It’s no secret that I have a thing for pesto. Yet I didn’t have a recipe for my go-to version on the blog…until now.
The remedy is here! Presenting my 5-Minute Easy Vegan Pesto perfect for sauces, soups, salads, pasta, pizza, and more!
This recipe requires just 5 minutes, 1 bowl, and 7 ingredients to make.
The base is fresh basil, pine nuts, and garlic with a splash of lemon juice for acidity and brightness.
For that cheesy color and flavor, I rely on nutritional yeast, which is a man-made yeast that’s extremely high in B12 (a vitamin especially important for vegans).
Now, we have a paste, but to make it a sauce, I rely on a mix of extra virgin olive oil and water. If you’re trying to avoid oil, feel free to sub the EVOO for vegetable broth or water!
I hope you all love this pesto! It’s:
Creamy
Zesty
Cheesy
Garlicky
Healthy
& SO easy to make
I love adding pesto to things like white pasta sauce, breadsticks, salad dressings, sauces, and more! This recipe yields about 1 cup, and I’m always surprised how quickly I use it up throughout the week. It also freezes well in ice cube trays, so you can thaw and use a small amount whenever a recipe calls for pesto.
For my favorite pesto recipes, check out our Spicy Red Pasta with Lentils, Penne Pasta Salad, Smashed Potatoes with Garlic Pesto, Pea Pesto Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta, and Spaghetti Squash Pasta with Basil Pesto.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
- 2 cups packed (144 g) fresh basil (large stems removed)
- 3 Tbsp (25 g) pine nuts or walnuts (if nut-free, try sunflower seeds!)
- 3 large cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
- 3-4 Tbsp (9-12 g) nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2-3 Tbsp (30-45 ml) extra virgin olive oil*
- 3-6 Tbsp (45 - 70 ml) water (plus more as needed)
- To a food processor or small blender, add the basil, nuts, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and sea salt and blend/mix on high until a loose paste forms.
- Add olive oil a little at a time (streaming in while the machine is on if possible) and scrape down sides as needed. Then add 1 Tbsp (15 ml) water at a time until the desired consistency is reached - a thick but pourable sauce. (If avoiding oil altogether, sub the oil with vegetable broth or just use all water.)
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor, salt for overall flavor, nuts for nuttiness, garlic for bite / zing, or lemon juice for acidity.
- Perfect for adding to sauces, dressings, breads, and more! My favorite recently has been adding it straight to zucchini or carrot noodles (see photo) for a beautiful, healthy side dish.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week. After that, pour into ice cube molds, freeze, and store up to 1 month or more.
*Recipe adapted from my Smashed Potatoes with Garlic Pesto.
Pesto is my favorite, and it’s been so hard finding a replacement that doesn’t load up on cheese. Excited to try it with nutritional yeast!
Looking terrific! I like the variation with sunflower seeds as they are also much friendlier on a student-budget. Will definitely recreate this soon!
There is nothing about pesto I do not like! AND the colors of the food when on display in white dishes can dictate an entire food event. We encourage our clients to always use “food” as an accessory. So natural and a feel good moment.-Laurel Bledsoe
Thank you for sharing and happy Easter!
Obviously this won’t be as tasty, but would it work with dried basil (spice version) in a pinch?
You could probably use other greens m for the “bulk” of the pesto and then supplement with dried basil for flavor! :)
Fresh is best in my opinion!
I sometimes use white/light miso instead of nutritional yeast and this makes a very nice pesto also.
I just made your dried tomato pesto pasta yesterday, oooh i was so delicious! This looks great and i will return to pesto more often now. Thank you!
Lovely, thanks Elena!
IT was so delicious, not i was so delicious! Hahha
This looks delicious and surprisingly creamy for a vegan pesto – will try it out the next time I need a quick pasta fix
– Natalie
I am always grateful for a meal that my entire family eats and uses the ingredients already in my fridge. While I didn’t have any basil, I followed your recipe using 2 bunches of Italian parsley and 1 bunch of cilantro. I also used a mix of walnuts and almonds and served your vegan parmesan cheese on top. Nothing was wasted! Thank you!
Lovely! Thanks Amy!!
YESSSSS this looks delicious! Thanks for sharing :)
– Nikki Bahan
Hi
Should the nuts be toasted first?
Not necessary!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious! I added an extra clove of garlic.
Dinner was so easy and quick, this is my new go to recipe! Thanks Dana!
Sandy
Yay! Thanks Sandy!
Love this recipe, which I’ll make again and again. I made it tonight with what I had on hand (kale and walnuts) and I couldn’t believe how quickly in came together and how wonderful the flavor is. I’m excited to start experimenting with nut and herb combinations.
Try “CAPRESE ” sandwich with bakers pesto .WOW so good
Thank you
V/r
zafar
So much better to make your own pesto rather than buying it! Way cheaper and so much tastier! We make all our own pesto in our blender and like to mix it up, sometimes using spinach, sometimes using kale and sometimes with basil – such fun experimenting!
That looks so so delicious, definitely gonna try this recipe, i looove pesto! xo
Melodie
What does that kind of yeast taste like? Where do you buy it?
This kind of yeast isn’t like the yeast used to make bread rise. It’s a food supplement that lends a cheesy, savory or umami flavor to dishes. It’s vegan, unlike actual cheese, and is used here as a parmesan substitute. It’s also very good for you! I believe it grows naturally on beets, but don’t quote me on that. Hope that helps!
Yay!! I’ve been waiting for a bomb.com pesto recipe to make it’s way onto your blog! Can’t wait to make this!
I make mine with lightly soaked cashews! It adds a great creamy texture :)
Pesto is the BEST!!!!
Made this last night and it was AMAZING! Want to make it again tonight but I’m out of basil and have a ton of kale kicking around. Do you think it would taste good swapping the basil for kale?
Thanks ?
I’ve heard kale pesto is awesome! I’d still recommend throwing in SOME herbs, either parsley or basil for flavor.
Kale pesto is delish!! But I always try and add in a little basil and I like to saute my kale with the garlic for just a few minutes. I’ve learned that our body can more readily absorb the iron in greens when lightly cooked/warmed. YUM! Also love using 1/2 an avo instead of oil when they are on hand and ripe :).
Bill Bradley @ MediterraneanLiving.com
As a Dietitian, I work with many people who love eating Italian, but can’t eat the cheese because of lactose intolerance. This is a brilliant recipe that really tastes as good as it looks. Bravo!
Thanks for sharing a quick recipe with us.
Very helpful.
This looks great! I plan on making it today as I have a ton of basil waiting to be harvested! And a huge thank you for adding the weight measurements in grams! That helps so much!
I halved the recipe, for 2 people and served it with wholemeal spaghetti, the mix itself has a great balance of acidity!
Dana, I am a huge fan of your blog! Any chance that last photo is some sort of spiralized veggie noodle? I actually tried raw zucchini pasta for the first time over the weekend, and now I’m completely hooked! Is there any certain type of spiralizer you might be able to recommend to a minimalist on a budget?
Hi Britt! That is just pasta in the last photo, but if you’re looking for a good spiralizer, look no further! We got you.
I’m always after something new and I like the idea of using yeast. So healthy for a vegan recipe. I will try it and let you know.
Unfortunately I can’t do yeast at all – is there a good sub for this?
You can leave it out, but it’ll taste less like pesto!
Really, really good! Just had for dinner and was enjoyed by all. I had never heard of nutritional yeast being used in place of cheese, so glad for a substitute, thanks! Did not have fresh Basil so used a variety of organic greens together and added 1 tsp dried basil.
Wow, didn’t think about doing that, will try next time.
I’m 60 and have been making traditional pesto for years, but this is my new favorite pesto. My daughter is vegan, and I am rapidly following in her footsteps due to her influence. I used pecans for the nuts because that’s what I had on hand. Yummy!
Next time I’ll double the recipe, because we are sad to see the empty blender.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
How did it taste with pecans? Was it significantly different than pine nuts?
Hi May. Yes, it’s a bit different, but I wouldn’t say “significantly.” I love almost all nuts, so I just use what’s on hand (pine, pecan, walnut, or even macadamia). A little arugula thrown in with the basil is also really good. Have fun playing around with your pesto!
Do you think this would work well with your vegan Parmesan recipe in place of the nutritional yeast??
I haven’t tried it, but think it could work!
Really yummy, I made a half batch and I added too much nutritional yeast and I made it a little salty but it was still awesome. I’ll be eating it with pasta tomorrow for lunch.
Mmmm… great recipe! I’m definitely making it again. I love this website btw. I am vegan and I appreciate that all the recipes are dairy-free (and delicious!) Thank you, Dana, for creating this really cool site :)
Made this today. Absolutely fantastic. I did as the directions said except I only used 2T water and 1T olive oil. Thanks for this!!
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve always loved Pesto before going vegan and this one actually tastes so much better than anything with cheese! I also added some peas into the recipe to make it creamier. It turned out deöicious. Thanks for all the cooking inspiration!
I used Aquafaba to replace the oil. I save the bean juice after cooking beans. We used the pesto for pesto potatoes and it was very yummy. Thanks so much!
I am allergic to yeast is there a substitute that you would suggest I try?
If you can tolerate it, use parmesan cheese.
I just made this tonight and it was delicious!! My boyfriend has been growing basil and had enough for a half of this recipe. We had it with spaghetti squash and roasted chickpeas. So so fresh and delicious. I will definitely make it again : )
Wow!! I haven’t comfortably eaten pesto in well over a decade. This is WONDERFUL! SO amazingly good and totally pesto. I made the walnut version because I didn’t want to “waste” my pine nuts if this wasn’t spectacular. Incredibly luscious on raw zucchini pasta.
THANK YOU!!
do you use yeast flakes? what brand would you suggest?
Yes, yeast flakes! Any brand will do!
Do you use sunflower kernels? Or the whole seed?
Just the inside of the seed!
This recipe is great! I opted for water instead of EVOO and it still held together thanks to the nutritional yeast. I’ve been using it similarly to your chimichurri portobello recipe and it’s divine! I’ve also coated roasted shaved brussel sprouts with it for a killer side dish.
Fair warning for anyone reading this: do not put it on spaghetti squash; the sweetness of the squash clashes and makes the pesto taste bitter.
Great! I’ll be making this again. Served it over pasta with roasted broccoli and mushrooms.
I made this with garlic scapes (instead of basil) and sunflower seeds instead of basil and nuts. Turned out great!
We loved it!! We don’t use oil so I put white beans (I read that idea on another recipe) in it to thicken and give it more body. Perfect! Thank you
I just made this and it was super easy and yummy. My 2 and 4 year olds scarfed it down on some whole wheat fettuccine. I added some hemp hearts for a nuttier flavor and to increase the protein content and liked the creaminess they added to the pesto without relying on too much olive oil.
I made this and it was absolutely delicious! Could not tell the difference between this and the old one i used to make wih cheese! Yummy!!!
This was delicious, thank you for the recipe!!
So delicious and creamy. One step closer to my bf loving more and more vegan food. Thank you!
OMG! Either I was really hungry or this Pesto is the BOMB! Sweet Jesus! Can’t wait to make a pizza with it. Many thanks, and BTW, your recipes are all good!
Pepitas are a great substitution as well if you are nut free!
Can this recipe be canned? Any idea what the shelf life would be?
Hi Joanna! The best for preserving it would be to pour the pesto into ice cube molds, freeze, and store up to 1 month or more. Hope this helps!
this is honestly the best pesto i have ever made! i steamed zucchini noodles and then topped them with the pesto and sautéed cherry tomatoes. omg i think i ate it in 1 minute!! thank you!
Can I substitute almonds?
I’m intolerant to yeast, is there a substitute or maybe just leave it ou
Hi June! You can leave it out, but it’ll taste less like pesto!
Awesome! Added some avocado for creamier paste… turned out great! Thanks!
Hello. Trying to make this for dinner tonight. Do the nuts have to be boiled first or can they go in the blender raw with the rest of the ingredients?
Thank you!
Hi Wendy! You can put them in the blender raw!
Fantastic recipe, can’t stop making it! :)