Eggless Vegan Kale Pesto with Lemon Zest
Bright, herby, and packed with more depth than your average jarred sauce, this kale pesto is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste better. Toasted pine nuts bring a warm, buttery richness, while fresh basil and lemon zest keep things lively and aromatic — it's a combination that feels both familiar and a little unexpected. Nutritional yeast steps in to deliver that savory, almost cheesy quality without any dairy, so the sauce is completely plant-based from start to finish. Traditional pesto recipes often rely on parmesan for umami, but the nutritional yeast here does the heavy lifting beautifully, and you'd never feel like something was missing. The food processor does most of the work, and streaming in the olive oil at the end gives you that glossy, thick consistency that clings perfectly to pasta, roasted vegetables, or crusty bread. A splash of water at the end lets you dial in the texture exactly how you like it — looser for a drizzle, thicker for a spread. Make a batch on Sunday and you'll find yourself reaching for it all week long.
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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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