Turkey 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 coaxes out a rich, nutty depth that elevates the whole batch. Nutritional yeast steps in for the parmesan you'd find in a traditional pesto, delivering that umami punch without any dairy in sight. Fresh basil, raw garlic, and a squeeze of lemon keep things vibrant and bold, while a slow stream of good olive oil brings it all together into a luscious, spoonable sauce. The food processor does most of the heavy lifting, so you're looking at minimal effort for maximum flavor payoff. Toss it with pasta, swipe it on flatbread, or spoon it over roasted vegetables — it's endlessly versatile and completely free of any poultry-derived ingredients, so there's nothing to second-guess on the label.
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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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