Cashew Free Vegan Garlic Scape Pesto
Garlic scapes are the curly, bright green shoots that spring up from hardneck garlic bulbs, and they bring a mellow, grassy garlic flavor that makes this pesto genuinely special. Toasted pine nuts add a buttery richness that holds everything together beautifully, while fresh basil keeps it vibrant and aromatic. Nutritional yeast steps in for the parmesan you'd find in a traditional pesto, delivering that savory, umami depth without any dairy — and without any tree nuts beyond the pine nuts themselves. If you've ever scanned a store-bought pesto label and spotted cashews or a mixed-nut blend hiding in the fine print, making your own is the cleanest solution. The lemon juice and zest brighten the whole thing up and keep the color from going dull. Toss it with pasta, spread it on crusty bread, swirl it into soup, or use it as a sauce for roasted vegetables — this pesto is endlessly versatile and comes together in minutes once your scapes are chopped.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 6 oz garlic scapes (about 10–12 scapes), roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 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 3–4 minutes. Watch closely, as they can brown quickly. Transfer immediately to a plate to cool.
- 2
Add the garlic scapes, basil, toasted pine nuts, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper to a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and uniform.
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