Chicken Free Vegan Walnut Pesto
Bright, herby, and deeply savory, this walnut pesto is the kind of sauce that makes you want to put it on absolutely everything. Toasting the walnuts first is the move — just a few minutes in a dry skillet coaxes out a rich, nutty depth that elevates the whole batch. Nutritional yeast steps in for the parmesan you'd find in a traditional pesto, delivering that umami punch without any dairy, and it works beautifully alongside the fresh basil and sharp garlic. A squeeze of lemon keeps things bright and balanced, cutting through the richness of the olive oil. The food processor does most of the heavy lifting, and streaming the oil in slowly gives you that thick, spoonable consistency that clings perfectly to pasta or grilled vegetables. It's completely plant-based and free from any animal proteins, so it fits naturally into a wide range of diets without any substitutions or compromises. Make a batch, stash it in the fridge, and watch it disappear faster than you expected.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- ½ cup walnuts
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Add the walnuts to a small dry skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden, about 3–4 minutes. Watch closely, as they can brown quickly. Transfer to a plate and let cool for 2 minutes.
- 2
Combine the toasted walnuts, basil, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and roughly uniform.
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