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
- 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Recipes to use with pesto
Love this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating on the recipe card below and let me know what you think in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Sunflower Seed Pesto (Nut-Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add the basil and sunflower seeds to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.
- Add the garlic, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice and process on low for about 30 seconds. Stop to wipe down sides with a rubber spatula, if needed.
- Slowly stream in the olive oil while processing, then add salt and pepper. Continue to blend until mostly smooth.
- Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
Notes
- If you like more of a thin sauce consistency, feel free to add extra olive oil.
- A thin layer of olive oil on top of the sauce before you seal it keeps things nice and fresh!
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