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 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 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!
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
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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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.
Notes
*I rely on a mix of extra virgin olive oil and water to make this pesto a "sauce." If you're trying to avoid oil, feel free to sub the EVOO for vegetable broth or water!
*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.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 16 one-Tbsp servings)
- Calories: 39
- Fat: 3.8g
- Sodium: 32mg
- Potassium: 62mg
- Carbohydrates: 1.2g
- Protein: 0.8g
- Vitamin A: 300IU
- Vitamin C: 2.5mg
- Calcium: 10mg
- Iron: 0.4mg
Hi, looking forward to trying this!
Can I make this without the nutritional Yeast? I Don’t have any left if my cupboard.
Sure! The flavor will be slightly different, but texturally all will be well.
Looking forward to making this! Can I sub cilantro for basil?
It will have a different flavor profile, but sure!
I love this vegan pesto recipe! How long does it keep in the fridge? Can it be frozen?
Thank you so much!
Hi Caro, Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week. After that, pour into ice cube molds, freeze, and store up to 1 month or more.
Could I use arugula instead of basil in this recipe?
Hmm, we wouldn’t recommend using all arugula in place of basil, but maybe half would work!
Hi Dana, what substitute would you recommend in place of nutritional yeast? Im trying to omit yeast from my diet.
Thank you!
Hi Liza, we think it could be omitted without a problem! Hope that helps!
Best diy pesto! Easy to make and great for pasta, pizza, or to use as a condiment.
Ugh, this is a staple. I always eat spoonfuls out the fridge! Delicious as is.
Nice and easy however 3 cloves of garlic was way too much, it killed the rest of flavours, I can still taste it the next morning. I’d add it to taste or roast before adding. Also I’ll try roasting pine nuts next time.
Easy and delicious. I like how you can just blend it all together before adding the oil. I don’t like to get the processor out because I’m lazy, but it was definitely worth it.
I made this with plans to save it for some pasta tonight, but it was so good I ate almost all of it with a spoon!
Was very delicious, but a little too tangy. I’ll just use less lemon juice next time, as everything else was perfect :)
FABULOUS! My measurements were a little different because I needed to use up my fresh basil. I probably had about 3 cups fresh basil a rounded 1/4 cup of each pine nuts and nutritional yeast, juice of 1 lemon, 4 cloves garlic since this was more than the recipe and rounded portions of everything else to hopefully adjust so it was close to the original flavor profile. I subbed water for the oil with red flags raiding in my mind that no way could this be as delicious as regular homemade pesto with freshly grated cheese and olive oil. Despite my preconceived notions, I found it flavorful and fabulous! No one would EVER know it was vegan or oil free. So glad I tried it and thank you for such an amazing and healthy recipe!!!!!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
I made this with all spinach and love the flavor. While not vegan, I am dairy and soy free. I had not tried pesto before making this so I can’t compare it to that made with parm. I make it in a wide mouth quart jar and my immersion blender. No extra dishes to wash, just screw on a lid and put in the fridge. I love it on toast in the morning too.
Soooo good!! I added sundried tomatoes, and skipped the lemon as I never used to use it when making classic non-vegan pesto. I can’t really explain how happy it makes me that pesto can still be on a vegan’s menu!! ?
This recipe is easy, fast and absolutely delicious. I added extra lemon because I didn’t think it was worth saving the extra from a whole lemon. I ate it over zucchini noodles. I love that it can be frozen!
Are the nuts supposed to be raw or roasted?
We used raw, but roasted (lightly) can work, too!
Is this sauce good for a vegan pesto pizza?
Yes! It may lose its vibrant color when baking, so you could opt to add it after for serving.
I just made this pesto and I‘m amazed how insanely delicious it turned out! I used walnuts, omitted the oil and used 5 tbsp of water instead. Never would I have imagined this could taste this great without any oil. Thanks a lot for the recipe MB – 5 stars!!
Whoop! We’re so glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing!
I have made this multiple times and love it! Sometimes I do no oil and all water, other times I add a couple TBSP of EVOO. I use pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts. I did try sunflower seeds but I think the pumpkin seeds give it the flavor I’m looking for. Thank you for such a wonderful quick recipe! It’s a hit with everyone who has tasted it!
We’re so glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing!
I wanted to make an awesome and impressive vegan dish for my carnivorous friends. They had superb compliments although I left out the oil. I would certainly make my oil free version of this vegan pesto again and again.
It’s okay, I personally found it much too tart for my taste and couldn’t get the fatty mouthfeel that pesto usually has. I followed the recipe at first, then added extra salt, oil, and nutritional yeast. It’s still meh for me. I don’t think I’ll make it again but if I did I would roast the garlic, and use toasted salted nuts.
Sorry to hear this one wasn’t for you, Billie! You could reduce the lemon for less tartness. Better luck with the next one!
Simple and super easy. I made the pesto tonight with cashew nuts instead because that’s what I had in the pantry. It was so delicious with my red and white quinoa macaroni. My husband and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely make it again. Thank you so much for such a great recipe!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Dana,
Happy New Year!
I’m going to make pesto again tonight. I only have Thai basil in my pantry. Will Thai basil work in this recipe?
That should work!
This literally takes only 5 minutes to make!
I used 3 Tbsp of nutritional yeast.
I used 3 Tbsp of EVOO.
I didn’t use any water.
I served this pesto over 1 pound of Banza bow tie pasta and added fresh san marzano tomatoes.
It was very, very good.
I just wish I made more pesto or didn’t use a whole box of pasta when mixing it together.
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Danielle! xo
Excellent recipe. I used one large clove of garlic and a little more lemon juice and it was nice and zesty. Love. Love. Love. Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Emily! Thanks for sharing! xo
Hi! Can I sub pecans in place of pine nuts? Also, I am allergic to garlic, what can I use in place of it? Onion possibly or onion powder even? Also, what happens if I add more olive oil instead of water?Thank you, your recipes are a life saver for someone like me with TONS of food allergies and intolerance. I’ ve found that your recipes are straight forward, healthy and easy to adjust if needed.
Hi Mayen, we’re so glad you find our recipes helpful! Thanks for sharing that! You could try garlic-infused olive oil if that is tolerated. Otherwise, feel free to omit the garlic. We haven’t tried pecans, but it might work. Other alternatives that might work better would be sunflower seeds or walnuts. Adding more olive oil might make the flavor overpowering, but you can certainly try it for a pesto with a thicker consistency!
This was so good! Tossed it with pasta and steamed broccoli for dinner. Will definitely make again.
Great idea! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Can the nutritional yeast be left out?
Yes
Just made this for dinner tonight, soooo good and so easy! Will be making this often!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Regina! xo
Thank you very much for this recipe, it was quick, it was delicious (made it with walnuts) and I´ll definately do it again! :)
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Lucy. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
This was quick and easy and very delicious. I put it on Modern Table Elbows, pasta made with lentils, rice, and peas. For the pesto, I only needed to add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp of water. I used the pine nuts. Yummy recipe!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Elizabeth! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
I made this and it was really yummy! I used fresh basil from my garden and only made a few changes. I only added a splash of lemon juice since I’m not a huge fan of too much lemon. Then I used only olive oil vs olive oil and water. I just slowly added it till it got to the consistency I liked. I haven’t made pesto since I went dairy free so I was really missing it and was worried about not being able to add parmesan like I was used to. This was still super good without the parmesan and I’ll be making it again for sure. :D
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Stacey!
Another adaptation which turns out as largely a different recipe, although not vegan myself, I often make it for a community group as novelty, and am experimenting with nettle pesto on a beremeal flatbread base.
In the absence of artisan products like vegan cheese in local shops, am going to experiment with a recipe for courgette cheese.
Followed the recipe to a t and it came out delicious!!!!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Anna! xo
Followed this recipe, substituting the pine nuts for cashews with sea salt because that’s what I had on hand. My dairy-allergic son absolutely loves pesto, but the vegan variety that we usually get at the grocery store has been out of stock, so we tried this instead. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for an easy and excellent recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Laura!
Sauce came out better than I expected. Added this to some vegan tortellini from kite hill and it was absolutely delicious. I did substitute half of the nutritional yeast for vio-life Parmesan and added pasta water instead of regular water. Also, roasted garlic instead of raw and added fresh pepper. Overall, this is a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it, Andrea! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
I just made this to replace the regular basil pesto I love from the store. WOW! I actually used my mortar and pestle to make it … delicious!! I am so happy! Thank you!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
Oh my gosh this was such a hit with my family and the our dairy free company! Sunday lunch was a resounding success with the gluten free noodles with pesto, green onions and peas— and some of us indulged in the sun dried tomatoes! I loved the yeast flakes idea as it did really make it cheesy! Thank you! This recipe will become a staple. Bless you!
So glad to hear everyone enjoyed it, Ingrid! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Dana, please don’t say that nutritional yeast is high in vitamin B12. The yeast itself contains ZERO B12. SOME brands will ADD B12 to their nooch, but not all. So everyone has to confirm that the nutritional yeast they use has been supplemented with B12. And that is a problem for those of us who get ours from the bulk bins at Whole Foods or other natural foods stores. So unless you are completely certain that the nutritional yeast you have has had some B12 added to it, safest to assume it hasn’t and continue to take a B12 supplement.
Thanks for the feedback, Jim! We certainly weren’t suggesting anyone not take a B12 supplement. But we also aren’t recommending anyone take B12 either. We don’t give medical advice on this site. We will take another look at the wording on this recipe and see if we can make the information around B12 more clear.
This recipe was gorgeous-so easy and so quick and all the family loved it, including the young children. I may never buy pesto again! Thank you.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Katherine. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Does this freeze well? I am considering it for an upcoming catering event.
It’d be best fresh. BUT, you can freeze it into ice cubes and add to dishes as needed.
I didn’t have enough basil, maybe like 3/4 cup. I used all of the ingredients listed except water–I didn’t need it. I simply tweeked the amount of ingredients to make them proportionate to my basil amount. Very delicious taste and I will add this recipe to my list of Staples. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing, Stayc!
I made it without oil or broth and it was great! The nutritional yeast and lemon juice are inspired. I like the cayenne suggestion someone made. I’ll try that next time.
I have a baby with a dairy allergy and another who has a nut-free school. I make this with sunflower seeds, toss it on whole wheat rigatoni, and they both devour it at lunch. Thank you!
Thanks so much for the lovely review. We are so glad they both enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
This is now a regular staple in our rotation. So easy to make. Sometimes I skip the garlic and use extra nutritional yeast and lemon. So good on pasta and in stuffed portobellos mushroom caps.
Yay! Thanks, Jen.
This is a great recipe. It tasted really yummy. I used cashew nuts instead of pine nuts and lime instead of lemon.
Great idea to add a small amount of water, it was creamy and easy to stir into pasta.
Thanks for sharing, Brenda!
Didn’t even know I liked pesto but made this for a pasta party with friends and everyone loved it!!!
This is such a great recipe. When I have extra time I like to roast the garlic and lightly toast the pine nuts for even more flavor.
Thanks for sharing, Daisy! We are so glad you enjoy it!
Super simple recipe; I used fennel tops to make up for about 1/4 cup of the basil.
This is my go to pesto recipe! I sometimes use cashews or just use the vegan parm instead of nuts and yeast. I put it on roasted spiralized zucchini! And it’s always a winner!!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Laura. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Love this recipe, did cut the nutritional yeast a to 2-3 TBLS and subbed in Cashew nuts (what I had on hand) Turned out perfect and just goes to show how versatile this wonderful recipe is. Thanks so much for sharing
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Colleen. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
I can’t believe this is my first time making this! I might not be 100% vegan but I am trying to get there. I enjoy this MORE than regular versions. According to the nutrition facts, it does have lots of salt (nooch?). Overall a staple!
Hi Chrissy, We are so glad you enjoy this recipe- thanks so much for sharing! The nutritional yeast supplies a nominal amount of sodium- most of it comes from the sea salt. 32 mg is considered a “very low sodium” amount according to the American Heart Association.
What’s to say but……Perfectly delicious!!!
I had never made pesto before, so I loved this simple recipe. I made it pretty much exactly to the recipe, but added a little extra oil as my blender was too big. I have eaten this as a dip with chips and can’t wait to stir it through some pasta later for dinner. Thanks for the lovely recipe.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Caley. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Delicious pesto! Thanks for sharing Dana….❤️ #govegan ?
So good! I spread it on avocado toast
Thanks for sharing, Rachel!
I decreased to 2 TBL nutritional yeast, 4 TBL pine nuts and only did 1 tbl of water. Love that it says lemon measurement instead of just “half a lemon.” Best pesto if my life and it’s VEGAN! Trust me I’ve made a lot! Thanks again minimalist baker!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Emmi. We are so glad you love it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
I used 1/2 massaged kale and basil with sunflower seeds! It was delish!
Fabulous recipe – so easy to make and so tasty. I made it to pour onto courgetti which was delicious.
That sounds delicious! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Tara. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Nutritional yeast for pesto! Glad I saw your page!
I’ve been making pesto off & on. I recently began using fresh parsley instead of basil. Try it, you might not go back to basil ($$, if you don’t have it in your garden!).
Walnuts or almonds also do really well in place of pine nuts ($$$)
I always made my pesto with a processor, but now just use a knife and cutting board. Try it. A very palpable texture treat awaits!
Garlic, garlic, garlic! Yes!
My whole family really enjoyed this recipe. I actually didn’t have the full two cups of basil so I used baby spinach to make up the difference and I was pleasantly surprised with the results!
This is delicious. I just made a batch without being too picky on the measuring because I wanted to use all the basil I picked today. I found myself eating it with a spoon so I’m going to steam some green beans to put this on. I washed my garden basil and it was still damp so I did not end up adding water. I used cashew nuts because they are my favorite in basil and add a creamy texture. I also love using toasted pumpkin seeds in pesto. I gave it at 5-10 minutes of chopping in my ninja food processor to get the fine texture I wanted. No one will miss the cheese!
Delicious and light vegan pesto. I used to buy vegan pesto from the store but I’m now fully converted. So good tossed with tenderstem broccoli, petit pois or other green vegetables, cherry tomatoes and pasta. Yum!
Delicious recipe thanks for sharing. I will make this regularly!
This was so good I am licking the bowl
I love pesto and this was something missing ever since I went plant based…
I feel silly because I never thought of using nooch!! I mean, I already use it as a parm replacement on everything else so why the connection of using it in pesto NEVER occurred to me. So thank you! It’s awesome!
So
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Devin. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
My boyfriend recently went vegan and I’ve been experimenting with new recipes for our favorite dishes. I have to say- this pesto is the best I‘ve ever made and the consistency was the best I’ve ever been able to get it- way better than with dairy. We made pan fried gnocchi with this pesto and it was delish. I never knew about nutritional yeast but now I’m looking for other recipes I could use it in. So good! Make this!
I’m going to try this but I’m only going to put one Tbs. of the nutritional yeast in. We don’t like it! Made our son’s recipe for the mac and cheese their kids like and we hated it so much we threw it out. I’ve tried various brands. Using Bragg right now. I’ve actually enjoyed it sprinkled on popcorn but it’s only a sprinkle. Do you have anything to suggest–a different brand, cutting the amount down so using only 1/3 of what is called for? Thanks.
You can honestly just cut it way down or omit as it adds cheesiness. But there’s other flavors going on so you don’t really need it!
This pesto is amazing ! I mixed it in some pasta and spread some on top of broiled tofu. So amazing
Yay! Thanks, Lauren! Next time would you mind adding a rating to your review? It’s super helpful to us and other readers. xoxo!
I’ve been vegan for 10+ years and also gluten free for past 5…This recipe is my GO TO for pesto- it is SO delicious and easy. I grow my own basil, and like it spicy so I also add 1 tsp of cayenne to the mix before food processing. Thank you for this simple, reliable and tasty plant based pesto!
Yay! xoxo
I made this to put on a GF pasta primavera and it was awesome. I can’t say enough good things about it. The only hint I would add is that it has to food process for a long time (about 5 minutes) to get to a good consistency, but that’s just a head’s up. I have already shared it with 2 of my GF DF friends and can’t believe that my days of missing pesto are over! I, too, used the larger amount of nutrish yeast. I also used a little extra lemon and the pine nuts. Very forgiving and great recipe. Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing! So glad you enjoyed it, Shochet! xo
This was very good. I decreased the garlic a bit and increased pine nuts for my personal taste. Just commenting because my food processor died halfway through and I did the other half in the blender; the blender batch was remarkably much better. So if you have both, choose a high speed blender!
FREAKING WOW… This was probably the best pesto I’ve ever tasted. I did make a couple alterations to the recipe:
– I did 2 TBS pine nuts and 2 TBS walnuts
– I also added a couple small handfuls of frozen greens (kale, arugula & spinach)
But seriously, what a fabulous recipe!!!
xoxoxo!
My only issue with this pesto is that I stand at the counter eating it with a spoon (to “test” it), and the next thing you know half of it is gone. It is absolutely fabulous! Also, if you are a little low on basil, which I was the last time I made it, you can add in some supplemental spinach and it still tastes divine.
Thanks for sharing, Sian :) So glad you enjoy it! xo
So delicious! Definitely amped up the nutritional yeast levels and lemon for extra kick.
I made this for the first time yesterday just to eat over gluten free pasta and it is SO GOOD! Now that I have all the ingredients on hand, this will be so easy to make when I want it in the future again. It tastes cheesy and sooo good! I did 3 tbsp of the nutritional yeasts and it wasn’t more than enough cheesy flavor.
I love your recipes and photo presentations. In this arugula recipe I think it would be helpful to specify amount of arugula in terms of weight.
Hi Jay, we didn’t use arugula in this recipe- are you referring to the basil? If so, you can find the weight measurement by selecting “metric” below the ingredient heading. Hope that helps!
I made this for a group without garlic and it was delicious. I then made it for home but with only 1 clove of garlic and it was also delicious. I use the higher amount of nutritional yeast for the flavor. Thank you so much for this recipe! Pesto is just the best.
Amazing pesto. I make this with a tweak I picked up from Dana’s Super Green Vegan Kale Pesto and put in an extra cup of fresh parsely. I add an extra tablespoon of pine nuts and sub out the nooch for the vegan parmesan recipe she has. Would go good with some percorino romano for non-vegans as well. Putting this on everything I can and will be growing some basil plants as well!
I’m so impressed by this recipe! I was looking for dairy and nut free pesto recipes and I am so glad I found this one; I was able to make everything in my magic bullet in less than 10 minutes. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Thanks for sharing, Sohpie!
Very Good
Very Yummy Recipe!!. I followed all the directions as posted. =) Questions: 1) my pesto doesn’t look as green as yours. Why is that? it looks more pale green. (I add exactly what you indicate for the Nutritional Yeast. 2) 2 cups of packed basil only gave me like 3/4 cups of pesto. Why? Conventional Recipes tend to give you more….
Thanks! =)
PS. I tried a few other recopies of yours and they are amazing!
Carla, depending on the type of nut, how much oil and water you add, and the quantity of herbs you add the color will be affected.
It was fantastic even tho I didn’t have any basil. Used cilantro and spinach instead. Very tasty.
Hi Dana,
I made this with your pasta recipe the other night. It was absolutely delicious!! I will definitely be making it again. I am looking for excuses to use the leftover in other dishes or for my packed lunch (maybe paninis or salad?).
Great recipe! Really added some oomph to a pasta dinner
I whip this up pretty much every time I have enough fresh basil grown in my garden. Super quick and easy and makes Ana amazing pasta sauce. A little goes a long way!
I skipped the water, and used cashews as thats what I had on hand. It was absolutely delicious, will be my go to pesto recipe.
Great!
I can’t get enough of this pesto- I even have it on toast as a snack! Just used the last of my basil with walnuts instead of pine nuts and it is just as delicious. Pledging to grow truckloads of basil next season!
Can I use either roasted cashew or pumpkin seeds?
They won’t mimic the flavor of the pine nuts, but they should work for texture. Let us know if you give it a try!
I didn’t get around to adding any oil because the consistency was perfect without it! Used 2T nutritional yeast, 2T lemon juice, and sunflower seeds, which are options suggested in the recipe. Bright in flavor, bright green in color. Love it!
Used some cashews and almonds as they were the only nuts/seeds I had to hand, subbed 1.5 cups for wild garlic leaves, and put in 2 small garlic cloves. Really tasty! Had it with mushrooms, broccoli and tagliatelle for an easy dinner, and plenty left over for a second meal later in the week too :) Thanks!
I absolutely love this recipe! I became extremely dairy sensitive over one year ago and missed pesto a lot. The only substitution I made was using 2/3 arugula and 1/3 basil in lieu of only basil.
Best Pesto ever! I roasted the pine nuts before using, soo good! Thank you!
This is so good. I have made this numerous times. I always use Go Raw sprouted sunflower seeds. I add 3 T olive oil, 1 T lemon and 5 or 6 T water depending on how much basil I have on hand. I stick to the recipe for the rest. I am not vegan but can’t have dairy so this is just perfect. I use it when making homemade pizza or on top of noodles. It is the best!
Pesto is a solid 5!!!!
FABULOUS! My husband says, best pesto ever!
Thank you for this and all the fantastic recipes you share with us, your devoted following!
Laura
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Laura. We are so glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
I have made this multiple times and its delicious!
I currently have alot of basil, I can’t keep up with my plants.
Can I freeze the pesto so i can still enjoy it when my plants die back. If so how would you recommend freezing it?
Hi Laura, you can definitely freeze the pesto! We recommend freezing in this ice cube tray.
Would this be good for a meal prep dish? I was thinking of making a pesto pasta salad meal prep for lunches. Not sure how long this would last bring refrigerated.
Hi Rob, yes, we think it would work well for a meal prep dish. We have a similar recipe (Penne Pasta Salad) to what it sounds like you are wanting to make and it lasts about 4 days in the fridge.
I LOVE your recipes! I just made this, omitting any oil and adding more lemon juice, and also spinach. Yummy!
I made this pesto last night using the leaves from two Basil plants. It is absolutely delicious! I licked the food processor, after storing the Pesto, as if I was having icing. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Yum! We’re glad you enjoyed it :D
I just made this and it is absolutely amazing!
Yay!
I followed this recipe to a T and it turned into liquid. I even put wayyyy less water than you suggested (I added one tablespoon). What a shame. bad
It came out really well. After turning vegan I hadn’t eaten pesto for a long time because I always bought it in the store and vegan pesto was quite expensive to buy from a local shop. Thanks for the recipe!
i never saw nutritional yeast and never know how to make it. can u explain for in simple English language so i learn that. i love you always, thank you. with love.
Hi! Nutritional yeast is actually something that we buy vs make. You can find it online for purchase here!
This is my favorite pesto recipe and I make it frequently.
This is a consistently great recipe–just made a second batch. I agree with many of the commenters–sunflower seeds are WAY better than pine nuts. The lemon makes it so bright–perfect for an early winter night. Thanks!
Hi there. This sounds great. Do I use two small packs of basil leaves or large?
I enjoyed the creamyness of the pesto but it tasted slightly too grassy for me.
& Subbed the lemon juice for apple cider vinegar and the nuts for hemp seeds.
Hello, I just found your recipe and it looks awesome. However, I would like to know if it would still be as creamy and tasty if I sub the nuts with cooking soy cream ?
Thank you ! :)
Hmm I’m not sure! We haven’t tried that and can’t say for sure, but if you experiment with it, report back on how it goes!
I made it……. it’s fabulous! Thank you so much. My son & his girlfriend also LOVE it :D
So nice to have Vegan alternative!
Made this tonight for my partner and I, it was easily the best pesto both of us have ever had, and it took no time at all! We will definitely be turning this recipe into a weekly thing. Thanks minimalist baker for never letting us down with your recipes!
Yay! Glad to hear that you and your partner enjoyed it, Lauren!
Super easy to make and super delicious! I used the walnuts and loved how it turned out!
Yum!! Perfect vegan and nut free pesto. 2 of my non vegan people grated parmigiano on top; we all loved it and I look forward to trying some of the variations.
Wonderful and reasonably easy. I used tahini in place of the nuts due to allergies. It worked great. Will definitely make again.
Such an easy and absolutely delicious pesto recipe, my go-to! It really can’t get any easier than this. I like to use my food processor for this recipe but a blender will do as well. Slather this pesto on fresh kalamata olive bread, pour it over hot pasta, or make it the sauce for an olive and tomato pizza… the possibilities are endless. Highly recommend.
Thank you, Dana!!
My new favorite…did I read the nutrition facts correct… 1 Tbsp = 39 calories?
Correct. Glad you enjoy it, Paco!
Delicious! I combined with vegan Alfredo sauce! Thank you so much for the recipe! Your peanut butter cookies are next!?
That sounds delicious!
A fantastic go-to vegan pesto recipe. I swapped arugula for basil this time and it did not disappoint.
Glad to hear it, Terah!
This is delicious! I made it with a combination of arugula and spinach, with plenty of garlic and lemon. It’s very bright, in taste and color, and excellent on whole wheat pasta.
Wow thank you, I just made it with sunflower seeds and it was delicious. Currently eating it in a bechamel sauce with pasta, spinach, brocoli and a little bit of seitan and I’m in love!
I was skeptical about this pesto. Can it be good without Parmesan cheese?? Oil AND water??? I can happily say I will eat this as much as any other honey made pesto. Silly my to question one of your recipes……
Hah! We are so glad you enjoyed it, Lynn!
What is the best way to store this after being made? If we are meal prepping should we put the pesto on right before eating?
Hi Alex! 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.
I rarely post comments, but this was too easy and turned out delicious, not to share. Followed the recipe except that I used avocado in place of the oil as someone else suggested, to make it oil free. I think the flavor actually tastes even better the next day. I loved it on sour dough bread with fresh sliced garden tomatoes ! Yum!
We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Shelly!
Pine nuts are monocot seeds. I would think substitution is not necessary.
This pesto recipe is amazing!! I’ve made it several times now and have found that I prefer it when I substitute basil for carrot tops. I was tired of throwing my carrot tops in the compost bin when I knew I could do something useful with them and VOILA, best pesto I’ve ever had. Thanks Dana!!
This is an incredible recipe! We are a vegan and nutfree family I have a ton of fresh herbs this summer, and your low-oil and nutfree option pesto is totally perfect. I spiralized some zucchini, steams, and tossed in the pesto and also made a pesto rice – makes me wish fresh basil season was all year!
Any suggestions for making it without nutritional yeast? I haven’t yet found a brand that does not contain folic acid (I have two MTHFR mutations).
Hi Jenn! If you cannot have it, feel free to leave it out!
This pesto is amazing. So flavorful and so easy to make. I made it as is and served it over spaghetti squash with some sundried tomatoes on top. Total yum!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it, Roxanne!
I made this with no high expectations on the taste, but OMG!!! The taste is INCREDIBLE! It’s recioes like this that motivate you to keep eating healthy and don’t make you miss all the junk food. I love Italian food and it’s so hard to find good alternatives to the sauces used in Italian food. This is a must try! Very fast and easy to make too.
Yay! We are so glad to hear that, Angelica!
I love this pesto, I tried half walnuts and half tahini and is reaaly amazing!
Thanks for sharing your changes, Rocio! Glad you enjoyed it!
I have a ton of basil in my garden right now and I am ready to make me some pesto. However, I can’t eat nutritional yeast. Can I just omit the yeast or can I sub it with another ingredient? What about using pumpkin seeds rather than pine nuts?
Thanks for the advice.
There are not substitutions that really mimic the flavor of nutritional yeast, so just omit it!
This is so scrumptious. I usually double it and use about 1 part basil, 3 parts spinach for the basil and then toss it with pasta and throw in some cherry tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts. So delicious. My current pregnancy craving obsession.
It was so delicious and loved!! I didn’t have full two cups of packed basil fresh, so I added some dried basil and it was amazing!
Do you use toasted pine nuts?
Nope, not necessary!
How long does your homemade pesto sauce last in the refrigerator or freezer?
Hi Colleen! 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.
Just made this vegan pesto..
I have never had a more beautiful pesto before! :)
Best thing is that it is light and healthier compared to its cheesy variety.
I strongly recommend it!
Added a little of my backyard chilli to give it a ‘kick’… Very nice ?
I have a sensitivity to citrus, anything you could recommend in place of the lemon to add acidity and brightness?
Thanks!
hey robin! I was thinking maybe just a splash of apple cider vinegar could work and the remaining could be water or veggie broth? not sure if that would taste a little off though, sometimes ACV sneaks up and bites you in the butt.
This is the most amazing pesto recipe I’ve ever tried!!! Adding water and oil together definitely helped make it better for using it in pasta. My family loved it and couldn’t believe that there wasn’t actually cheese in it since it had such a creamy texture! 10/10 recommend trying this
Yay! We are so glad to hear it, Meaghan!
I made this today, and I don’t want to overstate things, but it changed my life. This is an indispensable staple going forward.
This made my day. Thanks for sharing!
So I made the mistake of promising my 3-year-old something and for those in the know, you can’t go back on a promise to a 3-year-old without them scorching the earth… She loves pesto and I had promised to make her some for her lunch at daycare, forgetting that it is a nut-free facility. After seeing and trying the sunflower version as well as fulfilling my promise, I will NEVER go back to pine nuts. It tastes the EXACT same or it does to me and my 3-year-old. I’m stoked I dont have to take out a second mortgage to make pesto. Thank you for the variation, as I would have never thought of it and I avoided an epic meltdown ?
Hi i was just wondering where can i purchase nutritional yeast? Thanks
You can purchase it here!
Loved the recipe! I toasted my pine nuts lightly (just to make them a tad bit less bitter) and added some sun-dried tomatoes to brighten it up. I was going to put it on top of my sandwiches but decided to put it on top of some home baked fries (YUM). My brother and ate a lot of it for dinner with pasta the next day. Quick question: what difference would roasting the garlic make? I have a sensitive stomach and sometimes cooking garlic can make it easier to digest. Would it mess up the consistency? Make it too sweet?
I don’t think it would mess up the consistency too much seeing a though its not a ton of garlic being used. Might make the flavor a little more warm as opposed to pestos signature bright flavor, but that sounds good to me!!
Thanks :)
Hello,
How long can I keep this in the fridge for? :)
Thanks!
Hi Connie! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
Hi! I just made this today and it was delicious :)
Only thing is, I don’t think your gram measurement is correct for the basil… 4 absolutely packed cups came out to way less than 144g! Maybe a typo?
Otherwise, easy and fantastic recipe!
Hi Hannah! Thanks for reaching out. You did indeed catch an error and we have updated it to the correct amount!
Hmm.. Do you think you can you sub avocado for oil? Natural good fat and it’s green! :)
Hi Dana,
This is a wonderful recipes. I love it! I’ve feature it in our website Green Thickies.com in the post 10 Best Raw Vegan Pesto Recipes.
I’ve only used one image from here, a small snippet and credits and links all given back to this page. Hope that’s okay with you? Keep up the great work!
Thanks a lot :)
Katherine
Thanks for letting us know, Katherine! If you’re ever unsure, here is our image sharing guidelines!
We are a newly vegan family. And I use your recipes almost daily. I used an avocado in mine instead of oil. It’s a huge hit. Thank you for a all you do. It is much appreciated!
How long can I keep the pesto ? Thank you !
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.
This sounds amazing, I am definitely going to try it. My question is, can you use another kind of seed or nut? Such as peanut, almond or cashew? What would you recommend if so? Thanks!
Hi Rae! You can try sunflower seeds!
Hey Dana, can you do the same and use coriander leaves?
Hi Kim! Yes, I think you could! I would swap the basil for coriander 1:1. Cheers!
A friend gave me a big bag of basil yesterday and I needed a lil something to drizzle over the couscous and chicken I made for dinner. This Pesto brought it all together ✨ so easy sooooo yummy! I have some leftover, I’m stoked to use it for lunch ?
Hi what can I use instead of basil? I am allergic and do not know what to use, thankyou!
Hi! Check the other comments for substitutions! It is totally doable!
okay thank you!
I use carrot tops! Beet tops work just as well. Ive also heard of people using spinach, arugula, and dandelion.
I made this for my family (which includes a very fussy 10 year old boy) and mixed it through bow-tie pasta with steamed broccoli. Everyone LOVED it!!! So incredibly fast and easy to make and it was delicious!!! You would never know it was vegan and it’s so much healthier than traditional pesto!
I made it today and I think by far it is the best pesto I’ve ever made. This will most definitely be my go-to pesto recipe.
Fantastic recipe, can’t stop making it! :)
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!
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!
Can I substitute almonds?
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 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!
Pepitas are a great substitution as well if you are nut free!
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!
I used this on pizza and it was amazing. I also put on artichoke hearts, garlic, olives, mushrooms and spinach.
So delicious and creamy. One step closer to my bf loving more and more vegan food. Thank you!
This was delicious, thank you for the recipe!!
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!!!
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.
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
Do you recall the quantity of white beans you used?
I made this with garlic scapes (instead of basil) and sunflower seeds instead of basil and nuts. Turned out great!
Great! I’ll be making this again. Served it over pasta with roasted broccoli and mushrooms.
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.
Do you use sunflower kernels? Or the whole seed?
Just the inside of the seed!
do you use yeast flakes? what brand would you suggest?
Yes, yeast flakes! Any brand will do!
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!!
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 : )
I am allergic to yeast is there a substitute that you would suggest I try?
If you can tolerate it, use parmesan cheese.
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!
Thanks! Never thought of aquafaba to replace oil! I am on a no/low oil diet (high cholesterol/blood pressure), and miss so many yummy recipes.
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!
Made this today. Absolutely fantastic. I did as the directions said except I only used 2T water and 1T olive oil. Thanks for this!!
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 :)
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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 grow basil in the garden it is overwhelming I got so much of it and try to make a pesto following your recipe it is absolutely delicious i did use vitamix and make it very creemy so delicious!
I halved the recipe, for 2 people and served it with wholemeal spaghetti, the mix itself has a great balance of acidity!
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!
Thanks for sharing a quick recipe with us.
Very helpful.
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!
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 :).
New to the vegan world and I made it, successfully!! Excellent! Next time I will back off a little on the lemon juice. And I added no water. Thank you!!!!
Pesto is the BEST!!!!
I make mine with lightly soaked cashews! It adds a great creamy texture :)
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!
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!
That looks so so delicious, definitely gonna try this recipe, i looove pesto! xo
Melodie
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!
Try “CAPRESE ” sandwich with bakers pesto .WOW so good
Thank you
V/r
zafar
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.
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!
Hi
Should the nuts be toasted first?
Not necessary!
YESSSSS this looks delicious! Thanks for sharing :)
– Nikki Bahan
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!!
This looks delicious and surprisingly creamy for a vegan pesto – will try it out the next time I need a quick pasta fix
– Natalie
IT was so delicious, not i was so delicious! Hahha
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!
I sometimes use white/light miso instead of nutritional yeast and this makes a very nice pesto also.
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!
OH, yeah! Fresh is definitely the way to go! Love your recipe – don’t even miss the parmesan! Hubby loves it on whole wheat bread with sliced fresh summer tomatoes. Yummy!! Thank you so very much!
Terry
Sisters, OR
I’d say definitely not.
yes it will!
Thank you for sharing and happy Easter!
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
Looking terrific! I like the variation with sunflower seeds as they are also much friendlier on a student-budget. Will definitely recreate this soon!
I made this for my family of 5 which is the “bell curve of diets”, and everyone loves it! One of my favorite things to do is modify dishes to satisfy my vegan eater and my carnivore. This is an awesome pesto to pair with meatballs as well as grilled veggies and vegan pasta. Thanks for your easy to follow, beautiful recipes.
Oh my goodness. I laughed so much about the “bell curve of diets”! I feel your pain Keri! In my family we range from pre-diabetic, post-heart attack kosher, to your basic fussy child, to coeliac vegetarian, as well as seafood allergy and even vegetarian with a dairy and cashew intolerance! And this recipe is good for all of us! Love it! Thanks Minimalist Baker!
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!