Fish 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 — it draws out a rich, nutty depth that makes the finished pesto taste far more complex than the short ingredient list suggests. Nutritional yeast steps in to deliver that umami, cheesy quality without any dairy, so the sauce is completely plant-based from start to finish. A hit of fresh lemon juice keeps it lively and balanced against the bold garlic and grassy basil. Many store-bought pestos sneak in anchovies or are processed on shared lines with seafood ingredients, so blending your own at home gives you full control over what goes in the jar. The food processor does most of the work in under ten minutes, and the result is a thick, spoonable sauce with real texture — not the watery, over-processed kind. Toss it with pasta, swirl it into soups, or spread it on crusty bread and call it a meal.
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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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