This nut-free vegan pesto is perfect tossed with pasta or used as a pizza sauce. It’s easy to make and full of flavour.
Main ingredients
This pesto recipe calls for pumpkin seeds instead of the pine nuts that are traditionally used in pesto sauce. You can substitute sunflower seeds instead of pumpkin seeds if you prefer. Just be sure to use unsalted seeds either way.
Nutritional yeast is an important ingredient in this pesto. It’s used instead of Parmesan cheese to give this sauce its “cheesy” flavour. If you haven’t tried cooking with nutritional yeast yet, it’s definitely worth experimenting with.
Nutritional yeast is commonly used in vegan cooking to replicate the flavour of cheese and it really does taste similar in my opinion. You can find it in health food stores, many grocery stores, or order it online.
The main flavour in this pesto is fresh basil. It gives this sauce a fragrant, summery flavour that can’t be beat.
This is a great recipe to make when you’re entertaining guests (particularly if they have various dietary restrictions since this recipe doesn’t contain any common allergens, is gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free).
This nut-free vegan pesto can be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
If you want to kick up the flavour of this pesto even more, toss in a handful of sun dried tomatoes before blending everything up. Or add a few fresh chili peppers if you’re a fan of spicy food.
More nut-free recipes
- This chocolate spread is easy to make and delicious.
- These coconut energy balls are a satisfying nut-free snack.
- These chocolate coconut bars are a decadent treat.
Nut-Free Vegan Pesto
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add fresh basil, olive oil, pumpkin seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt and pepper to a food processor or blender.
- Process/blend until smooth.
- Makes approximately 1 cup of nut-free vegan pesto.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- Optional additions: a handful of sun dried tomatoes or fresh chili peppers.
Nutrition
I’m Jennifer, the author at A Sweet Alternative. I create simple, gluten-free recipes made with nutritious ingredients.