Gluten 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 draws out their natural oils and adds a warm, nutty depth that raw walnuts simply can't match. Nutritional yeast steps in for parmesan, delivering that umami richness and a subtle cheesy quality without any dairy in sight. Fresh lemon juice keeps the whole thing lively and bright, balancing the richness of the olive oil beautifully. The food processor does the heavy lifting, and the slow drizzle of olive oil at the end is what gives you that thick, spoonable, restaurant-worthy texture. Because every ingredient here is naturally free of gluten, there's no swapping or substituting required — just clean, whole-food ingredients working exactly as they should. Toss it with your favorite pasta, spread it on a grain-free flatbread, or spoon it over roasted vegetables and watch it disappear.
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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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