Mushroom Free Vegan Basil Pesto with Lemon Zest
Bright, herby, and packed with fresh flavor, this vegan basil pesto comes together in minutes and tastes like something you'd find at a really good Italian restaurant. Toasted pine nuts add a warm, buttery depth, while nutritional yeast steps in for the classic cheesy richness — no dairy required. The lemon zest and fresh lemon juice are what really make this one sing, lifting all those bold green flavors and giving the sauce a brightness that store-bought versions rarely achieve. Everything gets blitzed in a food processor with a slow stream of good olive oil until you land on a thick, glossy, spoonable sauce that clings beautifully to pasta, flatbreads, or roasted vegetables. Because this recipe sticks to clean, whole-food ingredients, there's zero guesswork about hidden fillers or unwanted additions — what you see in the bowl is exactly what went in. A quick taste and adjust at the end means you can dial up the salt, pepper, or lemon to make it perfectly your own.
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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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