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!
Origin of Pesto
Pesto is a sauce that is believed to have originated in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy. It’s thought that it may have evolved from a 13th century garlic-based sauce called aggiadda or from the tradition of using aromatic herbs in the Middle Ages.
The first written recipe for pesto was from Giovanni Battista Ratto in his 19th century work The Genoese cuisine. This recipe was a mix of garlic, basil, and cheese (source).
Our plant-based version skips the cheese, but is similarly packed with basil and full of flavor.
How to Make Vegan Pesto
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 can be high in B12 (depending on the brand).
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 Pesto Avocado Toast, 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!
Easy Vegan Pesto (5 minutes!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups packed fresh basil (large stems removed)
- 3 Tbsp pine nuts or walnuts (if nut-free, try sunflower seeds!)
- 3 large cloves garlic (peeled)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil*
- 3-6 Tbsp water (plus more as needed)
Instructions
- 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.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with lesser amount of nutritional yeast.
*Recipe adapted from my Smashed Potatoes with Garlic Pesto.
*Recipe as originally written makes ~1 cup pesto.
Kristin says
This was so delicious and so simple! I had an abundance of basil this year and loved that I could easily make this pesto and freeze it to get me through until next summer. Also, loved the flexibility on using walnuts instead of pine nuts.
Love that! So glad you found the recipe and enjoyed it, Kristin. Thanks for sharing! xo
Barbara says
I’ve made this recipe for a year now and we love it. We eat more fish and vegetables because they both taste better with this vegan pesto. And because we keep kosher we can serve this with both meat and dairy meals. Sometimes I add more garlic, sometimes more lemon juice, rarely the greater amount of water. Excellent, thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Barbara! Thank you for sharing! xo
Halcyon Morrison says
I made this delicious pesto. I substituted raw cashews for pine nuts. I did not add salt.
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Halcyon! xo
Julie says
Hello.
For me in France, the cup system is not at all usual. 2 cups of basil corresponds to approximately how many grams? Thank you
Hi Julie, you can find the metric measurements by clicking “metric” beneath the ingredients header. Hope that helps!
Anna Reid says
I made this with the Cuisinart food processor you recommend and it turned out perfect! My kids love it, too, which is a huge bonus. Thank you for providing nutritious, simple recipes for all seasons.
Yay! We’re so happy it was a winner with the whole family! Thank you for letting us know, Anna! xo
Patricia Frothingham says
Have made this often, both following the recipe to the letter (using walnuts), and sometimes substituting collards for 1/2 of the basil. Either way, divine. Thanks!
Love that! Thank you for sharing, Patricia! xo