Chicken Free Cilantro-Lime Spinach Cashew Pesto
Bright, herby, and packed with bold flavor, this cashew-based pesto is the kind of sauce that makes everything it touches taste more exciting. Cilantro and baby spinach bring a fresh, grassy backbone, while lime juice and zest cut through the richness of the olive oil and blended cashews with just the right amount of zing. Raw cashews do the heavy lifting here — they blend into a creamy, slightly textured paste that gives you all the body of a traditional pesto without any dairy or poultry-derived ingredients to worry about. A hint of cumin is optional but highly recommended if you want a subtle warmth that ties the whole thing together. The food processor does most of the work in under a minute, and a splash of water at the end lets you dial in exactly the consistency you want, whether that's a thick spread or a looser drizzle. Toss it with pasta, swirl it into grain bowls, spoon it over roasted vegetables, or use it as a dip — this pesto is endlessly versatile and genuinely hard to stop eating.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, loosely packed
- 1 cup baby spinach, loosely packed
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- ½ tsp lime zest
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin (optional)
- 2–3 tbsp water, as needed
Instructions
- 1
Add the cilantro, spinach, cashews, garlic, lime juice, and lime zest to a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and the cashews are broken down into small pieces.
- 2
With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream until the pesto comes together into a thick, slightly textured paste, about 20–30 seconds. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
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