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I absolutely can't stand the flavor of parmesan cheese. Unfortunately, it is a very important ingredient in Italian cooking. What is a good substitute? It can't be anything that even resembles parmesan. Despite the fact that I love cheese, no feta or blue or any of that strong stuff.

Note by the moderators If you want to suggest a cheese with a similar flavor, there is a separate question for that. Look at the answers there, and if your suggestion is not already listed, add an answer to that question. This question is for food with different flavor only.

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Cynthia
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4 Answers4

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A common replacement for Parmesan among vegans is to use a combination of kelp powder, nutritional yeast, and ground sesame seeds and walnuts, and salt. It works in about anything that won't require the cheese to melt. The kelp and nutritional yeast provide umami, the seeds and nuts provide a nutty flavor and some fat, and the salt... well, adds the missing saltiness. It hits most of the same notes as Parmesan without having the "funk".

SourDoh
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You can use crumbs; it's called "the parmesan of the poor" and can be some kind of substitution. :)

KatieK
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sebpa
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You can certainly make some substitutions, though it of course won't be the same. If parmesan was really a critical ingredient of the dish, you should probably find something else to make. But if it's just an accent, I would try to substitute something a bit of salt plus something else umami-rich.

Salt's easy enough. My best guess for the umami would be mushroom powder. The flavor will hopefully fit with most Italian dishes you're trying to make, and it's not so overwhelming a flavor that it'll compete with the dish. Nutritional yeast might also be a good option, or even plain MSG.

Beyond that, there's a list of umami-rich ingredients here, but I think I've picked out the best few. A lot of them won't work well for you, since you want something pretty dry (like the parmesan). And a few of the others, like nori (seaweed) might add an unwelcome flavor.

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Cascabel
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If you're "sprinkling" it on top of a dish, here is an alternative recipe my mother makes:

Farmesan (aka Sprinkle Cheese)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 1 cup brewers Yeast
  • 2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Method

  1. Pulse almonds in blender or food processor until they're crumbly like a parmesan.
  2. Add the other ingredients and process until integrated.

Sprinkle on anything you would have put parmesan on. Great on pasta, veggies, etc.

beausmith
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