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This nutty, herbaceous pesto is made with walnuts instead of pine nuts, which will save you tons of money, and we promise you won’t even notice the difference. It’s that good! With just six ingredients, this versatile and flavorful spread/dip/sauce is great on pizza, pasta, and crostini.

Walnut pesto pasta on a white plate.

Walnut Pesto

4.94 from 75 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
TheFriendlyVeganCookbookPhotos 13
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This amazing vegan pesto recipe is made with walnuts, which means is more affordable but as tasty as the original one with pine nuts. You will love it!

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • ½ cup of tightly packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup of raw walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon of minced garlic from about 2 small cloves
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • In a high­powered blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
  • Enjoy the pesto immediately or store it in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

With just six ingredients, this versatile and flavorful spread/dip/sauce is great on pizza, pasta, and crostini.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cupCalories: 223kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 3gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gSodium: 291mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 82IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Additional Info

Author: Toni Okamoto & Michelle Cehn
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: basil pesto, basil sauce, dairy free, italian pesto, vegan, vegan pesto, vegetarian, walnut pesto
Tried this recipe?Please tag us at @PlantBasedOnABudget! 🙂
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Beatriz Buono-Core

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this oil-free by substituting an equal amount of avocado, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and a splash of water. Delish!

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    I just tried this yesterday and it was delicious! I added some vegan parm to top it off but it wasn’t needed, as this pesto is incredibly satiating, thick, and cheezy! And soooo simple.

    Reply

  3. 4 stars
    I tried this today (minus the garlic) and I think the 1 teaspoon salt is excessive! Add a little at a time 🙂 Other than that, it was delicious. But I had to almost double the recipe to be able to stomach the salt content.

    Reply

    2. 4 stars
      Wish I’d read this before making it! It’s way too much salt so I’ll have to add more of the other ingredients

      Reply

      1. It’s definitely one of those that’s easy to adapt! Hope you enjoy it if you give it another go 🙂

        Reply