Citric Acid Free Vegan Garlic Scape Pesto
Garlic scapes are the curly, tender shoots that spring up from hardneck garlic bulbs, and they bring a milder, grassier version of garlic's punch that makes this pesto genuinely exciting. Blended with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, and nutritional yeast, the result is a rich, deeply savory sauce that clings beautifully to pasta, flatbreads, or roasted vegetables. For anyone navigating a citric acid sensitivity, store-bought pestos and condiments can be a minefield — citric acid shows up as a preservative in all kinds of jarred sauces you'd never expect. Here, the brightness comes entirely from fresh lemon juice and zest, which are naturally occurring and easy to control, so you know exactly what's going into every spoonful. Toasting the pine nuts first is a small step that pays off big, adding a warm, buttery depth that elevates the whole batch. The food processor does the heavy lifting, and a splash of water at the end lets you dial in the perfect spreadable consistency. Make a jar of this and you'll find yourself reaching for it all week long.
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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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