I harvested most of my pesto that I grow in a pot outside in the summer and decided to make this Simple Fresh Vegan Pesto. Growing basil at home is one of those things you wonder why you haven’t done it earlier, because it’s so easy! Making pesto at home is just as easy too, and tastes amazing on pasta, meats, and vegetables.
Dairy-Free Pesto
Traditional and most commercial pestos on the market contain cheese in it, and since my husband can’t eat cheese, I used a bit of organic nutritional yeast instead. It gives it some of that “cheesy” taste, even though it also tastes delicious without it, so don’t feel bad if you don’t have any nutritional yeast.
The funny thing is I used to stay away from basil, and I usually stay away from pesto at restaurants. I find commercial pestos too strong. But somehow, fresh pesto isn’t the same at all. This is the 4th time I’ve ever made fresh pesto, and I gotta say, it tastes nothing like the commercial stuff! It’s not as strong, but yet bursts with summer flavours. It’s a great addition to pasta dishes with vegetables, and meats or seafood if you wish.
I used a combination of walnuts and pine nuts in my pesto, just to add some flavour, but feel free to only use pine nuts or walnuts.
Go ahead, make your own fresh pesto, you won’t be disappointed! If you don’t grow your own, look for fresh basil at your grocery store (most stores now carry organic basil in small pots), or at a local Farmers’ Market, or just try to find an Italian Mama in your neighbourhood! 😉
Buon appetito!
Looking for other recipes using basil? Check out this Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil Cashew Cheese, or this quick Tomato, Onion and Basil Toast for lunch!
Simple Fresh Vegan Pesto | Dairy-Free
Made with real ingredients and ready in just a few minutes. You can enjoy this dairy-free pesto over pasta, meat, seafood, salads, etc.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil washed and dried, organic if possible
- 1/2 cup raw pine nuts or raw walnuts, or a mix of both
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil organic if possible
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- a few pinches of sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Put everything into a mini food processor or in your blender, and pulse until smooth (it's ok if it has tiny chunks of nuts).
Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
If you're not vegan or dairy-intolerant, you could replace the nutritional yeast with 1 Tbsp grated organic Parmesan cheese.
Note: I do not believe anyone should worry about counting calories, but here is the nutritional information for one serving
Calories: 247kcal | Fat: 25g | Saturated fat: 2g | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 192mg | Carbohydrates: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Protein: 3g | Vitamin A: 635% | Vitamin C: 9.6% | Calcium: 27% | Iron: 1.6%
Yes yes!!!! Looks soooo tasty!
I just LOVE basil pesto and make it quite often, with or without the cheese! It’s so versatile and yours is very intriguing with the nutritional yeast! I’ll have to look into this as I’ve developed a lactose intolerant thing…heavy sigh here! Looks yummy
Thanks! Nutritional yeast is great to give a little cheesy taste to recipes, but don’t overdo it either, some people can develop a sensitivity to that too. As for the dairy, as a holistic nutritionist, I’d recommend giving your body a long break (several months) from all dairy, and then very slowly reintroduce it, but for occasional use only. Most people have some sort of intolerance to dairy, so it should be used occasionally and not daily. Keep it for the good stuff and special occasions 😉
I had this in a pasta dish and it was delicious!
Awesome! Glad you liked it!
I just love fresh pesto. I put it on everything; pizza, bread, pasta… Can’t wait to try your recipe.
Thanks! I haven’t tried my own pesto on a homemade pizza yet, but thanks for mentioning it! I really should do that soon! 🙂
Nothing like a good pesto in the summer! I love this dairy free version! Plus if some people at the table want parmesan they can easily add it afterwards. A great idea! Everyone’s happy!
Exactly! It’s easily customizable to make everyone happy, but the funny thing is they most likely wouldn’t even know it’s dairy-free if you don’t tell them! haha Thanks for dropping by!
Yum! This looks so delicious, and I love the idea of using nutritional yeast instead of cheese! I made a pesto last night with roasted sunflower seeds and I think would work well too: I have lots of basil left in my garden to try this recipe soon!
Thanks very much! I like your addition of roasted sunflower seeds too! Yum!
This is so similar to French pistou – which most people don’t realize is vegan. With the right fresh ingredients you don’t miss the dairy.
well said! 🙂 and I have yet to make my own pistou, but I will have a look at yours!
I am obsessed with pesto and this one looks divine! Love the addition of lemon for brightness! Looking forward to trying your pesto out with the fresh basil from my garden 🙂
Oh yes, lemon is a must! Enjoy!
I’ve only ever made pesto with cheese (many different kinds mind you), but I’ve been curious about alternatives for some time now. Nutritional yeast is a fascinating and fun ingredient too, and I want more excuses to play with it, so I think I’ve found the place to get started! I also like your combination of walnuts and pine nuts – I tend to use just one or the other (or pistachios, which are also amazing), but I like the idea of a mix for greater complexity. Cheers!
I personally LOVE the mix of pine nuts and raw walnuts, it gives it more depth without losing the specific pine nut flavour. And I rarely use nutritional yeast, but I’ve made a few vegan recipes very successfully with it (vegan mac & cheese, vegan ranch dip, and this), so I’m definitely keeping it in my back pocket 😉
How do you know I am looking for a basil pesto recipe ?! Perfect timing to use up my overgrowing basil plant in the garden ! I really like your diary free version. Will for sure try it out ! Thanks for sharing !
haha great minds think alike! 😉 It’s so easy too, ready in just a few minutes. Enjoy!
I am trying to do more plant based foods for myself, so this is a great alternative for the traditional pesto! I also love nutritional yeast, it just gives such a nice flavor.
Definitely a great addition to add healthy flavours to almost anything 🙂
You can never go wrong with homemade pesto. I like that you mixed up the nuts for a little variety and the nutritional yeast for that “cheesy-ness”. It looks perfect!
This looks like a fantastic recipe, Gabby! I’m not generally a fan of nutritional yeast, but I think I need to retry it. My boyfriends is a huge pesto fan and I’m putting this on our must try list this summer. I actually have a basil plant that I’ve managed to keep alive this summer! Haha. 😉
Thank you! I’m not a fan of nutritional yeast either, because a) it’s yeast and b) it’s usually GMO, but I found an organic nutritional yeast, so I’m willing to use it occasionally now. 🙂 This recipe is incredible on a pasta dish!