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    Home » Recipes » Pesto

    Easy Vegan Basil Pesto

    Publish Date Jan 26, 2022 · Updated: Jun 23, 2024 by Yasmin

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    GFSFVG

    Fresh Pesto always beats the store bought versions, hands down. It's vibrant colour, and intense aromatic flavour, make it a delicious way to add some summer freshness to a meal.
    This easy vegan version of the Italian classic contains Fresh Basil, Pine Nuts, Nutritional Yeast, Lemon Juice and Garlic.

    An overhead photo of the vegan pesto in a glass jar on a white background.
    Easy Vegan Pesto.
    Jump to:
    • What You'll Need
    • How to Make it
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Enjoy it With
    • Storage
    • Recipe Tip
    • FAQ's
    • Other Pesto Ideas
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    What You'll Need

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for the vegan pesto on a white background.
    Easy Vegan Pesto Ingredients.
    • Basil - Fresh Basil is available all year round in supermarkets. And if you have a sunny spot to grow it in, we recommend buying a plant instead of the pre-cut bagged fresh herbs.
    • Garlic - The health benefits of Garlic are abundant. It can help lower cholesterol. And it is also a fantastic immunity booster.
    • Nutritional Yeast - A favourite among Vegans for giving a cheesy taste to food. It's used here to replace the Parmesan found in traditional Pesto. I've found that most Supermarkets stock this, and it can be found in almost every health food store. It's usually fortified with Vitamin B12 as well, which is a bonus.
    • Olive Oil (preferably Extra Virgin) - Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the highest quality Olive Oil, and lends better to foods like Pesto, Dips and Salad Dressings. However, that being said, due to the lengthy process of cold pressing and checking, it makes it more expensive than other oils. So if it's out of your available budget, regular Olive Oil will work just fine.
    • Pine Nuts - The nut traditionally used in Pesto. It's wonderfully creamy with a mild taste. These can be fairly expensive but they are well worth the investment. They are also loaded with Vitamin K which has repeatedly been shown in studies to be great for bone strength.
    • Sea Salt - The amount of salt in this recipe is kept to a minimum with children in mind. However, you can adjust the amount to be more or less depending on your preferences.

    Equipment

    • Food Processor
    • Jar or tub for storage
    • Measuring Cups or Scales
    • Spatula

    How to Make it

    Side by side overhead photos of a food processor. On the left is the ingredients before being blitzed. On the right, the ingredients after.
    Making the Vegan Pesto.

    Steps 1 & 2 - Add all the ingredients to your food processor. Blitz for approximately 15 seconds. Using a spatula, scrape down the pesto from the sides of the food processor, back towards the blades. Then blitz again for a further 15 seconds and check the consistency. If all the basil leaves and pine nuts are blended, then transfer your pesto to a jar for storage. If more blending is needed, scrape the pesto down from the sides again, and blitz for a final 15 seconds.

    Substitutions and Variations

    • Pine Nuts - Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts or Cashews could all be used in place of Pine Nuts. We recommend trying them out to see which you prefer.
    • Nut Free - Instead of Pine Nuts you could use Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) for a nut-free version (think school lunches etc).
    • Basil - You could easily swap half the Basil for Arugula, Spinach or Kale. Equally so you could use 50/50 mix of Parsley and Coriander (Cilantro), in place of the Basil, for something a little different.

    Enjoy it With

    Pesto is a delicious and versatile way to freshen up a meal. Here are some ideas on how to use it:

    An overhead photo of penne pesto pasta in a dark grey bowl, on a white linen tablecloth.
    Penne Pesto Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes, Peas & Spinach.
    • On pizza
    • With pasta, as pictured below in our Pesto Penne Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes
    • Mixed with mayo or cashew cream as a dip
    • Stirred in to mashed potato
    • Mixed with cashew cream as a salad dressing
    • Added to soups
    • In bread dough when making homemade bread
    • In sandwiches (works well with Hummus)

    Storage

    Store the Pesto in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

    The Pesto will also freeze well. Again, store it in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Ensure to fully defrost before using.

    Recipe Tip

    Try not to over-blend your Pesto in the food processor. It can start to emulsify the oil which will change the way your Pesto looks and tastes.

    FAQ's

    Is Pesto Vegan?

    Traditional Pesto is not Vegan. This is because it is made with Parmesan - an Italian hard cheese. Some of these cheeses are also not Vegetarian due to the use of animal rennet. However, as you can see from this recipe, it is very simple to make a Vegan friendly alternative.

    Other Pesto Ideas

    Here are a few of our other delicious Pesto recipes that you might like to try.

    • A swing lid jar filled with pesto, surrounded by walnuts and wild garlic leaves.
      Vegan Wild Garlic Pesto with Walnuts
    • Overhead shot of a jar full of wild garlic pesto.
      Vegan Wild Garlic Pesto
    • A photo looking down from above of a grey bowl filled with penne pesto pasta.
      Penne Pesto Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes
    • All of the cooked components being tossed together with some rocket.
      Potatoes and Green Beans with Rose Harissa Pesto

    Recipe

    An overhead photo of the Vegan Pesto in a glass jar on a white background

    Easy Vegan Pesto

    Quick to make, healthier and much tastier than shop bought Vegan Pestos. This is our super simple and delicious recipe for Vegan Pesto.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: ingredients
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 103kcal
    Author: Yasmin

    Equipment

    • Food Processor
    • Jar or tub for storage
    • Measuring Cups (or scales)
    • Spatula

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups Fresh Basil
    • ⅓ cup Pine Nuts
    • 3 tbsps Nutritional Yeast
    • 3 Cloves of Garlic
    • 3 tbsps Olive Oil
    • 2 tbsps Fresh Lemon Juice
    • ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add all the ingredients to your food processor.
      3 cups Fresh Basil, ⅓ cup Pine Nuts, 3 tbsps Nutritional Yeast, 3 Cloves of Garlic, 3 tbsps Olive Oil, 2 tbsps Fresh Lemon Juice, ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
    • Blitz for approximately 15 seconds.
    • Using a spatula, scrape down the pesto from the sides of the food processor, back towards the blades.
    • Blitz again for a further 15 seconds and check the consistency.
    • If all the basil leaves and pine nuts are blended then you're finished. If more blending is needed, scrape the pesto down from the sides again, and blitz for a final 15 seconds.
    • Once you have your desired consistency, transfer your pesto to a jar for storage.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 318IU | Vitamin B1: 1mg | Vitamin B2: 1mg | Vitamin B3: 1mg | Vitamin B5: 1mg | Vitamin B6: 1mg | Vitamin C: 1mg | Vitamin E: 1mg | Vitamin K: 31µg | Calcium: 12mg | Copper: 1mg | Folate: 6µg | Iron: 1mg | Manganese: 1mg | Magnesium: 18mg | Phosphorus: 36mg | Selenium: 1µg | Zinc: 1mg

    More Pesto

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jack

      February 10, 2022 at 6:53 pm

      5 stars
      Really easy to make. I decided to try making this when making your Penne Pesto recipe and I'm really glad that I did.

      Reply
      • Yasmin

        April 04, 2022 at 3:33 pm

        We're glad you have enjoyed our Penne Pesto with our Pesto Jack. Thanks for the feedback. You'll have to let us know if you try it with anything else.

        Reply

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