Lactose 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 where parmesan would normally go, delivering that umami, cheesy quality without any dairy involved, so there's zero compromise on flavor. A hit of fresh lemon juice keeps the whole thing lively and balanced against the richness of the olive oil. Traditional pesto can be a minefield for anyone avoiding dairy, since store-bought versions almost always contain cheese, but this one is naturally free of it from the ground up. The food processor does most of the work, and the whole thing comes together in minutes once your walnuts have cooled. Toss it with pasta, swirl it into soups, spread it on crusty bread — honestly, it's hard to go wrong.
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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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