Simple Vegan Pesto
Learn how to make the most incredible vegan pesto with just 5 ingredients! Easily customize it to your liking, and stir into cooked pasta, use as a dip or make pesto pizza. It freezes beautifully, too!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 193kcal
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw cashews or pine nuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups fresh basil, packed
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil omit for oil free
- 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed
For pesto pasta
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta of choice
Instructions
- To a food processor, add the cashews, garlic, basil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, olive oil (if using) and 1/4 cup water. Process until smooth, adding more water as needed for a thinner consistency. If not using the oil, you will likely need an extra 1/4 cup water.
- If serving with pasta, cook the noodles according to package instructions, then toss with the pesto, adding more water or olive oil as needed until it coats the noodles well.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Pesto also freezes well for up to 6 months. I freeze it in an ice cube tray, then pop the cubes out and stick them in a ziplock freezer bag or container.
Video
Notes
- This vegan pesto goes great with any kind of pasta, on pizza, as a dip with vegetables or pita chips, as a salad dressing (thinned out with water), or spread on a sandwich.
- The pesto will thicken up in the refrigerator. Simply thin it out with water or olive oil each time you use it, as needed.
- Allergic to cashews? Use pine nuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds or raw slivered almonds.
- Switch up the pesto by using kale or arugula instead of basil, and maybe walnuts for the cashews. It's a very versatile recipe!
Nutrition
Serving: 1of 6 servings | Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 422IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg