Vegan Basil Pesto

Close up of a bowl of pesto sprinkled with pine nuts...there is a lemon, a head of garlic, some fresh basil leaves and some pine nuts flanking the pesto bowl on a wooden board.

5 from 5 votes

5-Minute Vegan Basil Pesto Recipe. Dairy-free and delicious, this is the most tasty way to use your basil....and it's meal prep and freezer friendly too! Perfect for sauces, spreads, pizza and pasta.

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegan

Servings: cup pesto

Calories: 104kcal

Author: Debra Klein

Equipment

Ingredients

3 cups 7.5 oz packed fresh basil leaves* (remove large stems before measuring)
¼ cup pine nuts*
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 large cloves garlic
1 lemon zested and juiced
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon white pepper*
¼ cup olive oil*
2-4 Tablespoons water*

Instructions

Add basil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper to bowl of food processor or blender. Process until everything has been uniformly chopped.
Scrape down sides of bowl and process again.
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil (or first ¼ cup of veggie broth) while machine is running. Scrape down sides. Process again. Add water (or more broth) 1 Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Will you be using this as a dip? Make it thicker. A sauce? Thin it out. Totally up to you!
Taste for seasoning. Add more salt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice or pepper as desired. Process once more.
Pesto will stay good in the fridge for up to a week. To avoid having the top turn brown, place a piece of plastic wrap tightly against the surface of the pesto, and THEN cover.
Freeze pesto in ice cube trays, then pop out and store in zip top bags for easy addition into sauces, spreads and other recipes for an instant flavor boost.

Notes

BASIL: You'll need about 3 cups of basil for this recipe...measured by packing in the leaves to a dry measuring cup. If you do not have that much basil, add in some fresh parsley or oregano leaves to make up the difference. If you need a lot more greens to equal the three cups, add in some arugula. Kale or spinach will also work for the greens, but they don't add much in the way of flavor.

NUTS: I've subbed marcona almonds before...truly delish. If there is a nut allergy, use toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds instead.

WHITE PEPPER: I like that it offers just a bit of heat. If you do not like spice, reduce the white pepper to ¼ teaspoon. If you like a bit more spice, taste the pesto when finished, and add a pinch (or more) of crushed red pepper flakes, then process again.

FOR NO OIL PESTO: You will need about ½ cup liquid total between the water and olive oil. You can add more water and less oil, or omit the oil all together...in that case, I would suggest using veggie broth rather than all plain water to give more depth of flavor. Start with ¼ cup liquid. Add another 2 Tablespoons, process. After that, add 1 Tablespoon liquid at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Also, if you're going to omit the oil, add 2 Tablespoons hemp seeds to compensate for the creaminess that oil provides.

Nutrition