A 10-Minute Recipe for Vegan Pesto Sauce (2024)

FAQs

What is vegan pesto made of? ›

The base is fresh basil, pine nuts, and garlic with a splash of lemon juice for acidity and brightness. For that cheesy color and flavor, I rely on nutritional yeast, which is a man-made yeast that can be high in B12 (depending on the brand).

How long does vegan pesto last? Fresh pesto will store well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Keep a layer of plastic wrap pressed directly onto the top of the pesto so it doesn't brown.

As a vegan ingredient darling and the prototypical cheese flavor alternative, nutritional yeast is a classic Parmesan substitute when making a dairy-free pesto. In many recipes, you'll find it used as a one-for-one swap for the grated cheese, with everything else in the formula staying the same.

Assuming that you are using all of those ingredients, except the cheese, you should be able to make a tasty basil oil, but not a real pesto. The cheese adds a solid umami punch and without it, there is a big hole in the pesto's flavor.

The reason is because classic basil pesto contains pecorino and Parmigiano-Reggiano, which are both made from milk curdled in animal rennet. That means that most of the pesto sauces you see on supermarket shelves are not vegetarian.

Because its ingredients include olive oil, nuts, and cheese, pesto can be high in calories and fat. However, the fat is primarily unsaturated and may have heart health benefits. Pesto is also full of antioxidants that can help protect your cells from damage.

Because it's an oil-based sauce, it will spoil and go rancid after a while if exposed to air. So if you see it start get exposed to air, you can top the jar with some high quality olive oil to cut off contact with air. Good news is that store-bought pesto will come with instructions on the label.

Try replacing half the basil with arugula, kale, radish greens, parsley, or spinach. You could also skip the basil entirely and use a mix of parsley and cilantro or a 50/50 blend of fresh mint and spinach. Swap the nuts. Almost any nut or seed works well in this vegan pesto recipe!

Most pesto recipes call for Parmesan cheese; we often use Romano which has a stronger flavor. Basil pesto recipes often call for pine nuts, but you can easily substitute walnuts.

What pasta is best for pesto? ›

Pesto Sauce

This fresh and fragrant pasta sauce is served uncooked, so choose a pasta shape that won't overwhelm it. Similar to oil-based sauces, pesto is served best with longer cuts of pasta, like the corkscrew shape of Fusilli. Pesto works best with Bucatini, Capellini, thinner Spaghettini, and Fettuccine.

(You can substitute either shredded or grated Parmesan in equal proportions in your favorite recipes.) If you decide to buy a chunk of Parmesan cheese and grate your own, be sure to use the finest section on your grating tool. You can also use a blender or food processor.

Its scarcity, plus the fact that the plants are picked roots, soil, and all to ensure that only juvenile leaves make it into pesto, makes it extraordinarily expensive and something that only premium, artisan pesto makers can justify using.

Traditional pesto is made with basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, and Parmesan (or another type of hard Italian cheese, such as Pecorino). You can prepare it with a mortar and pestle (this is the traditional method) or using a blender/food processor.

Unfortunately, most supermarket pesto brands aren't vegetarian. Parmesan, a key ingredient in pesto, contains rennet which is an enzyme found in the stomach of a goat or calf. It's not just Parmesan. Pecorino Romano, Manchego, Gruyère and Gorgonzola all contain rennet.

However, domestic (US) Parmesan is made with a vegetarian coagulant and is vegetarian. If your pesto is made with as vegetarian cheese, it is vegetarian. If it is made without cheese at all, it is vegan.

Homemade Pesto

It's traditionally made with basil leaves, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, fresh garlic and a good quality olive oil. What is this? Some folks love to toast their pine nuts before adding them to the blender or food processor, but either way - it's delish!