The Best Vegan Pesto Recipe

Name: The Best Vegan Pesto Recipe
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups or 140 g fresh basil leaves; 2/3 cup or 90 g raw macadamia nuts; 2 cloves garlic; 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast; 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 3-4 tablespoons water; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

User Reviews

4.8

108 reviews

Excellent

Cook Time
mins
Total Time
5 mins
Servings
8 servings
Calories
209 kcal
Course
Condiments
Cuisine
Italian

The Best Vegan Pesto Recipe

Maisie Perez

Report

The only Vegan Pesto recipe you'll ever need! This delicious, cheesy and healthy sauce contains 5 ingredients and only takes 5 minutes to make. Serve it with pasta, bread, grilled vegetables or potatoes. Only 209 calories per serving!

Share:

I Made This!

81 people made this

Print

21 people printed this

Save this

64 people saved this

Ingredients

Servings

2 cups or 140 g fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup or 90 g raw macadamia nuts
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tablespoons water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Add basil leaves, macadamia, garlic and nutritional yeast in a cup of a food processor or blender and blend until a thick paste forms, scrapping sides. Add extra virgin olive oil and water, one tablespoon at a time, until smooth. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Equipments used:

Notes

This recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto which is roughly 8 servings (2 tablespoons per serving).
For usage ideas, check these 50 healthy vegan recipes with pesto.
Store the vegan pesto in an airtight jar in the fridge for about 7 days.
This sauce freezes perfectly in ice cube trays, so feel free to double or triple the batch if you want to meal prep. Freeze in an ice cube tray for up to 3 months.
Start with 2 tablespoons water and keep adding water to the sauce until you like the consistency.
If you want your pesto to be very smooth, blend it longer. For more chunky pesto, pulse it just a few times.
Serve with pasta, as a bread spread, as a dip and salad dressing, as a pizza sauce, in soups, with rice or cauliflower rice, baked potatoes, roasted vegetables or bake it into bread.
You can use any nuts you like or have at hand in place of macadamia: walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans or cashews. They will add slightly different flavors to the pesto but it comes out delicious every time.
Use any leafy greens instead of basil to make your pesto more nutritious. You can add arugula, kale, spinach, parsley or cilantro. Here is a delicious wild garlic pesto recipe perfect for spring.
Add avocado/sun-dried-tomatoes/peas to spice things up. Alternatively, try my favorite avocado dressing.
To make the pesto sauce oil-free, add a few slices of ripe tomatoes.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 209kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 5g (2%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 20g (31%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Sodium 3mg (0%) Potassium 284mg (8%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 3120IU (62%) Vitamin C 11.1mg (12%) Calcium 123mg (12%) Iron 2.7mg (15%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 209 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	209kcal	10%
Carbohydrates	5g	2%
Protein	4g	8%
Fat	20g	31%
Saturated Fat	3g	15%
Sodium	3mg	0%
Potassium	284mg	6%
Fiber	3g	12%
Sugar	1g	2%
Vitamin A	3120IU	62%
Vitamin C	11.1mg	12%
Calcium	123mg	12%
Iron	2.7mg	15%