Macadamia Free Vegan Walnut Pesto

Total time15 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time5 min

4.9

(25)

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 richness and gives the finished pesto a warm, nutty depth that raw nuts simply can't match. Nutritional yeast steps in for parmesan, delivering that umami, cheesy quality without any dairy, while fresh lemon juice keeps the whole thing lively and bright. The food processor does the heavy lifting, and streaming in the olive oil while it runs gives you that thick, spoonable consistency that clings beautifully to pasta, roasted vegetables, or crusty bread. For anyone navigating tree nut concerns around macadamias specifically, this recipe is a clean, confident choice — walnuts are the only nut in the mix, and every other ingredient is straightforward and easy to verify. It comes together in minutes and keeps well, so making a big batch is absolutely worth it.

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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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