Vegan Pesto
Bright, herby, and easy to customize, this simple Vegan Pesto recipe is the best weeknight dinner staple. Swirl it with cooked pasta, dollop it on pizza, or use it as a savory bread dip. It freezes like a dream, too!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 190kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 3 cups fresh basil loosely packed
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast or omit if you don't enjoy it
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup water or more olive oil
Instructions
- To a food processor, add the cashews, garlic, fresh basil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt. Process until a thick, crumbly mixture forms.
- With the motor running on the food processor, add the olive oil in a steady stream. Process until fairly smooth, scraping the sides a few times as needed. The pesto will be very thick at this point. If you want to thin it out more, add either more olive oil, or ¼ cup water. Process until smooth and creamy.
- Store in the refrigerator for 5-6 days in a covered container. It can also be frozen for up to 6 months. I freeze pesto in an ice cube tray, then pop the cubes out and place in a freezer-safe container.
Video
Notes
- Oil-Free Pesto: For oil-free pesto, substitute water for the olive oil, starting with 1/4 cup of water and adding a little more as needed. It won't be quite the same but it's pretty good if you need to omit oil!
- Nut/Seed Options: I love using buttery cashews in pesto, and they are less expensive than pine nuts. You may also use pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, pepitas, or sunflower seeds.
- Instead of Basil: Switch up your pesto by using kale or arugula instead of basil.
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1of 6 servings | Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 633IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg