This easy vegan pesto is creamy, cheesy, and garlicky, and can be thrown together in a matter of minutes. It’s perfect for pasta, pizza, toast, salad dressings, marinades, and so much more.
Juice of 1 lemon(if you like lemon, include some zest)
3-4tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
4-6tablespoonswater(plus more if needed)
Salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
Add all the ingredients (except the water) to a food processor and blend into a paste. You may need to stop once or twice to scrape down the sides with a spatula or spoon.
Add the water a little at a time and blend to loosen up the paste. The pesto should be thick, but should also fall off a spoon quite easily.
Adjust the seasoning to taste and you're good to go.
Notes
Serving suggestions: This pesto is perfect when mixed through freshly cooked pasta such as linguine or spaghetti. To make an even creamier sauce, combine the pesto with a little homemade cashew cream.It's also great for spreading on toast, adding to salad dressings, marinating other ingredients, or mixing through hummus. Nuts: You can either omit the pine nuts and enjoy the pesto as a thinner sauce, or replace them with your favourite plant seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin, or hemp. Nutritional yeast: You can simply omit the nutritional yeast or use a vegan parmesan cheese. If you want to replicate the sharp flavour of dairy parmesan, you could try adding a tablespoon of vegan Dijon mustard or cider vinegar. Basil: You could swap out some or all of the basil for other greens such as parsley, coriander, spinach, kale, watercress, rocket, or mixed salad leaves.Chilli: If you don't like heat, skip the chilli. I just like the extra zing it adds.Less fat: Extra-virgin olive oil is a key ingredient in a good pesto. However, if you want to make it healthier you could swap out the oil for extra water.Storage: You can store this pesto in the fridge for up to a week or freezer for up to six months.If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:
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