Cinnamon Free Vegan Basil Pesto with Lemon Zest
Bright, herby, and packed with garden-fresh flavor, this vegan basil pesto comes together in a food processor with just a handful of clean, whole ingredients. Toasted pine nuts bring a warm, buttery depth, while nutritional yeast steps in for the savory, cheesy richness you'd normally get from parmesan — no dairy required. The lemon zest and fresh lemon juice are the real secret weapons here, lifting the entire sauce with a citrusy brightness that makes it taste anything but heavy. Because every ingredient is straightforward and naturally free of warming spices, there's zero guesswork about what's hiding in the mix — no store-bought sauce anxiety, no label-scanning. You control the consistency too, streaming in olive oil until it's perfectly spoonable and adjusting with a splash of water if needed. Toss it with pasta, spread it on flatbread, or dollop it over roasted vegetables — this pesto is endlessly versatile and genuinely hard to stop eating.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1–2 tbsp water, as needed
Instructions
- 1
Toast the pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 2–3 minutes. Watch closely, as they can brown quickly. Transfer immediately to a plate and let cool for 2 minutes.
- 2
Combine the toasted pine nuts, basil, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and the ingredients are evenly broken down.
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