baked hemp parmesan

Baked hemp parmesan indulges you with salty, tangy, umami flavors with every spoonful of this delectable 5-ingredient plant-based cheese sensation.

I’ve tried a lot of variations of vegan parmesans over the years. This is the one recipe I always return to. Why?

I’m addicted to the punchy flavor.

It’s nut-free and oil-free (and obviously dairy-free), so it's lower in saturated fat and calories than some other versions I’ve tried.

Simple ingredients, 5 minutes of prep, one dish, and it bakes up in no time.

You can keep it for months (I rarely have it around that long) and maintains the integrity of its original flavor and texture.

Here’s all you need to make this fantabulous, versatile condiment:

Hemp seeds - Between sunflower seeds and pine nuts, you’ll find unassuming hemp seeds. Once removed from their shells, hemp 'hearts' or hulled hemp seeds are slightly soft seeds with a mild nutty flavor.

We can rely on the hemp seeds for texture and just a snippet of crunch if we bake them a little longer. They always deliver this.

Miso paste – hello umami! The salty, tangy, savory flavors of miso paste could be considered a secret ingredient if there were one. Miso is also a binding agent for this recipe as it gets the lemon juice and salt to cling to the hemp seeds. Learn more about miso paste in my post about making hoisin sauce.

I used white (Shiro) miso because it has a milder flavor than some of the darker and stronger miso pastes. If you opt for one of those, you may want to adjust the amount down slightly.

Lemon juice – Baking will reduce the lemon juice and concentrate the lemony flavor. Fresh is always best, but you can use the bottled or squeezy lemon juice. I’ve done that a time …or ten.

Oregano – wait, what? Oregano in parmesan? Don’t knock it until you try it. Oregano has an earthy flavor. And with an ancient translation of 'Joy of the Mountain', it’s probably appropriate for that mountain of parmesan I intend to pile on my spaghetti al pesto.

 Salt – I’ve gone back and forth on the salt for this one, but this is one time  I'll advocate for it. Parmesan is salty, and you aren’t supposed to eat the entire dish yourself, in one sitting. I’m saying this to myself more than any of you.

recipe tips

1. I find that a smaller, glass baking dish works best for this recipe.

2. Mix the miso paste, lemon juice, oregano, and salt into a smooth paste before mixing in the hemp seeds.

3. Stir the parmesan a few times as it’s baking to ensure even roasting. The parmesan won’t be completely dry when you remove it from the oven. That will happen after it cools.

4. Hemp seeds are small enough that you don’t need to grind them. In fact, their texture, once baked, is a bit like the grated parmesan we’re intending to replace. I stress ‘replace’ not recreate. It isn’t cheese we're after. It's slightly sharp, tangy, and salty flavor.

Uses for hemp parmesan

You can toss this savory condiment with joy over all your favorite pasta sauces and more!

Use it as a finishing touch for tempeh Bolognese, lentils cacciatore, vegan bechamel, or tomato & artichoke pasta.

More than a condiment, make hemp parmesan an essential ingredient for pesto in spaghetti al pesto, stovetop mac & peas, or artichoke pesto.

And don’t forget soups! Italian white bean soup was made for a mountain of parmesan. Kale vegetable soup with beanballs and chickpea soup with homemade noodles also love this stuff.

Finally, well, pizza. Sprinkle this vegan parmesan on top of your favorite pizzas. Our current favorites include sweet potato crust pizza or quinoa crust pizza. I’ll leave the decision up to you because I can't.

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