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10-Minute Vegan Pesto

5 from 4 reader reviews
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 1 cup
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Ingredients

  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • ¼ cup walnuts
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon light miso
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • ⅓ - ½ cup olive oil, plus extra
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  • Place the pine nuts and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the "S" blade. Pulse the nuts until they are a coarse, meal-like consistency.
  • To the food processor, add the garlic cloves, nutritional yeast, miso, salt, and pepper. Pulse until garlic is finely chopped.
  • Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula. Then, add the basil all at once. Pulse until the basil is finely chopped.
  • Turn the motor on and drizzle the olive oil in through the feed tube. I like my pesto a bit more saucy and fluid, so I use the full ½ cup. Once you have the consistency you like, stop the motor.
  • Add the lemon juice to the pesto and give it a little stir. Taste the pesto and adjust the seasoning if necessary (more salt, lemon etc).
  • Transfer the vegan pesto to a seal-able jar. Bang the jar on the counter a few times to settle the air bubbles. Pour a thin layer of olive oil on top of the surface (to prevent browning). Close the lid on top and keep in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze the pesto for up to 6 months.

Equipment

Recipe Notes

  • Pesto has so few ingredients, so I like to ensure that I really enjoy the flavor of the olive oil that I'm using and I also use the freshest basil I can find.
  • You can substitute the pine nut/walnut combination with almonds, sunflower seeds, or pistachios. I tend to prefer "meatier" nuts/seeds in pesto (as opposed to creamier ones like cashews or macadamias)
  • A handful of baby spinach in with the basil makes the pesto extra green without adjusting the flavor at all.
  • If I have an extra minute, I will blanch the basil leaves in boiling water for 20 seconds and then plunge them in an ice bath. From here, I gently squeeze out the excess moisture and proceed with the recipe. This extra step gives you extra, EXTRA green pesto.
  • Storing in the fridge: as soon as you're done mixing in the food processor, transfer pesto to a lidded glass jar. Tap the jar on the counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles. Then pour a thin film of olive oil on top to prevent browning. Close the lid on top and store in the fridge. The pesto lasts like this for up to a week.
    To freeze, follow the same steps that you would for the fridge, including the film of oil on top, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
This vegan pesto recipe comes together super quick in the food processor. Perfect to serve with pasta, pizza, on roasted vegetables, or mixed into dressings and salads.