Chicken Free Vegan Kale Pesto with Lemon Zest
This vibrant green pesto is packed with earthy kale, fragrant basil, and a bright hit of lemon zest that makes every spoonful feel alive. Toasting the pine nuts first is a small step that pays off big — it deepens their buttery flavor and adds a subtle richness that ties the whole sauce together. Nutritional yeast steps in to deliver that savory, almost cheesy depth without any dairy, making this completely plant-based from start to finish. The food processor does most of the heavy lifting, so you go from a pile of greens to a thick, spreadable sauce in just a few minutes. It's bold enough to toss with pasta, hearty enough to spread on toast, and versatile enough to dollop onto roasted vegetables or grain bowls. The lemon juice and zest keep everything tasting fresh and bright rather than heavy, which is exactly what you want from a sauce built on leafy greens. Make a batch, stash it in a jar, and you'll find yourself reaching for it all week.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 3 cups packed curly or lacinato kale leaves, stems removed and roughly torn
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 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 to loosen (optional)
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 and let cool for 2 minutes.
- 2
Add the kale, basil, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper to a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the greens are finely chopped and the mixture looks uniformly crumbly.
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