How To Make Vegan Parmesan "Cheese"

[@kreeetin]

I was shocked how good this turned out. Love it

[@NoRecipes]

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it 😄

[@kathcares]

I just made this again. So addictive! This time I decided to add powdered kombu and reduce the salt. It worked beautifully. More umami! I also added a touch of citric acid. This really makes the taste buds say, "Cheese!"☺ I've been using powdered citric acid for years in my cooking, especially in my mac and cheese. Just a pinch takes the acid up without adding additional flavors. Cheese is acidic, after all. I really like this topping better than cheese; it adds so much flavor! (I still like cheese, though!) Since I'm not a vegan, I add butter to the veggies I sprinkle it on. This and butter are a wonderful combo.

[@NoRecipes]

Great call on both, I bet the citric acid added a nice cheddar-like sharpness. It's something I use in my cooking a lot too. It's great for making fake buttermilk, and it's also a nice way to keep veggies/fruit from oxidizing.

[@kathcares]

@@NoRecipes Citric acid is very easy to get here. I find it in the canning supplies at grocery stores and hardware stores. I have never seen it used in any recipes; I came to the idea on my own. This batch of topping is a smash hit with my husband; glad I doubled the recipe!☺️

[@NoRecipes]

@@kathcares It's moderately harder to find here so I always hit the supplement aisle to pick up a bottle when I'm in the US, thankfully a little goes a long way.

[@kathcares]

@@NoRecipes I ran out during the Pandemic. Had to buy a 1 pound container! Citric acid for Life!😄

[@Chris-dw6cu]

How much kombu did you sub for salt and how much citric acid did you add to the recipe? Thanks

[@RedshiftCindy]

Awesome! I've used walnuts and nooch to make this but your addition of the shitake is AWESOME! Thank you for sharing!

[@NoRecipes]

Thanks Cindy, glad you could show you something new😉

[@daletyaveiro3883]

It’s the second time I’m making this. Believe me, it’s the best recipe ever

[@NoRecipes]

I'm glad to hear you've been enjoying this! Thanks for stopping by to let me know😀

[@Pon-21]

Will it blend into hot pasta like real parmesan would?

[@daletyaveiro3883]

@@Pon-21 No, it won’t. It will taste different as well. It’s a different texture. My husband is not vegan and he calls this mixture “a fun addition to spaghetti”

[@ahvamarton5579]

THANK YOU! GREAT PRESENTATION. I WILL BE TRYING IT! Thanks Again! Eva

[@NoRecipes]

Thanks Eva, I hope you enjoy it!

[@heartoflotus]

Thank you for the recipe! I like the addition of shiitake powder.

[@NoRecipes]

You're welcome! The shiitake powder makes it taste more cheesy than just nutritional yeast.

[@heartoflotus]

@@NoRecipes Aha! Thank you!

[@Dev-rs9gn]

I love your personality

[@NoRecipes]

Thanks Dev!

[@oldandgrey]

Very interesting. I’m not vegan and I’m also very allergic to walnuts but it was interesting to see how this combination of ingredients can make a good parmesan substitute!

[@NoRecipes]

Thanks! The tannins in the walnuts make it more cheese-like in taste, but you can skip the walnuts and just do it with cashews if you ever want to give it a try.

[@maryclairebrennan648]

Very impressive thank you

[@NoRecipes]

You're welcome!

[@katlatour47]

Great recepi!!

[@NoRecipes]

Thank you Kat!

[@gayalux1688]

Actually, in Italy I had a vegan pizza with their version of parmesan and it was mind blowing! 🤗😊🌞💖🍕😁

[@NoRecipes]

Hope you have a chance to try this😄

[@degypt8864]

Is there something else I could use in place of the shitake dried mushrooms? Would fresh baby bells work the same?

[@NoRecipes]

I'm not sure what baby bells are, but if they are fresh (as in they contain water) they won't work. This recipe uses all dried ingredients so it makes a powder you can sprinkle. If you add something that contains water it will turn this into a paste.

[@degypt8864]

@@NoRecipes okay thanks. I meant baby Bella mushrooms. Okay thanks. I made it without the shitake dried mushrooms and it still came out great! I also added a little garlic and onion powder. Thanks again.

[@NoRecipes]

@@degypt8864 Ahh gotcha, if you can find them dried and you grated them into a powder it would work (though baby bellas will turn black when dried so it make turn it into a funny color) , dried porcini will work as well. Basically you want to a dried mushroom with a lot of umami.

[@haronorrashid414]

Neutriyionsl yeast is not available here , can I use baking yeast ?

[@NoRecipes]

No, it is not the same thing. Nutrional yeast is a byproduct of fermenting yeast with various nutrients and then pasteurizing and spray drying the result. The difference is like the difference between tofu and soy sauce, they're both made with soy beans, but the end product is totally different.

[@sarahchandler8121]

Thanks for sharing this awesome idea, just wondering if replace walnut to pumpkin seed will work for this recipe. Thanks for your time.

[@NoRecipes]

You're welcome Sarah! I'm sure it will be delicious with pumpkin seeds, but pumpkin seeds lack the tannins found in walnuts that gives this a cheesy mouthfeel/taste.

[@1voiceCriesOut]

Can’t wait to try this one. Have some pasta that needs parm!

[@NoRecipes]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@IrynaBoehland]

Thank you! This looks very good!

[@NoRecipes]

Thanks Iryna!

[@estelanenambqproductions]

can u omit the cache chews im allergic to them

[@NoRecipes]

You’ll need to substitute them with something as this is where the bulk of the texture and fat comes from. Are you allergic to all tree nuts or just cashews?

[@estelanenambqproductions]

@@NoRecipes just the cashews

[@NoRecipes]

@@estelanenambqproductions You can substitute other nuts with a similar texture and fat content. My suggestions would be macadamia nuts or pistachios (although the latter will give it a funny color).

[@justingilbert4778]

Are you in Japan, mate? If so where? Great recipes !!

[@NoRecipes]

Thanks! I'm based in Tokyo.

[@justingilbert4778]

@@NoRecipes If you ever come to Miyazaki, let me know. Perhaps we can produce some videos together. (smile) I just totally rebuilt my 100-year-old kitchen in hinoki.....Time to build the table...

[@NoRecipes]

@@justingilbert4778 I was born in Miyazaki prefecture😆 Still have family there but don't get down there very often. Would love to see pics of your kitchen, are they online somewhere?

[@NoRecipes]

​@@justingilbert4778 Sorry for the slow response, I missed your note. Will send you an email now.

[@_bellecullen]

Hi Mark, first I am a new subscriber, and second my question is I'd like to ask the storage guidelines and shelf life of this recipe because I think I wanna make more of this.

[@NoRecipes]

Hi Belle, welcome to the channel! I usually store this in a sealed container in a cool dry place (I put it in the fridge). As for shelf life the limiting factor is the expiry date of the nuts, so check the packages on the walnuts and cashews, and which ever one comes first is the limit on shelf life.

[@_bellecullen]

@@NoRecipes Thank you 🇵🇭

[@xiomaraf.7770]

Hi how are you? Thanks for the recipe take care of yourself.🙏

[@NoRecipes]

Hi Xiomara, I'm doing good, thank you! How about you? Hope you're staying safe and healthy!

[@xiomaraf.7770]

@@NoRecipes that's great doing ok to being locked up inside my house thanks.🙏🙏

[@lanalace3470]

Must try 🥰

[@NoRecipes]

Hope you enjoy it! It’s a staple condiment in our household.

[@Nadege949]

Could mixing half of the nutrition yeast with first, the walnuts, then the other half with the cashews, help?

[@NoRecipes]

Hi Nadege, you'll still want to pulverize the yeast, shiitake, and salt first (it's important these become a fine powder so they coat the larger granules of nuts evenly), but you could add some of the mix back in when you grind up the nuts. The most effective method of keeping them from clumping up though that I've found is to freeze the nuts first (in this video my cashews were frozen, but my walnuts were not).

[@Nadege949]

@@NoRecipes Thank you!

[@janeschade7875]

I can’t stand the taste of nutritional yeast can I leave it out? Use less of it? Or do you have an idea of what I can substitute for it?

[@NoRecipes]

Hi Jane, unfortunately that's what gives this its cheesey taste, so if you were to leave it out it's just going taste like salty nut powder with some umami.

[@mookieynr]

Instead of the actual mushrooms, will it suffice to use mushroom seasoning instead?

[@NoRecipes]

The mushroom powder is added to provide umami. I'm not sure what mushroom seasoning is, but if it has umami and doesn't have ingredients that will get in the way, it should work.

[@adrinascott4841]

Hi! Is there another mushroom you could recommend instead of the shiitake ?

[@kaylamcghee14]

Can you use almonds instead of walnuts?

[@NoRecipes]

Hi Kayla, you could, but the walnuts are there for 3 reasons 1) tannins, this is what gives the “cheese” it’s slightly astringent taste like a sharp cheese, almonds don’t contain any tannins, so you won’t get that taste 2) walnuts have a lot more oil than almonds, so it gives the “cheese” it’s richness 3) walnuts are not as crunchy as almonds so the texture doesn’t get in the way the way almonds would. BTW, I hate the taste of walnuts and wouldn’t eat them as nuts, but they work for this.

[@shadi.y]

Can we add crushed doritos chips What do you think?

[@NoRecipes]

Hi Shadi, Doritos contain cheese and are not vegan.

[@shadi.y]

@@NoRecipes yes sir but im not vegan i just ask if it is change the flavor of parmesan cheese

[@NoRecipes]

@@shadi.y Hi Shadi, if you're not vegan, then why not just use Parmesan? I mean you're free to crumble up Doritos on your food, but you don't need to ask my permission to do that😉

[@shadi.y]

@@NoRecipes because it's expensive and i look for same taste as you did. So i try to add more flavor to your recipe 😄😄 thanks for your time.

[@NoRecipes]

Gotcha. I'm not sure where you live but where I am raw cashew nuts and nutritional yeast are much more expensive than parmesan.

[@roubaelali5541]

I am thinking this is going to taste really good with your quick macaroni & cheese recipe in lieu of the bread crumbs (me thinks),

[@NoRecipes]

Hi Rouba, that's a great call! It's not going to have the crisp texture of the breadcrumbs, but it will definitely add more flavor. I hope you're staying safe and healthy!

[@kathcares]

Ohhh I love this sooo much! Only problem I have is wanting to put the whole batch of it on my plate of food!😉 I have found that Trader Joe's Nutritional Yeast tastes great in this, better than Bragg's, and I go there to shop for the nuts anyway. It's especially delicious on this Chickpea Pasta: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpTVZomLdq2mrM0

[@NoRecipes]

Thanks for the tip on Trader Joes! I'm using Bragg's and it's a little too funky for non cheese uses. So happy you like this!

[@1Bkjack]

Ok. I hate this trend of making vegetarian or vegan food and call them the veggie version, fist of all parmesan is origin denomination. So any cheese made outside Parma-Italy, is not parmesan cheese and in addition the parmesan cheese have a very strict manufacture process including ingredients used to make the cheese, so it doesn't exist anything like veggie parmesan. Finally cheese is a dairy which means is make out of milk and milk comes from mammals not plants, ergo there is no such thing as veggie cheese. If you like cheese you can't be vegan if want to be a vegan then you won't eat cheese, i guess that this is the whole point about being a vegan you give up some type of food that is "cruel" to animals. But every vegan i know tries to keep the same eating habits they had fooling them self and calling every food "vegan something". So no. Is not vegan parmesan. It's some sort of veggie concoction that looks like parmesan and tastes very different.

[@NoRecipes]

Hi Ilia, only "Parmigiano-Reggiano" has a PDO designation that's recognized outside of Europe. This is why companies like Kraft are able to sell their products (which are not made in Parma) as Parmesan in the US and other countries. As for "cheese" fair point, but the problem is that people search for the vegan alternative using the keywords "vegan parmesan cheese" so to name it something like "nut and yeast powder" would make it impossible to find for the people that are looking for it. I've added quotes around "cheese" to indicate that it is not real cheese.

[@1Bkjack]

I have noticed the "" enclosing cheese. My problem is not with the video, i understand that you're trying to teach how to make a similar enough substitute for parmesan. My point is what vegans do with food, is like calling you new boyfriend by your ex's name and put it inside "" so everyone knows is not the same but a replacement. If anyone chooses to be vegan, thats great, but they gotta understand that dairys and meat (burgers and the like) won't be on the menu. So soy juice is not milk, veggie balls are not hamburgers, and plant based pudding or "meltable" powder is not cheese. That's because the composition and nutrients they have are very different, and someone may end eating veggie cheese thinking is a good replacement for milk cheese, because both are cheese right, and ending with some deficient food intake. That's my whole point why i don't like the names vegan people use.

[@NoRecipes]

Hi Ilia, you make a good point, and I think it stretches beyond vegan/plant-based foods. If I'm understanding correctly I think the issue you're raising is: when has a food changed so much that you should no longer call it by a certain name. Leaving aside the plant-based aspect for a moment and using sushi as an example. Most sushi sold outside of Japan would be unrecognizable to a Japanese person, but they're still sold as sushi. The simplistic POV would be to dismiss all foods that are made with anything other than fresh fish on vinegared rice. If you delve a little deeper though, sushi is not a static food and has changed a lot over the past 1000 years. It was originally a lacto-fermented dish in which the rice was there only to aid in the preservation of the fish (the rice turns into a sludge after months of fermentation and it wasn't eaten). It wasn't until the last 400 years that vinegar started being added to the rice (to speed up preservation), and it wasn't until the last 200 years that fresh fish started being used(to eliminate the preservation aspect altogether). To people who consumed the original version of sushi, calling unfermented raw fish with seasoned rice "sushi" might be unthinkable. If you trace any food back far enough, the original version is probably unrecognizable. My point is that foods changes over time and with them, the definitions of the words we use to describe them.

[@1Bkjack]

You have a very good point there, but there's a very big difference between food and a dish. Cheese is food, a product or raw material to make a dish. A dish is obvously more dynamic more so when we're talking about types of dishes in general, like sushi that encases a lot of different dishes. Sushi is made of fish and rice made with a brine basicly, but theres nothing wrong on calling sushi to veggie roll made with cucumber instead of tuna. What i don't agree with would be calling "vegan fish" to a stick of cucumber soaked in soy sauce. I understand you need some flexibility, but "some" doesn't mean to make everything flexible, or we would end eating vegan "veggie meat" just because food is ever-changing.

[@NoRecipes]

I see what you're getting at, but cheese is not a raw material, it is a processed food. I suppose you could make the argument for "milk" or "meat" being raw materials, but if you look at the dictionary (I'm looking at Merriam-Websters), one definition for milk is: "a liquid resembling milk in appearance: such as a : the latex of a plant b : the contents of an unripe kernel of grain". Same goes for meat "a : FOOD especially : solid food as distinguished from drink b : the edible part of something as distinguished from its covering (such as a husk or shell)" There's nothing in these definitions that limits the use of the words to just a mammalian secretion or the flesh of an animal. You could probably argue that these other meanings came after the original meaning, but my point is that language, like food, evolves. Another example here is "pepper". This was a word used for centuries to refer to the fruit of Piper nigrum (black pepper). When members of the genus Capsicum where discovered in the new world, use of the word was extended to include them because of their spicy taste. These are two categorically different ingredients, but because they shared a similar taste the same name was used.