Vegan pesto, a delicious Italian sauce, made in 5 minutes with only 8 ingredients. It’s tasty, healthy, and so easy to prepare!
This vegan pesto is one of those things you can eat with pretty much everything: on toast, sandwiches, as a salad dressing, with pasta, rice, potatoes, vegetables, legumes… It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and so delicious it actually goes well with lots of dishes!
You can customize it with ingredients like ground black pepper and lemon juice. Some people add lemon zest too, but I like it better without it. This easy vegan pesto is ready in 5 minutes and only requires 8 simple ingredients. To make it you need a food processor, a regular blender, or an immersion blender. It is so tasty!
Ingredient notes
- Fresh basil leaves: basil is the best option, but if you can’t find it in your area, use spinach instead. I haven’t tried making it with other fresh herbs.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I’m Spanish, so I use extra virgin olive oil to cook most of my dishes. However, any type of oil is okay. I always use extra virgin oils when possible because they’re healthier.
- Nutritional yeast: it gives this recipe the cheesy flavor, so it’s an important ingredient. If you can’t find it, you could also use brewer’s yeast. However, nutritional yeast is the best choice.
- Pine nuts: traditional pesto is made with pine nuts, but if you can’t find them, use walnuts instead.
Pro tips
- I used an immersion blender because it’s easier to clean, although you can also make your vegan pesto with a regular blender or a food processor.
- You can substitute basil for spinach or any other leafy green you have on hand.
- Feel free to use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
- You could make this recipe with vegan Parmesan cheese instead of nutritional yeast.
How to make vegan pesto
- Add all the ingredients into a bowl and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Serve your vegan pesto immediately.
How to store
- Fridge: store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
- Freezer: freeze in ice cube trays and then store the frozen pesto cubes in plastic freezer bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. It can also be frozen in small jars or airtight containers for 9-12 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Is pesto vegan?
The classic pesto recipe is made with regular Parmesan cheese, so it is in fact not vegan.
Serving suggestions
Vegan pesto goes really well with plenty of different dishes. You could simply use it as a spread over some slices of vegan bread, veggies, or pasta.
I also like to use it in recipes like roasted potatoes, vegan pizza, or even roasted red peppers.
Looking for more simple vegan recipes?
Did you make this vegan pesto recipe?
Please leave a comment and rate it below. We’d love to hear from you!
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Vegan Pesto
- Prep: 5 mins
- Total: 5 mins
- 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) aprox 1x
- How to, Sauce
- Italian
- Vegan
Servings 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) aprox 1x
Vegan pesto, a delicious Italian sauce, made in 5 minutes with only 8 ingredients. It’s tasty, healthy, and so easy to prepare!
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves (about 0.7 oz or 20 g), large stems removed
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (4 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp pine nuts (raw or toasted)
- 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
- 1 clove of garlic
- Dash of salt
- Dash of ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into a bowl and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. You can also use a food processor or a regular blender, although I prefer to use an immersion blender because it’s easier to clean.
- Serve your vegan pesto immediately spread over some slices of vegan bread, veggies, or pasta. I also like to use it in recipes like roasted potatoes, vegan pizza, or even roasted red peppers.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days. Freeze in ice cube trays and then store the frozen pesto cubes in plastic freezer bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. It can also be frozen in small jars or airtight containers for 9-12 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Notes
- I used an immersion blender because it’s easier to clean, although you can also make your vegan pesto with a regular blender or a food processor.
- If basil and pine nuts are too expensive or hard to find in your area, you could also use spinach or any other leafy green you have on hand, and any other kind of nuts, such as walnuts or almonds.
- Feel free to replace garlic powder with fresh garlic.
- Add salt to taste.
- If you don’t have or don’t want to use nutritional yeast, you could make this recipe with vegan Parmesan cheese instead.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tbsp
- Calories: 91
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 22 mg
- Fat: 8.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 2.2 g
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March of 2019, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions, and tips in July of 2022.
So simple yet delicious. I top it off with some vegan parmesan cheese.
★★★★★
Hi Kimmy! That sounds so good 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
Can I make this without oil?.. or what would be a healthy substitute for it being oil-free?
Hi Lili! I haven’t tried it myself but I think it would work 🙂 But, let me tell you that olive oil is not unhealthy 🙂 Have a nice day!
Hola Iosune,
I have been making your amazing and delicious recipes for a few years now but never left a comment/review before and I feel that I’ve done your hard work a disservice. As my apology here is my contribution.
I did not have access to fresh Basil leaves so I used dried leaves and added 3/4 to 1 cup of water to re-hydrate them and it turned out amazingly delicious. My wife, who has always hated Pesto of any kind, could not get enough of it and now this will be a permanent dish for our family. Thank you so much again for all that you do and keep up the amazing work.
Con mucho amor, respeto, y apreciación de nuestra familia, a la suya.
Gracias \(=^.^=)/
★★★★★
Hola Carlos! Gracias a ti 🙂 Un abrazo!
MY apologies, I hit “jump to recipe” , and found the proportions
Hi Petey! Yes, you have all the ingredients in the recipe box 🙂 Have a nice day!
Easy and fast recipe; I used almond slivers to substitute the pine nuts, an economical and delicious way to make this.
★★★★★
Hi Leonie! So glad you liked it 🙂 Sounds great!