Vegan Spinach Basil Pesto Recipe – you won’t even miss the cheese. Delicious with eggs, on sandwiches, pasta, spread over chicken or fish.
Since I’ve titled my food blog Avocado Pesto I’m making it a new priority to share more pesto recipes on here. I make different kinds of pesto all the time – usually just tossing handful and dashes of ingredients into the food processor. This time though, with pen and pad in hand I was ready to document both the ingredients and the quantities.
I didn’t start to fully appreciate pesto until college – when one of my roommates introduced me to the joys of home made pesto for the first time. Sure I had had it before – but only out of jar filled with who knows how many additives and preservatives and then simply tossed with pasta. And that pretty much was never real pesto! The store bought is not the same. There is a world of difference between the two.
Little did I know there was a whole pesto world out there I was missing out on. Now I eat it with hard boiled eggs for breakfast, spread onto sandwiches for lunch and mixed in with chicken or seafood either baked on pan fried for dinner. The possibilities are endless. Never fear – for those of you who are dairy free or vegan this pesto doesn’t have a shred of animal products. For the cheese connoisseurs out there I promise with this vegan spinach basil pesto you won’t even miss the lack of Parmesan.
It’s good to introduce some vegan recipes into your diet and you can start with this simple vegan spinach basil pesto.
For my favorite recipe that incorporates pesto check out my avocado chickpea salad recipe.
For a different flavored pesto throw in some sun-dried tomatoes to make vegan sun-dried tomato pesto.
Vegan basil spinach pesto is great on pretty much everything. Examples of how you can incorporate pesto into your recipes include:
- Chicken Pesto Quinoa with Veggies {GF, DF}
- Holiday Broiled Chicken with Pesto and Romesco Sauce {GF, DF}
- English Muffin with Eggs, Avocado and Pesto
- Broiled Pesto Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Zucchini {GF, DF}
- Pesto Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe {GF}
How to make my vegan spinach basil pesto:
Spinach Basil Pesto makes for the Perfect sandwich spread, pasta sauce or dip. Skip the store bought and make your own at home - you won't even miss the cheese!
- 1/2 cup + 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 ounces basil
- 1/2-1 ounce baby spinach 1 large handful
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice optional
- 3 cloves garlic minced
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To food processor add all ingredients except for olive oil.
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Turn processor to high and add olive oil through feed chute in a slow steady stream. Start with 1/2 cup and add more olive oil until pesto reaches desired consistency.
Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out says
Yum! I love pesto, and I love making variations on the traditional basil pesto. This looks great!
Vicky says
Thanks! I recently made a sun-dried tomato basil pesto which is my new favorite, and I’ll be posting the recipe on the blog soon!
Julia {The Roasted Root} says
Yum, I love fresh pesto! I have a basil plant that’s out of control at home, so this looks like the perfect recipe for trimming it back. I saw your Lara Bars on TK…headed over to the recipe now to check them out!!
Vicky says
So jealous of your basil plant! I tried growing basil in a pot on my balcony but the area gets barely any sunlight so the plant just wilted away and died : / Hope you enjoy the larabars recipe!
Erin Smith says
How long can you store this pesto? I want to try making it over the weekend.
Vicky says
I’m going to say you can refrigerate it and it should be good for 5-7 days (though it could keep for as many as 10 days – I just want to be on the safer side). I made my sun-dried tomato pesto last Thursday and just had some this morning and it tasted great. If you make a large batch and want to freeze some a good trick is to freeze it in ice cube trays and then pop the frozen cubes in a zip lock bag and just defrost them as needed. Hope you enjoy the pesto!
Tearei says
Just made this for dinner and it was delicious. It will be getting used all week in various dishes 🙂 I’m taking part in the One Ingredient Chef’s 30-Day Challenge and your recipe fit in perfectly. Tossed it with some brown rice and avocado…yum!
I’ve recently made pesto for the first time as well and I’m hooked on homemade – so simple and tasty.
Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Vicky says
Aww thanks! Really appreciate you stopping by to let me know you liked it! Making homemade pesto is go great I love it! We are currently traveling and renting an apartment in Thailand so no food processor here for me so I have to resort to the store bought kind, but I sure miss making my own!
Elizabeth @ Bowl of Delicious! says
I also JUST made a cheese-less pesto (with cilantro and jalapeno) for my blog and I loved it! I almost think it’s better without cheese (this is coming from a cheese fanatic). I love this idea of using spinach to make a pesto- much more nutrient-packed and sounds delicious. Thanks for the idea! Pinned! 🙂
Vicky says
Cilantro and jalapeno sound like a great pesto mix : ) Spinach works well in the basil pesto – giving it some more uumpth. But I definitely agree I love pesto without cheese too!
Paula says
Thank you for this incredibly delicious and thoughtful vegan pesto recipe. I’m recently off of dairy, and missing some of my favorite dishes, so finding your creation was beyond exciting. It is so refreshing, satisfying and flavorful…I absolutely love it. Thank you!!!
Vicky says
Glad you liked the recipe Paula! Pesto is just as delicious with the cheese so there’s no reason you have to give it up even if you are off the dairy!