Pescatarian Vegan Walnut Pesto
Bright, herby, and packed with nutty depth, 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 coaxes out a rich, almost buttery flavor that elevates the whole batch. Nutritional yeast steps in to deliver that savory, cheesy quality without any dairy, so the result is creamy and complex in all the right ways. Fresh basil, garlic, and a hit of lemon juice keep things bright and balanced, while good extra virgin olive oil ties it all together into a thick, spoonable sauce. The food processor does most of the work, and the whole thing comes together in minutes with barely any cleanup. Toss it with pasta, spread it on crusty bread, swirl it into grain bowls, or use it as a dipping sauce — it's endlessly versatile and genuinely hard to stop eating.
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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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