The easiest vegan pesto in 5 minutes! Cheesy and flavorful despite being dairy-free, plus an option for lower oil/fat. It's the perfect plant-based spread for Italian dishes and more!
Recipe by Minimalist Baker on April 16, 2017
Prep time: PT5M
Total time: PT5M
Rating
4.9 stars (356 reviews)
Keywords
vegan pesto
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))
Categories
Sauce
Cuisine
Gluten-Free
Italian-Inspired
Vegan
Steps
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.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 one-Tbsp serving
Calories: 39 kcal
Carbohydrates: 1.2 g
Protein: 0.8 g
Fat: 3.8 g
Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
Sodium: 32 mg
Sugar: 0.2 g
Unsaturated Fat: 2.21 g
Reviews
Cara on 2026-08-30 (5 stars): Made a double recipe of this today with home-grown basil. The nooch worked perfectly in place of parm! I left out the water because it was already the texture I wanted. Delicious, will make again.
Liz on 2026-08-28 (5 stars): Recipe turned out well. Very tasty but mine was a bit runny.
Vicky M on 2026-08-27 (5 stars): This was really tasty! Super easy and both kids loved it on spaghetti.
Max on 2026-07-25 (5 stars): Loosely followed this recipe since I didn't have any measuring equipment. It is wonderful! Yummy! Thank you!!!
Karen on 2026-07-18 (5 stars): Just made this and... oh my! It's AMAZING! So glad to have found this recipe for my bumper crop of basil. Thank you!
Lind on 2026-06-15 (5 stars): Great recipe! So easy and so tasty!
Monique on 2026-05-19 (5 stars): I made a half batch with walnuts, no substitutions. So easy and tastes fabulous. No need to ever have it with cheese again. Thanks!
Laura on 2026-04-27 (5 stars): Yum. I had to halve the recipe due to overestimating how much basil I had once packed, which made it more difficult in my 11 cup food processor (those leaves reduce INSTANTLY) but self-inflicted beyond mechanical issues it was a cinch and tasty.
I added a handful of pecans and felt it was a great addition for any fellow pecan lovers
Melli on 2026-02-11 (5 stars): Great idea. I think I'll try that since we have so many stinging nettles. Chickweed would be good too, I think.
