Basil pesto recipe – how to make it vegan

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How to make vegan basil pesto – it’s quick and easy. You only need a few ingredients and a little time. The homemade green pesto with basil tastes much better than store-bought. It’s also versatile to serve – as a sauce, spread or dip. You can find a detailed basil pesto recipe with the exact quantities and step-by-step instructions here at the very bottom.

Basil pesto vegan – without cheese

The only ingredient in the classic basil pesto recipe that is not vegan and even not vegetarian is parmesan cheese. But you can easily swap it out for a plant-based alternative.

In my recipe, I used yeast flakes instead of cheese. They add a cheesy flavor to the green pesto, much like to the vegan lasagna. As a result, this vegan basil pesto is in no way inferior to the original.

Yeast flakes are available locally at supermarkets, organic stores or online**. They are an ideal cheese substitute for many main dishes.

Alternatively, you can use a ready-made vegan parmesan cheese alternative** from the supermarket instead of yeast flakes for this recipe.

Alternatives for pine nuts and cashews

I used pine nuts and cashew nuts for my basil pesto recipe. Other nuts or seeds are also suitable as an alternative for this. For example, you can take almonds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, walnuts or pumpkin seeds.

How to serve green pesto with basil?

Especially with pasta, basil pesto is perfect as a sauce, just like my vegan wild garlic pesto. You can also serve it with gnocchi or “Palchiki”.

Also, much like vegan tuna salad, the green pesto passes for a delicious spread. Spread it on a slice of whole wheat bread, baguette, baton or on a wholemeal bread rolls.

The vegan basil pesto also tastes delicious as a dip, similar to hummus. Enjoy it with naan bread or kebab bread.

How to store?

You should store the homemade pesto in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 1 week.

To help your vegan basil pesto keep its green color and stay fresh longer, cover the top with a layer of olive oil.

Alternatively, you can freeze the green pesto with basil. To do so, transfer it to small containers so that you can later take it out of the freezer in portions and let it thaw.

This basil pesto is

• creamy,
• fine,
• spicy,
• delicate,
• very tasty,
• vegan – without cheese,
• healthy,
• aromatic,
• easy and quick to make,
• versatile to serve – as a sauce, spread or dip.

Vegan basil pesto recipe

The vegan basil pesto recipe, which you’ll find in the recipe box here at the end of the post, is very simple. You only need about 10 minutes of time to make this green sauce.

First, briefly toast nuts or seeds and let them cool.

Then you put all the ingredients in a blender and puree it finely.

Now you can enjoy your vegan basil pesto.

How to make basil pesto: tips and tricks

• Don’t leave the pine nuts and cashew nuts unattended in the pan, and keep stirring them as you roast them. They could burn quickly if you don’t.
• You can adjust the amount of garlic to taste. You can also omit garlic from the recipe completely.
• You can also adjust the amount of lemon juice.
• Use good quality olive oil for the recipe.
• Depending on the pesto consistency you want, you can change the amount of olive oil.
• You can enhance your vegan basil pesto with different spices and fresh herbs, such as parsley.
• Store the green pesto in an airtight screw-top jar in the refrigerator.

Have you made vegan basil pesto using this recipe? I look forward to hearing about your results, your star rating, and your comment below here about how it turned out and tasted.

Looking for more delicious vegan spread recipes? Try some more:

• Walnut spread – vegan recipe for savory bread spread
• Vegan sour cream: how to make creamy cashew sour cream
• Vegan black caviar – recipe to make yourself

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