This easy vegan pesto is the perfect dish for any occasion, whether you’re looking for a quick meal to whip up on a weeknight or hosting a dinner party for your friends. With less than 10 ingredients and only a few minutes to throw together, this will surely become one of your staples. I started making this pesto recipe when I first went vegan in college, as it’s so speedy to make and only uses a few basic ingredients.
10-Minute Easy Vegan Pesto
This was one of the first vegan recipes I started cooking when I went vegan back in 2016. The only grocery stores in my college town were Food Lion and Walmart, so I had to come up with recipes that didn’t use any “fancy” ingredients but still tasted great.
This easy vegan pesto checks all the boxes—it’s hearty from the cashews, nutritional yeast, and olive oil; it uses less than 10 ingredients; it’s quick to make; and it can be made ahead of time and frozen. What’s not to love??
We all have busy lives and we don’t have time to spend two hours in the kitchen every day. This recipe can be made in just 10 minutes! Now, let’s take a look at what you need to make this dish.
To make this easy vegan pesto, you’ll need:
Cashews: Most pesto recipes call for pine nuts, but I had a hard time finding those in my small college town when I first started making this recipe. Cashews work wonderfully and can be found pretty much anywhere.
Olive Oil: Can be omitted if you prefer oil-free recipes, but will add a richness to the dish.
Nutritional Yeast: This can also be omitted, but will add a nice cheesy flavor.
Lemon Juice: This will make the pesto taste so fresh and zingy. I prefer fresh lemon juice, but bottled will work just fine.
Garlic: An essential for adding that powerful, zippy flavor. I like to cut up raw garlic and toss it in the blender, but you can sauté or roast it beforehand if you find the flavor of raw garlic too intense.
Basil: Fresh basil works best, but in a pinch I’ve also used lightly dried or dried. If you do use dried basil, consider adding in an extra 1-2 cups of spinach, kale, or other greens to replace the bulk of the fresh basil.
Salt and pepper: Add as little or as much as you like!
Substitutions:
If you don’t have all of the ingredients on hand, don’t like any of them, or don’t want to buy anything extra, don’t worry! Most of the ingredients can be substituted or omitted.
Cashews: Pretty much any nut or seed can be used to make this easy vegan pesto. Pine nuts are the traditional choice, but you can also use sunflower seeds, walnuts, pepitas, or almonds. To make this dish even higher in protein, you can replace half of the nuts or seeds with ¼ block of tofu.
Olive Oil: Most oils can be substituted in this dish, except for coconut oil as it will solidify at room temperature. To make oil-free, you can add in 2-3 tbsp of water or vegetable broth. If you add in salted veggie broth, you may want to reduce the amount of salt you add to the dish.
Lemon Juice: If you don’t have lemons on hand, lime juice will work fine too. You can also substitute with a teaspoon or two of white or apple cider vinegar if you don’t have any lemon/lime juice available. I definitely recommend lemon or lime juice over vinegar, but it will do in a pinch!
Now, here’s how to make this easy vegan pesto!
First, prep your ingredients. Roughly chop up the garlic (it’s going to be blended so you don’t have to make it look pretty), juice the lemon, and remove any stems or brown spots from the basil. No need to soak the cashews ahead of time!
Next, add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender. When I first started making this recipe, I used my nutribullet blender, and it’s still my go-to today to make any sort of sauce! Any blender or food processor will work for this dish– it’s okay if it’s not high-powered as the sauce doesn’t need to get super smooth.
After blending, taste and adjust any of the ingredients as needed. If it’s too thick, add a little water, one tablespoon at a time. If it’s too runny, add in more cashews, one tablespoon at a time.
And that’s it! Serve over pasta, with baguette or crackers, or use as a delicious salad dressing. This can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for about two months.
Keep reading to find the recipe for this easy vegan pesto.
10-Minute Easy Vegan Pesto
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Juice of half a lemon
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Prep: Roughly chop the garlic and juice the lemon. Remove the stems from the basil and cut off any brown spots.
- Blend: Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth, for about 30 seconds.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve over pasta, with baguette, or use as a salad dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
This post showed you how to make easy vegan pesto. I hope you enjoy!
Lyn says
Always happy to see another Pesto recipe! This one sounds delish, and I love all the optional substitutions in the Notes section, making it easily adaptable and easy to make one’s own! Got a Basil plant in the garden calling my name 😉