You’d think it would be simple, but finding a good vegan pesto recipe isn’t the easiest task in the world. Many I’ve tried have turned out to be bland and frankly unpalatable, so I made it my mission to bring you a selection of the best plant-based pesto recipes on the ‘net.
Let’s dive straight in with the first one on our list, which comes from one of my all-time favorite vegan foodies…
Minimalist Baker’s Easy Vegan Pesto
Dana, of Minimalist Baker fame and co-creator of the Food Photography School, might be the most pesto-obsessed person around.
While there are a lot of pesto recipes online, her vegan pesto is by far the quickest you can whip up, but it’s so good! Requiring only 5 minutes of your time, you can make any vegan salad, pasta, soup, and pizza tastier with this fast and fuss-free recipe.
More of Dana’s recipes are found in her books Everyday Cooking and 31 Meals Cookbook. Check out the full recipe right here to create your own pesto sauce in no time.
Vegan Spinach Pesto Pasta from Yup, It’s Vegan
Another treat made more delectable by pesto, this spinach pasta definitely deserves to be included in Shannon’s website, Yup, it’s Vegan!
It’s perfect for those who are just getting started in the vegan lifestyle and it’ll even appeal to those who think pasta and spinach don’t mix. You’ll be surprised how these two, along with a couple more ingredients found in Shannon’s recipe, will create a rich, tasty treat in just a couple of minutes.
Find out more about this fabulous green leaf in my guide to spinach.
Simply Quinoa’s Everyday Vegan Pesto
The very existence of Simply Quinoa makes my heart flutter, as the lovely Alyssa creates the most delicious vegan recipes imaginable. You wouldn’t get tired of eating her dishes if you had to have them every single day!
Take this vegan pesto for one, which Alyssa whipped up on a whim during a stint in Vermont. Despite it being a recipe she initially threw together without bothering to measure things out, she didn’t give up on it when she tried to recreate the deliciousness again.
Thankfully, perseverance prevailed when a couple of tries later she finally captured it and, voila, it’s up on her blog.
Do try making this simple pesto recipe at home. As the name implies, it’s perfect for your everyday cravings.
NEED MORE STORAGE OPTIONS? READ “CAN I FREEZE MASON JARS?” NEXT!
Vegan Pesto Recipe from Vegetarian Gastronomy
Everything is made better with sauce, you gotta admit it, and this pesto sauce from Vegetarian Gastronomy is only one of the many recipes Anjali shares on her wonderful blog.
What’s great about Anjali is her recipes aren’t just for adults switching to a healthier lifestyle — kids, too, will love everything on her website. I can be a bit of a picky eater myself, so I perfectly understand how some ingredients can leave a bad taste in the mouth.
Not this one, though.
It’s the perfect go-to sauce if you think your food’s rather bland; something that doesn’t take an age to make, and definitely way better than store-bought versions.
See the recipe right here, and choose from among Anjali’s other pesto combinations.
World’s Best Vegan Pesto from Carrots and Flowers
Quite a bold name for a recipe, huh? Megan of Carrots and Flowers is unafraid, and for a good reason. It IS really the world’s best vegan pesto.
You know how most people think anything with the word vegan attached to it doesn’t really taste anything at all, or worse, awful?
Yep, we’ve all heard it, but you can scratch this one right off the list – this is one tasty sauce. Then there’s the aesthetics — boy, is it pretty! Just head over to her blog now and look at that color.
She has this serious thing going on with pesto, and you might soon, too, if you try this version.
Good in the Simple’s Basil Pesto Recipe
Time for another Alyssa. This time it’s the turn of the ever-wonderful creator of the goodinthesimple.com blog.
The exciting part of this dairy-free pesto recipe is the inclusion of the traditional ingredient basil, an herb that’s easy to grow in your garden and also a commonly found in many stores.
This recipe allows the basil to shine, as it should, and the pine nuts give the sauce a wonderfully full texture, which makes it more versatile than many other pestos you may try.
You don’t want to miss this one. Head over to Alyssa’s site now and dust off that food processor!
Vegan Cashew Pesto from Yumsome
Pesto can take many forms, but few are as good as Nico’s recipe — it’s fantastic. The secret? Cashew cream, my friends.
Nico came across cashew cream in India and her idea for homemade vegan cashew pesto sprang to mind. Soon after, she was in the UK with fistful of Mediterranean basil and this delicious recipe was born!
Not only is pesto absolutely delicious, it’s also another sauce you can whip up in no time at all; just five minutes, in fact. No excuses! Head over to Yumsome right now and get some cashew pesto in your lives.
READ NEXT: IS YEAST VEGAN?
Cook Republic’s Basil Pesto with Miso
Sneh of Cook Republic was kind enough to share her dairy-free pesto recipe on her blog, and boy am I glad she did!
The key difference with this pesto is the inclusion of Miso paste, and it works wonderfully well. Whizzed up together with nutritional yeast, it mimics the taste and smell of parmesan cheese, which I’m sure is something many of you with cheese cravings will find exciting!
Put simply, if you need a cheesy fix without the guilt, Sneh has got you covered.
Simple to put together and oh so tasty, you’ll definitely want to give this homemade vegan pesto recipe a try yourself.
RELATED: 25 VEGAN CHEESE RECIPES THAT WILL BLOW YOUR DAIRY-FREE MIND | IS MISO SOUP VEGAN?
Oil-free Pesto with Basil and Avocado from Lauren Caris Cooks
Those who love their pesto will know how oily the experience can be, which is fine when you want it, but what about when you don’t?
Thankfully, Lauren and her recipe will help save the day. This plant-based pesto recipe has all the taste of a traditional sauce, with a lot less guilt. Put together with cashew nuts, avocado, and basil, this creamy sauce is the perfect pasta accompaniment.
Lauren recommends wholewheat spaghetti, but I sometimes dig out my zucchini noodle maker for an even healthier mealtime.
READ NEXT: IS PENNE PASTA VEGAN?
Plant-based pesto recipes aplenty, no?
You lucky lot! No trawling the Internet for you, eh? These perfect sauces will keep you going without the tiresome searches, not to mention the expensive trial and error associated with sub-par pesto recipes.
That said, if you know of a pesto recipe for vegans that hasn’t made the cut, do share. Simply leave a comment in the box below and I’ll take a look.
About The Author:
Lisa Williams
Lisa Williams is a committed vegan, passionate animal welfare advocate, and keen follower of too many v-friendly food blogs to mention. She started happyhappyvegan.com back in 2016 because she felt there was a need for more straightforward information on plant-based living.
Back then, too many sites seem to either concentrate solely on recipes or be too intimidating or inaccessible for the v-curious, and she wanted to change that. The landscape is certainly a whole lot different now!
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