This 5-minute vegan almond pesto makes a wonderful spread for a grilled veggie wrap or as the sauce for a simple pasta with fresh tomatoes or tempeh bacon pesto pasta. Yum! This yummy almond pesto sauce is gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free, and has only five ingredients.
What's in this dairy-free pesto sauce recipe
- Almonds
- Fresh basil
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Salt to taste
How to make this vegan almond pesto sauce
Put raw almonds, fresh basil, lemon juice, roughly chopped garlic, and water into a blender and blend until smooth. I used a Nutribullet for this pesto sauce, which turned out great. If it's too stiff, add another tablespoon of water to thin it out. Salt to taste (I used ¼ teaspoon). If you like things spicy, add some crushed red pepper. If you like it "cheesy," add nutritional yeast.
This dairy-free pesto keeps well in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
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This fast and easy almond pesto sauce provides a wonderful base to the Veggie pizza for one. It can be added to boost the flavor of a simple pasta marinara and veggie lasagna. Mostly, this sauce is the main star in the pesto pasta salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vegan pestos are typically made with nuts like almonds, pinenuts, or walnuts. One or more of these nuts are combined with fresh basil, lemon, garlic, and some type of liquid like water or olive oil. We use water in our recipe because it lowers the fat and calorie density between 50 to 100 calories per serving—aiding in weight loss.
Most traditional pesto recipes call for cheese—parmesan or pecorino romano—which is not vegan. If you want a cheesy flavor, and keep it vegan, we recommend adding some nutritional yeast.
As a nutritionist and food blogger, this vegan pesto recipe is healthier than others. The main reasons are: (1) this recipe has no dietary cholesterol found in traditional pesto (because of the cheese); and (2) we use water instead of oil, keeping the overall fat content down. If you want to learn more about oil, check out this article Is Olive Oil Healthy?
We hope you love this 5-minute vegan almond pesto sauce as much as we do. Please rate and leave a comment below. Be sure to share a picture on Instagram and tag us @danielsplaterecipes so we can see your creation!
Vegan Almond Pesto
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw almonds
- 1 cup fresh basil packed
- 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3-4 Tbsp water
- Salt to taste I used ¼ tsp
Optional additions
- ½ to 1 tsp crushed red pepper for heat
- 1 to 2 tsp nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor
Instructions
- Put raw almonds, fresh basil, lemon juice, roughly chopped garlic, and water into a blender and blend until smooth. I used a Nutribullet for this pesto sauce, which turned out great. If it's too stiff, add another tablespoon of water to thin it out. Salt to taste (I used ¼ teaspoon). If you like things spicy, add some crushed red pepper. If you like it "cheesy," add nutritional yeast.
- Pesto keeps well in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
EQUIPMENT / SUPPLIES
- Measuring cup
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Blender
Nutrition
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Kristian says
Easy fast and delicious
Pam says
Do easy to make and very tasty.