Easy 5-Minute Vegan Pesto Recipe (High in Omega-3s)

Make this easy vegan pesto recipe with fresh ingredients for a dairy-free, healthy, and delicious sauce perfect for pasta, salads, and more!

I love just about all things pesto-flavored. It's truly one of my favorite sauces of all time. When I was still vegetarian, the Amy's pesto tortellini meal was my obsession (I'm gonna need to make a vegan version at some point!).

It also goes perfectly with all of the most comforting foods - sandwiches, pizza, pasta - you name it.

Classic pesto is made with pine nuts and parmesan cheese. Instead of parmesan, I use nutritional yeast which gives a similar cheesy flavor. And instead of pine nuts, I've always preferred to make my own vegan basil pesto with walnuts because they actually have the highest amount of omega-3s of any of the nuts.

I wrote all about omega-3s, nuts, and seeds in this post on my sister blog if you want to learn more!

Check out my hummus, mayo, mac and cheese sauce, and Alfredo sauce for more of my favorite homemade vegan sauce and dip recipes.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• How To Use This Vegan Pesto Sauce
• Is Vegan Pesto Healthy?
• Storage
• Recipe

Ingredients

All you need for this homemade vegan pesto are a few simple ingredients.

• Fresh basil leaves (I love to grow tons of basil plants in my garden during the spring and summer to use in recipes all throughout the warmer months. It's so easy to grow and it saves a bunch of money since fresh herbs can be a bit pricey.)
• Walnuts (you can really replace walnuts with any type of nut or seed you prefer, such as pepitas (pumpkin seeds), cashews, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, or hemp seeds)
• Nutritional yeast (not to be confused with baking yeast, this are vegan cheesy-tasting flakes that add in great flavor to so many things; you can also use store-bought vegan parmesan cheese if you prefer)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Garlic (fresh garlic cloves will add the most flavor)
• Fresh lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Here's how to make this easy vegan pesto in less than 5 minutes.

I love my Cuisinart food processor pictured above in the process photos. I use it all the time for things like chickpea muffins, hummus, chopping veggies, tofu ricotta, veggie burgers, and more!

This pesto is so delicious and easy to make that I don't even buy store-bought pesto at all anymore (even vegan ones!).

If you have an herb garden at home, you can also make your own vegan pesto with any other herbs in place of the basil to change things up! I've tried delicious pesto recipes using basil, parsley, and cilantro. Herbs add so much fresh flavor to any dish. 

How To Use This Vegan Pesto Sauce

• Sandwiches - simply use it as a spread on any sandwich (it's especially great on Italian-style sandwiches or you could make a vegan caprese panini with bread, pesto, tomato, and vegan mozzarella.)
• Pizza - use it in place of a sauce or add it in dollops on top after the homemade pizza has baked
• Pasta Dishes - you can use this pesto as a pasta sauce, mixed into a red sauce for extra flavor, or mixed with a homemade tofu ricotta for a creamy pesto like in these pesto lasagna rolls.
• Salads - you can thin it out and use it as a salad dressing (I did something similar in this pesto roasted veggies and tofu bowl.) Or just add into any salad as is for extra flavor. I've been obsessed with the combination of orzo, pesto, vegan feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and cucumber in a big salad.
• Dip or Spread - serve the fresh pesto with bread or pita chips as a dip or alongside a bruschetta appetizer for extra flavor.
• Veggie Burgers - spread it on the buns of your veggie burgers for a fresh and delicious twist.
• Wraps - add it into any veggie wrap to boost tastiness.
• Air-Fried Tofu - add this pesto as a marinade prior to air-frying tofu or add it on as a great sauce after cooking.

Is Vegan Pesto Healthy?

Absolutely! Pesto is not only delicious, but it also has several health benefits.

• Plenty of Healthy Fats - There's plenty of healthy fats in this pesto (omega-3s in the walnuts and monounsaturated fat in the olive oil).
• Low in Saturated Fat - Pesto is naturally low in saturated fats (aka the fats that increase LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body.
• High in Antioxidants - Anytime you use colorful plant-based foods, you get antioxidants, which are anti-inflammatory and may help prevent cancer. Basil, walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic all provide plenty of antioxidants. If you serve the pesto with other vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, or leafy greens, you'll be getting even more.
• Vitamins and Minerals - the nutritional yeast in this recipe is very high in vitamin B12 as well as other B vitamins. Depending on how much pesto you eat, you could also get a bit of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, magnesium, and more.
• Sugar-Free - this pesto is has no added sugars.

Storage

Homemade pesto is best eaten fresh, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

You can also freeze extra pesto in an ice cube tray to pull out little bits at a time to add into recipes in a pinch.

Recipe