There’s no secret about my love for Pesto. But I never had a recipe on my blog for the version that I use most often.
Here is the remedy! Here is my 5-Minute Vegan Pesto, perfect for Sauces, Soups, Salads, Pasta, Pizza, and more!
Pesto: Origin and History
Pesto sauce is thought to have originated from the Liguria area of northwest Italy. It is believed that the sauce may have developed from a 13th-century garlic-based dish called aggraded or from the Middle Ages tradition of using aromatic herbs.
In his 19th-century work The Genoese Cuisine, Giovanni Battista Ratto wrote the first pesto recipe. This recipe consisted of a mixture of cheese, garlic, and basil.
This plant-based version is also packed with flavor and basil but without the cheese.
How to Make Vegan Pesto
This recipe is easy to make and only requires 5 Minutes, one bowl, and seven ingredients.
Fresh basil, pinenuts, and garlic are the base, with lemon juice added for brightness and acidity.
To get that cheesy flavor and color, I use nutritional Yeast. This is a yeast made by man that contains B12 ( depending upon the brand).
We now have a paste. To make it into a sauce, I use a mixture of extra virgin oil and water. You can substitute the EVOO with vegetable broth or even water if you want to avoid using oil.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of fresh basil packed (large stems cut off)
- If you don’t like nuts, use sunflower seeds instead.
- Three large cloves of garlic (peeled).
- Lemon juice 2 tbsp
- 3-4 Tbsp nutrition yeast
- Add more salt to taste.
- Extra virgin olive oil, 2-3 tablespoons
- Add more water as necessary.
Instructions
- Add the garlic, basil, nuts, and nutritional Yeast to a small mixer. Blend/mix until a paste is formed.
- Add olive oil in small amounts (streaming it into the machine while it is running if you can) and scrape sides as necessary. Add 1 Tbsp (15ml) of water at a time until you reach the desired consistency – a thick, pourable sauce. If you want to avoid oil, use vegetable broth or all water instead.
- Add more salt to the dish for an overall flavor boost, nuts for nuttiness, or garlic for zing.
- Add to sauces and dressings. Use in bread. Recently, I have been adding it directly to carrot or zucchini noodles (see picture) for a healthy and beautiful side dish.
- Store leftovers in the fridge covered for up to a week. Pour into ice-cube molds and freeze. Store for up to a month.
