Vegan Pesto Sauce
October 10, 2007
I can’t get enough of this rich and creamy pesto sauce. It is so versatile and always adds a delicious touch to any dish! Tonight I spooned it onto a pizza, but I also like it tossed with potato gnocchi or pasta, stuffed into phyllo triangles, or spread on a sandwich. The options are virtually endless! Pesto couldn’t be easier to make if you have a food processor, and it is truly worth making from scratch if you can get fresh basil.
Ingredients:
- 1 large bunch of basil (about 3 cups, loosely packed)
- 2-3 large cloves garlic
- 6 Tbsp raw pine nuts or walnuts (or a combination of the two)*
- 3/4 – 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)**
Preparation:
Place all ingredients except the olive oil and nutritional yeast into a food processor. Process to a finely ground consistency. Add olive oil and process again, until smooth and creamy. If desired, add nutritional yeast and process again until creamy. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
*Classic pesto is made with pine nuts, but it is also delicious with walnuts! Tonight I was short on both so I used about 3 Tbsp of each. I haven’t tried it with any other nuts, but if you experiment and find a good one, let me know!
**Nutritional yeast is a delicious addition to this classic pesto and will give it a kind of “cheesy” flavor and a more rich and creamy consistency. If you buy Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula nutritional yeast, it is also a reliable source of vitamin B-12. Some people don’t like the taste of nutritional yeast, others (like me!) can’t get enough of it. If you haven’t tried it before, I recommend experimenting with small amounts to see how you like it.
I'm a vegetarian mother of 2 and this site is dedicated to sharing delicious (and usually healthy) vegan recipes that my family enjoys!
October 18, 2007 at 5:10 pm
I never thought of adding nutritional yeast to pesto…. what a GREAT idea!
October 18, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Thanks – I am officially a nutritional yeast addict, I can’t get enough of the stuff! To me, it adds that little “something” to pesto that is needed when you omit the parmesan. Definitely makes it creamier!
October 26, 2007 at 3:46 am
You should try macadamia nuts in pesto! Delicious
I’m in Australia though so it’s not so hard to find them.
April 19, 2008 at 11:03 pm
We are nutritional yeast fanatics, can’t wait to try this out tonight ! We’ve got some Rising Moon organic vegan ravioli’s that we’re going to make it with.
Along with a little garlic bread and some red wine, it’s going to be heavenly
May 30, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I can’t wait to try this with the nutritional yeast added. I often make pesto with kale and cashews, very delicious!
August 9, 2008 at 7:03 pm
My new favourite pesto recipe. But I put in half cashews, half pinenuts. The cashews and the nutritional yeast really complement one another nicely.
October 10, 2008 at 9:16 pm
[...] strong and sharp without the cheese to mellow things out. The one that sounded best to me was this vegan pesto recipe from the vegan blog Vegan Spoonful that uses nutritional yeast in the place of the [...]
October 12, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Thank you Rebekah! I have to admit that I’ve never made pesto before, but after my basil plant starting looking like it was gonna take a turn for the worse I grabbed all of the leaves and WOW! Used the pine nuts and threw some chopped steamed asparagus in with whole wheat linguine. Will make this again..and again…
November 1, 2008 at 6:07 pm
This looks so fabulous and not heavy like Parmesan-containing pesto!
January 21, 2009 at 3:51 am
I put this pesto in stuffed portobello mushrooms for a dinner party, and my guests begged for the recipe! I forgot to rinse out the tablespoon I had used to measure out some dried mint, so a tiny bit ended up in the pesto. I was pleasantly surprised by the unique flavor the mint imparted! It really was a few flakes, though, but you might try it next time you make it. A lovely recipe all around!
March 21, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I tried this recipe and it turned out really well. I used a little less basil (2c) and a little more pine nuts (a little less than 1/2 c). I also added 1/2 t of black pepper. It was really fantastic. I used it in a quinoa recipe:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/heathers-quinoa-recipe.html
April 2, 2009 at 12:51 am
Awesome! I love nutritional yeast! Here’s something I made up tonight:
Walnuts (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Blend until crumbly. WOW!
Add oregano or basil too!
June 26, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Just made this – delicious! Pesto was the one thing I thought I was going to miss on swapping vegetarianism for veganism, but the worry is over, this is fabulous.
I have been making fresh pesto for years, and always disappointed with the jar stuff – no such disappointment to be had here with this! Just as lovely as the dairy (homemade) version, if slightly different.
Thank you.
July 21, 2009 at 1:08 pm
[...] I made this a few days ago by combining an idea from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen and a recipe for pesto sauce from Vegan Spoonful. [...]
August 10, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I love making fresh pesto for dinner events – but I needed to make it vegan this time and wanted a good recipe without butter :]
Cheers! Thank you very much :]
~meg
August 25, 2009 at 11:11 pm
I am anxious to try this with the nutritional yeast. I grow lots of basil and make many batches of pesto over the summer and freeze it in ice cube trays, then pop out the cubes and store in freezer containers. Then when you want a quick supper, you just take out the number of cubes you need and defrost in microwave and toss on pasta and it tastes like you just made it and you can have homemade pesto all year!
September 6, 2009 at 1:19 am
I have been making pesto for years and had never tried it with the nutritional yeast before…it was an awesome touch to a “classic” recipe. I use a combination of pine nuts and hazelnuts in my pesto…it gives it a unique flavor!
September 29, 2009 at 11:14 pm
I just discovered your blog when I was searching for a vegan pesto recipe. I love your recipes! I hope you keep blogging.
October 13, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Thanks for the recipe! The basil was a little too strong for me so I cut the bite with 2 artichoke hearts and a few more pine nuts. Also, I boiled the garlic cloves for 15-20 minutes in “better than chicken” bouillon. Made it without the yeast, and it was really good. I’m going to try adding a little into the leftovers tonight though. Thanks!!!!
Genessa