Dairy Free Pesto
This delicious dairy free pesto is vegan and made without any cheese! Whether you're out of parmesan or accommodating food allergies, cheese-free pesto is the perfect way to enjoy this classic, flavor-packed sauce.
Servings: 6 *About 2 tablespoons per serving
Calories: 209kcal
Equipment
- 1 Food processor *or blender
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup pine nuts *toast if desired *see note below
- 1 large (or 2-3 small) whole garlic cloves *peeled
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil *divided *see note below
- 2 cups basil leaves *loosely packed *2-3 ounces
- ½ teaspoon salt *plus more to taste
- Juice from ½ small lemon *can omit if desired
Optional:
- 3-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Recipe notes:
Pine nuts: Lightly toast pine nuts for rich, nutty flavor or leave them raw for a light and fresh pesto. Olive oil: For a smoother pesto, you can add extra olive oil! Serving ideas: Dollop pesto into roasted tomato soup for an easy flavor boost or stir into cooked pasta. Pesto also makes a great marinade for shrimp, chicken or steak!Instructions
- If you choose to toast nuts, place them in a skillet over medium heat and stir constantly for about 5 minutes until golden. They burn easily so be careful!
- Add pine nuts, whole peeled garlic cloves and half of your olive oil to a food processor. Puree 20-30 seconds.
- Next add lemon juice, salt, remaining oil and basil leaves along with any young, tender stems. Don't include stems that are large and tough.
- Puree until everything is well incorporated. The mixture doesn't have to be completely smooth. Don't over-blend or it can become gummy.
- Add nutritional yeast (optional) and pulse the food processor a couple more times to mix. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6th of recipe or around 2 tablespoons. All values are approximate. This recipe makes about ¾ cup of pesto. | Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.5g | Protein: 1.3g | Fat: 22.5g | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 0.1g