Easy Creamy Vegan Pesto

 I have never met anyone that doesn’t like pesto, it is the perfect addition to all pastas, pizzas and sandwiches. It can never hurt to have a jar in the fridge especially when it only takes 5 minutes to make!

Like all pesto, this is super simple to make and is perfect for quick week-night dinners. It’s also one of my go-to crowd pleasing dishes for when I have company. To store this pesto you can keep it in a jar in the fridge for a couple weeks. Alternatively, you can put it in an ice cube tray and freeze it. This makes easy dinners for 1, just pop it out and heat it in a pan with your veggies or in warm pasta!

Pesto explained:

Nutritional yeast – has a nutty and cheesey taste, and is what replaces the parmesan in traditional pesto. I sometimes don’t add it in (I put it as optional). This yields more of a lemon/basil sauce then a pesto, but it is still delicious. I prefer this sometimes when you want something lighter, but I never used to put cheese in my pesto (even when I was just vegetarian).

Nutritional Yeast is a source of all essential amino acids and also contains B12! This is a delight for us vegans, as normally this B12 is exclusively found in animal products. It can be found at any bulk or health food store.

Avocado – This is what makes the pesto extra creamy and smooth (more so than normal pesto), also allows you to omit olive oil.

Nuts – Traditional pesto is made with pine nuts, I tend to avoid making it this way since they can be expensive. This pesto works well with cheaper nuts; I have had good results with walnuts, cashews and almonds.

Garlic – Tricked you, because there is none! I personally hate garlic and therefore don’t put it in my pesto (or anything I cook). I realize this is not normal, so feel free to add it to this recipe (however I encourage you to try it without). My vegan proofers are a fan of the new spin on the sauce and lemony-ness! Plus you can bring it for lunch without stinking up the entire office fridge (a pet-peeve of mine since I can’t stand the smell/thought).

Easy Creamy Vegan Pesto

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Simple, lemony and creamy pesto! (Oil Free)

Author: Plentyfull Vegan

Recipe type: Sauce

Serves: 1 Jar

Ingredients

• ½ Nuts (Walnuts, Almonds, Pine nuts and Cashews work well)
• 2 Cup Basil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ Avocado
• 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast (Optional)
• ¼-1/2 Cup of water to blend

Instructions

1. First add nuts to high powered blender or food processor, blend until finely ground.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. Add to your favourite pastas, bowls and veggies!

Notes

Depending on your blender you may need to add 1-2 tbsp of oil or water to enable easier blending. I have had success in a food processor and Vita-mix.
This pesto also tastes delicious if you mix the basil with other herbs such as cilantro and mint or fresh arugula!

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