Sunflower Seed Pesto (Nut-Free)

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A creamy and flavorful twist on traditional pesto, this Sunflower Seed Pesto is made with sunflower seeds, basil, olive oil, and nutritional yeast. Versatile, vegan, and nut-free, it's perfect for pasta, sandwiches, and more!

How do you make vegan pesto without nuts? Easy! With just a couple of ingredient swaps, the process is very much the same.

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Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients and substitutions
Step-by-step instructions
Storage
Tips
Serving suggestions
FAQs
Recipes to use with pesto
📖 Recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

Simple ingredients
Dairy-free and nut-free pesto
Use in a variety of recipes

Ingredients and substitutions

Here are a few quick notes about the ingredients in this recipe. You can see a complete list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card below.

Ingredients to make pesto set out in small bowls.

Sunflower seeds - Instead of the traditional pine nuts, sunflower seeds are a great way to add a nutty flavor without the nuts!

Plus, their own unique flavor makes this sauce delicious!

Raw, unsalted sunflower seeds are best or you may find your fresh pesto too salty. Adding a good source of nutrients like vitamin E, magnesium, folate, fiber, and amino acids, this recipe packs a nutritional punch.

Basil - Fresh basil leaves make this sauce! Feel free to substitute one cup of basil with baby spinach.

Extra-virgin olive oil - a high-quality extra virgin olive oil really rounds out the strong flavors of the basil, garlic, and nutritional yeast. Plus, it's got added health benefits!

Nutritional yeast - In lieu of parmesan cheese found in traditional pesto, nutritional yeast gives us a cheesy tang without the dairy.

Garlic - Fresh garlic is best, but if you need to, you can substitute a ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder per garlic clove.

Lemon juice - Fresh lemon juice brightens up the vegan pesto perfectly.

Step-by-step instructions

Before you start: Gather your ingredients.

Chopped basil and seeds in a food processor.

Basil, seeds, and lemon juice in food processor.

Step 1: Add the basil and sunflower seeds to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.

Step 2: Now add the garlic, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice and process on low.

Olive oil streaming into a food processor.

Step 3: Slowly stream in the olive oil while processing. Add salt and black pepper, and more to taste.

Step 4: Continue to blend until mostly smooth.

Storage

Store this sunflower seed basil pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days.

The sauce will darken in color when exposed to air, so add a layer of plastic wrap touching your pesto, before sealing with a lid.

You can freeze this sauce in ice cube trays for up to 3 months. There is also the sheet pan method, but I prefer the ice cube trays.

Tips

Stop the food processor occasionally and wipe down the sides with a rubber spatula so that all the ingredients get integrated.
A thin layer of olive oil on top of the sauce before you seal it keeps things nice and fresh!
If you like more of a thin pesto sauce consistency, feel free to add extra olive oil.

Serving suggestions

So what do you eat pesto with? Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy it:

As a salad dressing
Spread on salmon, chicken, or shrimp
Tossed with quinoa salads and bowls
Spread on a BLT or chickpea flour flatbread
Mixed in hot pasta
Dip with crackers, veggies, socca chips, or polenta fries

FAQs

How long does vegan pesto last?

Due to the use of fresh basil, vegan pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

What can replace pine nuts in pesto?

Pine nuts can be replaced in traditional basil pesto with a variety of nuts or seeds. Walnuts, almonds, almonds, pistachios, and sunflower seeds are all great substitutes for pine nuts.