4 Ways of Replacing Parmesan to turn your Mushroom Risotto Vegan

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Updated on

May 13, 2024

The short answer

What is the best plant-based option to replace Parmesan in risotto? Vegan cheeses or nutritional yeast? Should you use soy cream or seeds to add some fat? Maybe there's another way. Let's figure this out ⬇️

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A vegan mushroom risotto made with vegan cheese to replace parmesan.

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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:

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.

A vegan mushroom risotto made with Soy Cream, Nutritional Yeast to replace parmesan

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:

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:

Cheeses from the brand Muka. Ideal for Mushroom Risotto
Brito and Cajuberto were a good appetizer!

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!

Vegan Mushroom Risotto made with Cashew Cheese

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.

A picture of cashew cream used to make Risotto with Carnaroli rice in the background

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! ⬇️"

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