Pesto is one of the easiest ways to elevate a dish! This easy vegan basil pesto uses just a couple fresh ingredients and little bit of olive oil to achieve a flavorful finish that's perfect as a sauce, spread, salad dressing or dip.
Where are my fellow pesto lovers?! I absolutely love making this homemade vegan pesto to use with almost any dish. It's positively bursting with flavor thanks to fresh garlic, lemon, pine nuts, and of course...tons of fresh basil!
As a bonus, it uses only a fraction of the olive oil that traditional pesto recipes call for. And, while regular pesto contains parmesan cheese, you'll find that this vegan version truly doesn't need it - not even nutritional yeast!
The possibilities are almost endless with this delicious vegan pesto recipe. Use it as a dip, spread, pasta sauce (i.e., pasta al pesto) or dressing on all of your favorite meals!
Ingredients in Vegan Basil Pesto
- Basil - The main ingredient! You can find fresh basil in the produce section of your local grocery store or farmer's market. Many stores sell basil plants now, so if you're interested in growing your own you can bring a plant home and harvest fresh basil leaves straight from the plant!
- Pine nuts - Use raw pine nuts for this recipe.
- Lemon - I think fresh lemon juice tastes best! Use the juice from about half of a lemon.
- Garlic - Start with two garlic cloves, and if you like your pesto extra garlicky you can taste and add more!
- Extra virgin olive oil - This recipe only uses a splash of good quality olive oil, which is far less than most classic pesto recipes! I thin the pesto further with water until it reaches my desired consistency.
How to Make the Best Vegan Pesto
This is a really simple recipe to make! All you need is a food processor.
Add everything but the olive oil and water to the food processor and turn the motor on. Then slowly stream in the olive oil while the motor is still running, followed by the water to thin it out further.
Remove the top and give it a taste test! You can adjust the flavors and scrape down the sides as needed to blend further.
Vegan Pesto Variations
- Swap the basil for other greens. Pesto can be made from any herbs such as arugula, parsley, cilantro, dill or even mint. You can also use baby spinach or kale!
- Swap the pine nuts for other nuts or seeds. Pine nuts add a smooth nutty flavor, but they can also be quite expensive. Walnuts, cashews and almonds will also result in creamy pesto, as well as hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds!
- Add nutritional yeast for more cheesy flavor. This is such a flavorful sauce without it, but nutritional yeast can certainly be added (highly recommended over vegan parmesan).
How to Store Vegan Pesto
Store fresh pesto in the refrigerator for up to a week. Keep in mind that it will thicken when cooled so it will need to be brought back to room temperature before using!
You can also freeze leftover pesto for up to 3 months. My favorite pesto tip is to pour it into ice cube trays to thaw out single servings when needed! This is particularly useful for adding to single pasta dishes so you don't need to thaw and re-freeze the entire batch.
All About Basil
Basil is one of those bright, fresh herbs that makes dishes come alive! We've recently been growing basil in our home veggie & herb garden. It is so fun to watch the plants grow and change, and everyone gets excited when we incorporate something from the garden into a meal.
Basil plants like lots of sunlight and moist soil. I love using fresh basil as a topping on my vegan skillet white pizza!
How to Use Pesto
I absolutely LOVE pesto as it is one of my all-time favorite sauces. It makes any dish tastier, and the bright green color it brings is beautiful on the table! There truly is no limit in terms of the different ways to serve it.
Pesto is traditionally used as a pasta topping, like in my parsley-pea pesto pasta and grilled veggie pesto pasta recipes. However, it is also delicious on zucchini pizza bites, crispy smashed potatoes, or as a topping on a bowl of classic chickpea hummus. We even eat pesto plain as a veggie dip or use it as a spread on sandwiches and wraps!
This easy vegan pesto recipe is made without dairy, soy or refined sugar, and it has just a small amount of oil.
I hope you make and love it! If you do, please tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations. You can also drop a review below to let me know how it turned out!
More Vegan Pesto Recipes
Enjoy these variations of pesto. Each have their own unique fresh flavor!
@eatingbyelaine #veganpesto ♬ September - Earth, Wind & Fire
Easy 5-Minute Vegan Pesto
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Pesto is one of the easiest ways to elevate a dish! This easy vegan basil pesto uses just a couple fresh ingredients and little bit of olive oil to achieve a flavorful finish that's perfect as a sauce, spread, salad dressing or dip.
Ingredients
- 3 packed cups fresh basil leaves (large stems removed)
- ½ cup raw pine nuts
- ½ small lemon, juiced
- 4 large cloves garlic, peeled
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil (or reduce and use water for some of the oil)
- optional: 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Add fresh basil, pine nuts, lemon, garlic, and salt to a food processor. Turn it on and slowly stream in the olive oil while the motor is still running. Next, add in the water if using while the motor is running.
- Taste and adjust flavor and texture if desired. Scrape down the sides to process again if needed.
- Use immediately overtop pasta, pizza, grilled or roasted veggies, in wraps or sandwiches or stirred into soup.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one week. Pesto sauce will thicken slightly after being stored. Allow to sit at room temperature to allow the oil to liquify before using.
You can also freeze this pesto for up to 3 months (leaving room at the top of the airtight container for expansion).
- Prep Time: 5
- Category: Condiment/Sauce
- Method: Food Processor
Harriet Young says
A very quick and easy pesto recipe! It’s delicious. I had it with pasta and it was great
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Harriet!