Prep Time: 8 minutes
Yield: Approximately 200ml of sauce
Reading Time: 2 minutes
If you’re looking for a vegan and dairy-free pesto sauce, this recipe will surprise you!
Besides being tasty, it’s easy to prepare and pairs well with many meals.
Traditional pesto contains Parmesan cheese, but this version keeps the creaminess and bold flavor without any animal products.
By combining fresh basil, nuts, and olive oil, you’ll get a versatile and flavorful sauce.
Plus, homemade pesto has a big advantage: it contains no artificial preservatives and can be stored longer with the right technique.
Try it with pasta, bread, bruschetta, and salads!
Ingredients:
1 bunch of fresh basil (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup of shelled nuts (sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, or walnuts)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 garlic clove (or 1 tsp of garlic powder for those with allergies)
1/2 cup of olive oil
Salt to taste
Instructions:
- Wash the basil well, peel the garlic, and squeeze the lemon.
- Blend everything in a blender or food processor.
- For a rustic touch, use a mortar and pestle to manually grind the ingredients.
- Transfer to a glass jar and cover with olive oil to preserve.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Additional Information:
In traditional pesto, pine nuts — seeds from Mediterranean pine trees — are the original ingredient.
However, they can be hard to find and quite expensive, so feel free to use more accessible alternatives like sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, or even peanuts.
To preserve the sauce’s vibrant green color and prevent oxidation, lemon and olive oil play an essential role as natural preservatives.
If you want to keep the sauce for longer, freezing it for up to 3 months is a great option — always fresh and delicious when thawed!
Culinary tip: Lightly toasting the nuts before blending will enhance the flavor.
See also:
