4 Ways of Replacing Parmesan to turn your Mushroom Risotto Vegan

In my previous risotto article, I explained why making risotto is a way to show that you can enjoy your favorite dishes while going vegan. In this article, we'll explore the different options people recommended to me on Threads!

1. Nutritional Yeast, the gold of Veganism

Nutritional yeast is a vegan favorite for mimicking cheese flavors, but I must admit, it's not my favorite. It doesn’t taste as good to me and lacks the varied flavors of cheese. To compensate, people often combine it with:

• Soy Cream: Adds essential fattiness and creaminess to any risotto.
• Mixed Seeds: Like hulled hemp seeds, these add richness and serve as a fat source.
• Miso Paste: Since nutritional yeast lacks umami, miso paste perfectly fills this gap.

I experimented with these suggestions and created an Asian-style risotto using miso broth, rice vinegar, and soy cream. I added pan-fried shiitake mushrooms with soy sauce to maintain the theme.

The result was very satisfying. 🤤

Although amazing, the creaminess differed from what you get with cheese. It was less emulsified.

2. From oil-based vegan cheeses

After nutritional yeast, the most common suggestion was to replace Parmesan with vegan cheese made from coconut oil.

These are the most common vegan cheeses on the market.

The big brands in this category include:

• Violife
• Follow Your Heart

I’m not a big fan of these options because they are ultra-processed and have a chemical-like taste to me. Therefore, I won’t provide a recipe 🙃

However, you can find plenty of recipes online!

3. From cashew cream based vegan cheeses

After exploring oil-based vegan cheeses, I tried the cashew cream-based vegan cheeses. I prefer this option because the cheeses are less processed, provides fat but also proteins, unlike purely oil-based cheeses.

Whatever cheese you decide to use, choose one that has a strong umami taste to replace Parmesan.

Living in Lisbon, I opted for a local brand called Muka. They produce various cashew cream-based cheeses. I tested two of their products:

• Veden: A semi-cured vegan cashew cheese. It’s rich and umami.
• Smoked Veden: Similar to Veden but with a strong acidic taste.

I found the acidic taste of the Smoked Veden too overwhelming, so I preferred the classic Veden version.

The Risotto I made using it was mouth-watering! 🤤

It was as creamy as using Parmesan, and the cheese blended perfectly with the other ingredients. It’s my best experience so far with store-bought cheeses!

Check out the recipe here!

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4. From homemade cashew cream

Making homemade cashew cream is actually quite simple and more budget-friendly than store-bought vegan cheeses, which are often two or three times more expensive.

Additionally, you can tweak the taste of your cream to match the flavor profile you desire in your dish.

I experimented with tiny batches of risotto using cashew cream and its creaminess reminded the texture of Carbonara.

To make a smoother cashew cream, blend the cashew cream until it's very smooth and then strain it.

Wondering how to make it? I've got you covered, check out my recipe here.

5. Bonus one: The best one ?

All the options on this list provide great ways to turn your risotto vegan. My favorites are cashew cream cheeses and homemade cashew cream. These are all great alternatives to replace Parmesan.

However, I believe there's another way. To find it, we need to return to the origins of risotto and Italian dishes.

We need to talk about "Mantecare."

This will be the topic of my next article. Subscribe to be the first to know when it's released! ⬇️"