Creamy Vegan Basil Pesto Recipe for Pasta, Sandwiches & Dips

A punchy, perfect vegan pesto made from fresh basil, nuts, lemon, garlic, vegan hard cheese and olive oil — far tastier than most shop-bought jars.

Pesto adds bright colour and vibrant green flavour to countless dishes. At home we use it on toasted sandwiches, stirred into creamy pasta bakes, dotted on pizzas, folded into pie fillings, spread in lunchtime wraps and even mixed through mashed potato.

And yes, pesto is flexible. Use this recipe as a template to transform droopy herbs, leftover vegan cheese ends and odd packets of nuts or seeds into something delicious.

📝 What you need

This pesto recipe is intentionally adaptable so you can swap ingredients depending on what you have. The three components that offer the most flexibility are nuts, greens and oil.

Below are suggestions and notes to help you tailor the pesto to taste and budget.

Nuts

Pine nuts are classic for their buttery richness, but they can be expensive. Try mixing or substituting with:

Blanched almonds — great flavour and texture.
Seeds — sunflower or pumpkin seeds are cheaper and work well mixed with nuts.
Macadamia — luxurious and buttery, though pricey; use sparingly or in combination with seeds.
Pistachios — vibrant green and tasty; choose unsalted.
Peanuts — inexpensive and useful for bulking out larger batches; use unsalted or adjust salt levels.

Greens

While classic pesto is all basil, you can blend basil with other herbs, leafy greens or even vegetable tops for different flavours:

Herbs — parsley is fresh and grassy; a small amount of mint can be lovely but avoid overpowering quantities; coriander suits some palates.
Leaves — rocket adds pepperiness (try 50/50 with basil); baby spinach is mild; watercress is peppery so use sparingly; kale and chard work well if briefly blanched, cooled and dried first.
Vegetable tops — beetroot, carrot or radish tops make interesting pestos — wash and dry thoroughly.
Vegetables — par-boiled broccoli or peas can be used with basil or other herbs.
Avocado — makes a creamy pesto but won’t keep, so use immediately.

Vegan Cheese

A hard, salty vegan cheese works best for that familiar parmesan-like bite. If you prefer not to use vegan cheese, increase the nuts or substitute 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavour and extra B12 boost.

Oil

Extra virgin olive oil is traditional, but it can be strong. Consider blending half extra virgin olive oil with a milder oil such as rapeseed, sunflower or groundnut to soften the flavour.

Equipment

You’ll need a blender, food processor or mini chopper. Use a small device for tiny batches and a larger processor for big batches destined for the freezer.

🔪 Top Tips & FAQs

Is pesto vegan?

Traditional pesto usually contains hard cheese, but it’s straightforward to make vegan. This recipe uses a dairy-free hard cheese for texture and saltiness. If you’d rather avoid vegan cheese, leave it out and add extra nuts or use 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast for a cheesy note and extra B12.

How long will homemade pesto keep?

Fresh pesto keeps 4–5 days in the fridge. To extend life, cover the surface with a thin layer of oil and replace the oil after each use. You can freeze pesto, ideally in ice cube trays, but the bright fresh flavour softens on freezing so freeze only if you need to.

👩🏽‍🍳 What can I make with my vegan pesto?

Keep pesto on hand for quick flavour boosts. Ideas include:

Toasted sandwiches — a teaspoon of pesto with vegan cheese makes a delicious toastie.
Creamy pasta sauce — stir a spoonful into vegan cheese sauce or béchamel for a tasty pasta bake.
Mashed potato — swirl pesto into mash for a fragrant topping or cottage-pie-style finish.
Wraps — spread into wraps with salad, roasted veg or avocado for bright flavour.
Pizza — add dollops of pesto among toppings to cut through cheese and give bursts of flavour.

🍽 If you liked that…

You might also enjoy these vegan recipes:

📖 Recipe

Vegan Pesto

Kate Ford | The Veg Space

A punchy vegan pesto made with basil, nuts, lemon, garlic, vegan hard cheese and olive oil.

5 from 10 votes

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Course Sauces

Cuisine Italian

Servings 1 jar

Calories 108 kcal

Ingredients

100 g nuts (I used 50 g pine nuts and 50 g blanched almonds)
2 cloves garlic
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
120 g basil (or a mix of herbs and leaves)
50 g vegan hard cheese (eg. vegan parmesan)
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Toast the nuts in a dry frying pan until just turning golden and fragrant.
Tip the toasted nuts into a blender or food processor and add the peeled, crushed garlic.
Grate in the vegan cheese and pour in the olive oil.
Pulse until the mixture is roughly chopped and combined.
Add the basil leaves (discard the stalks). If the processor is full, pulse and make room by scraping down before adding the rest of the leaves.
Add lemon juice and salt, then blitz to your preferred texture — smooth or slightly chunky.
Spoon into a clean, sterilised jar, pour a little oil over the surface, seal and refrigerate.