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This simple vegan pesto is bright, creamy, and umami-rich. It makes a flavor-packed addition to recipes like pasta, pizza, sandwiches, dips, and more. All you need is 5 ingredients, 10 minutes, and a blender!
Table of Contents
💚 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple: Made with just 5 ingredients (plus salt and water), pesto without pine nuts is extremely easy to throw together.
- More affordable: This recipe utilizes cashews, which are a more affordable option than pine nuts. While they’re still not cheap by any means, they make a great alternative!
- Versatile: Once you realize how many ways you can use vegan pesto, you’ll be making it every week. Think pizza, pasta, toast, roasted vegetables, and more.
- Diet-friendly: Anyone can enjoy this recipe, vegan or not. It’s completely dairy-free!
If you love vegan pesto, you definitely need to check out our San Marzano tomato sauce, guacamole, Mexican crema, and baba ganoush.
🍃 What is pesto?
Pesto is a world-renowned Italian sauce traditionally made from crushed garlic, pine nuts, salt, fresh basil, hard cheese (like Parmigiana-Reggiano or Pecorino Sardo), and extra-virgin olive oil.
It’s popularly served as a condiment with pasta, potato gnocchi, Genoa-style minestrone, crusty bread, meats, roasted vegetables, and the like.
🌱 Why is pesto not vegan?
Classically prepared pestos are not vegan-friendly due to the cheese. Don’t worry though! Our vegan version is equally as good as dairy-based options.
Just swap out the hard cheese for cashew parmesan (homemade or store-bought), and that’s it! You can even make this pesto without pine nuts since the cashews provide a creamy, rich, and slightly sweet flavor.
We’ve eaten both variations and actually prefer this one. We’ll let you be the judge, though!
📜 History of pesto
A true Italian classic, pesto is thought to have originated in Genoa, which is the capital of Liguria, Italy. In fact, the name pesto comes from a Genoese word meaning “to crush,” loosely referring to the original method of grinding it with a mortar and pestle.
It likely evolved from one or two ancient spreads — Roman moretum and Genoan agliata. While both recipes were made from garlic, various nuts, herbs, and seasonings, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that basil became the star ingredient.
Nowadays, it’s a worldwide treasure, and thank goodness for that! A sauce this good should never be kept secret. If you’re anything like us, you can geek out and find out more about pesto’s history!
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- Basil: Look for Genovese, Italian Large Leaf, or sweet basil for a vibrant, robust, full-bodied pesto flavor. Better yet, grow some yourself in a herb garden!
- Vegan parmesan: We use homemade vegan parmesan, but store-bought works as a more convenient option. For homemade, you just need cashews, garlic, and salt!
- Garlic: Bring on the garlic! This is what makes pesto so addictingly delicious. Make sure you use fresh garlic cloves for the best taste. Garlic powder isn’t going to cut it here.
- Lemon juice: Adds a bright, acidic element that rounds out the savory, umami flavor of the cheese. Apple cider vinegar will work, but we prefer the subtle sweetness of lemon.
- Olive oil: Since there aren’t many ingredients, we suggest opting for a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil. It really makes a difference in the overall flavor. For a less traditional version, swap in avocado oil.
- Water: To thin the pesto. You can also use more olive oil if you prefer.
- Sea salt: Start slow as vegan parmesan is already quite salty!
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 How to make vegan pesto
Step 1: Blend the ingredients
Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor, except the olive oil. Blend on medium until a paste has formed, then slowly pour in the oil.
Step 2: Scrape the sides
Blend on medium-high for another 1-2 minutes, or until you reach your desired consistency. Make sure to stop and scrape down the sides as needed.
Step 3: Adjust the seasonings
Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking — lemon juice for tang, vegan parmesan for cheesiness, garlic for punchiness, or salt to enhance the overall flavor. You can also add 1 tablespoon of water or vegetable broth at a time for a thinner consistency.
If you have questions about making [insert keyword], check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🍝 How to use vegan pesto
There are so many ways to add vegan pesto to your cooking! These are some of our favorites, but feel free to get creative:
- Sandwiches and wraps: Make a vegan pesto mayo to spread on sandwiches or wraps.
- Pizza: Instead of tomato sauce, use vegan pesto as the base for homemade pizza.
- Appetizer: Serve it as-is with toasted bread or garlic bread for a flavor-packed dish.
- Pasta: Toss vegan pesto with lemon garlic pasta, or make vegan pesto pasta.
- Vegetable noodles: Make a healthier option by tossing it with zucchini noodles, carrot noodles, or sweet potato noodles.
- Dips and dressings: Add it to hummus, or mix it into a vinaigrette salad dressing.
- Roasted veggies: Dollop vegan pesto over roasted veggies like green beans, zucchini, or sweet potato cubes.
- Mashed potatoes: Add a spoonful or two to mashed potatoes or stewed potatoes for a bright, herbaceous, and unique flavor.
🌡️ Storage
There’s nothing better than leftover pesto, especially since it only gets better as the flavors meld together. Just follow these storage tips to keep it fresh:
- Fridge: Vegan pesto will last in an airtight container for 6-7 days. We suggest adding a layer of high-quality olive oil on top to limit air exposure.
- Freezer: Freeze pesto by adding it to ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to freezer-safe bags or containers for up to 6 months.
- Thaw: Thaw the vegan pesto in the fridge overnight, and it will be ready to eat by the morning.
♻️ Variations
- Different greens: No basil on hand? Replace it with arugula, kale, mint, cilantro, garlic scapes, spinach, or parsley for a unique spin.
- Nuts: Add pine nuts for a more traditional option. Alternatively, use almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or hemp seeds.
- Cheesy: For an even cheesier pesto, throw some extra nutritional yeast in!
- Ad-ins: Mix up the flavors by adding capers, sun-dried tomatoes, or roasted red peppers.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Consistency: Pesto will thicken up as it sits in the fridge. If it needs to be thinned out, just add a little water or oil and stir until you reach your desired consistency.
- Preserve: Once the pesto goes brown, it’s no longer viable. To ensure it lasts longer, add a layer of high-quality olive oil on top, which limits air exposure.
- Use fresh ingredients: The quality of the ingredients really affects the overall flavor! Use extra-virgin olive oil, organic garlic cloves, and freshly-grown basil if possible.
💬 FAQ
Traditional pesto and vegan pesto taste very similar. They’re both bright and herbaceous, thanks to basil. They also carry rich, umami, and zesty flavors from nuts, cheese, and garlic.
Pesto should be stored in the fridge and eaten cold or at room temperature. Pesto should not be heated because the flavor, texture, and color will change.
Pesto turns brown due to oxidization. In other words, when basil is exposed to oxygen a chemical reaction occurs. While it likely won’t make you sick, we don’t recommend eating it. Just scrape off the oxidized layer, and the pesto underneath should be fine to consume.
🍴 More sauce recipes
If you enjoyed this vegan pesto without pine nuts, be sure to check out some more sauces like these:
- Lemon Tahini Dressing: A versatile 5-ingredient sauce.
- Hummus: A healthy, creamy, homemade hummus recipe.
- Vegan Ranch Dressing: Rich, creamy, and 100% vegan ranch sauce.
- Vegan Tzatziki: Zesty, tangy, and flavorful homemade white sauce.
Best Vegan Pesto
Equipment
- High speed blender or food processor
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups fresh basil, packed
- ⅓ cup vegan parmesan
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2-4 tablespoons water
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor, except the olive oil. Blend on medium until a paste has formed, then slowly pour in the oil.
- Blend on medium-high for another 1-2 minutes, or until you reach your desired consistency. Make sure to stop and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking — lemon juice for tang, vegan parmesan for cheesiness, garlic for punchiness, or salt to enhance the overall flavor. You can also add 1 tablespoon of water or vegetable broth at a time for a thinner consistency.
- Serve over pasta, as a pizza sauce, on wraps, as a sandwich spread, or as part of a dip. Happy Eating!
Notes
- Consistency: Pesto will thicken up as it sits in the fridge. If it needs to be thinned out, just add a little water or oil and stir until you reach your desired consistency.
- Preserve: Once the pesto goes brown, it’s no longer viable. To ensure it lasts longer, add a layer of high-quality olive oil on top, which limits air exposure.
- Use fresh ingredients: The quality of the ingredients really affects the overall flavor! Use extra-virgin olive oil, organic garlic cloves, and freshly-grown basil if possible.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate and should not be taken as health advice.
Nutrition
Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
