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

FAQs

Is there a vegan cheese that tastes like parmesan? ›

Fear not, Violife to the rescue! 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?

So why isn't Parmesan cheese vegetarian? Great question. In this case, it has to do with the use of something called rennet, which is pretty crucial to the Parmesano-Reggiano production process. Rennet is usually taken from the fourth stomach of a relatively young grazing animal like calves, goats, or lambs.

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.

Pecorino Romano: If you're looking to replace Parmesan or Romano in a recipe and want a similar flavor, Pecorino Romano is a suitable substitute. It's a hard, salty cheese made from sheep's milk and shares some flavor characteristics with Parmesan and Romano.

Parmela Shreds

Parmela nailed it (don't ask us how). These cashew-based shreds not only taste like cheese, but they also melt perfectly. Varieties include Mild Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Mozzarella, and Fiery Jack.

Old Winchester Cheese is a great British mature cheese full of crunchy crystals, matured for 18 months or more, it's an amazingly tasty, slightly nutty very hard cheese. Being vegetarian, it's quite a good substitute for parmesan when a vegetarian option is needed.

Yes! Violife Parmesan melts really nicely into dishes. I prefer to use a microplane to grate it finely, but you can also use the larger holes on a cheese grater.

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.

The most widely used rennet substitutes are Miehei coagulant (R. miehei proteinase), Pusillus coagulant (R. pusillus proteinase), and Parasitica coagulant (C. parasitica proteinase).

Why is pesto not vegetarian? ›

The reason is because classic basil pesto contains pecorino and Parmigiano-Reggiano, which are both made from milk curdled in animal rennet. That means that most of the pesto sauces you see on supermarket shelves are not vegetarian.

Younger, soft cheeses like mozzarella, cottage cheese, cream cheese, ricotta, goat, and provolone often are not made with rennet. However, this isn't an exhaustive list, so be sure to read your labels carefully!.

Traditional butter is made with churned milk or cream, which usually comes from cows (but it can also come from other animals like goats), and that's why it's not vegan. Many people also use margarine, which is similar to butter in texture and color, but it's usually made with plant-based fat instead of animal fat.

Certified Fair Trade Cashew Parmesan 12oz | Vegan Parmesan ● Tasty Dairy-Free Cheese Alternative (Organic Ingredients, Gluten-Free, Cashew Parm, Cashew Grated Cheese) This product has sustainability features recognized by trusted certifications.

Discover Oh, Grate! - 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.

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.

Discover Oh, Grate! - 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.