Dairy Free Vegan Walnut Pesto
Pesto is one of those sauces that feels luxurious but comes together in minutes, and this walnut version is no exception. Traditional pesto leans on parmesan for its savory depth, but nutritional yeast steps in here and delivers that same umami richness without any dairy involved. Toasting the walnuts first is a small step that makes a big difference — it draws out their natural oils and adds a warm, nutty complexity that makes the finished sauce taste like you spent way more effort than you did. Fresh basil, bright lemon juice, and good extra virgin olive oil round everything out into something genuinely vibrant and craveable. The food processor does the heavy lifting, and the slow drizzle of olive oil at the end gives you that thick, spoonable consistency that clings beautifully to pasta, roasted vegetables, or crusty bread. Keep a jar in the fridge and you'll find yourself reaching for it all week.
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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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