Brighten up your sandwiches, pizzas and pasta dishes with this zesty vegan pesto with walnuts! Like most pesto recipes, this vibrant sauce starts with a huge pile of fresh basil. Earthy walnuts, lemon juice, and soy parmesan or nutritional yeast round out this vegan adaptation on the classic. This luscious, earthy condiment is both gluten free and soy free.
Of note, this vegan pesto also freezes quite well! That said, we recommend leaving out the soy parmesan or nutritional yeast when freezing. Once thawed, you can always incorporate the nooch to taste for whatever preparation you have in mind.
What You’ll Need
- 1 cup fresh basil, packed
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/3 cup olive oil, extra virgin
- 1/4 cup non-dairy parmesan, or nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Fresh cracked pepper to taste
How To Make It
- In a food processor, mince the basil and garlic cloves.
- Pour in both the walnuts and lemon juice. Continue to process until the nuts are finely ground.
- While the food processor is running, drizzle in the olive oil until it becomes a smooth paste.
- Scoop the contents of the food processor into a medium bowl. Fold in the nutritional yeast and season with salt and pepper. If your pesto is a bit too thick, thin it out by stirring in some water. Be sure to mix in small amounts of water at a time to prevent the sauce from becoming runny. Give it a quick taste test and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Serve your vegan pesto with sandwiches, pizza or pasta. Or, try it with our Forager Pita Pizza. Enjoy!
Recipe Card for Vegan Pesto With Walnut
Here’s the recipe card for Vegan Pesto With Walnut. Print, share or save!
Vegan Pesto With Walnut
A bright vegan pesto sauce that starts with a huge pile of fresh basil. Walnuts, lemon juice & nutritional yeast round out this vegan adaptation on the classic.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cups fresh basil packed
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts
- 1/3 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1/4 cup non-dairy parmesan or nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a food processor, mince the basil and garlic cloves.
- Pour in both the walnuts and lemon juice. Continue to process until the nuts are finely ground.
- While the food processor is running, drizzle in the olive oil until it becomes a smooth paste.
- Scoop the contents of the food processor into a medium bowl. Fold in the nutritional yeast and season with salt and pepper. If your pesto is a bit too thick, thin it out by stirring in additional olive oil. Be sure to mix in small amounts of oil at a time to prevent the sauce from becoming runny. Give it a quick taste test and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Your vegan pesto is ready! Serve at room temperature with sandwiches, pizza or pasta!
Notes
For a low-fat version, consider streaming in water in lieu of olive oil.
Nutrition
Calories: 156kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 1gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 144mgPotassium: 39mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 212IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
