommends Fiore Sardo, an aged raw sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia.