Nothing beats a delicious homemade vegan pesto recipe. And I enjoy cooking my tasty pesto recipe when it is made from delicious fresh ingredients. I keep it in the fridge in a jar (or an airtight container) for a whole week. This classic walnut and basil vegan pesto recipe is divine and can be used for everything: from pizza, to spread or pasta sauce.

Walnut instead of pine nuts is a winner

Besides I replace pine nuts (that you can find in the classic recipe) with walnuts because they are cheaper and they are packed with omega 3 and antioxidants. I succumb to this nutty touch here.

Extra nutrients in this recipe

I use walnuts, basil, lime, lemon, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper but also extra spinach.

Best of all, this healthy pesto takes no time at all as you have to pulse all the ingredients together in a medium food processor until smooth. It is a pesto packed with vitamins and minerals.

Isn’t regular pesto vegan?

Pesto has parmesan. But I’ve realized that parmesan is not necessary in this pesto recipe. So this is a successful VEGAN pesto recipe for the whole family without dairy.

But if you like the ‘cheesy’ touch in your pesto, you can still keep it vegan and add 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes. It brings a cheesy, nutty, umami-like flavor and it is a good protein addition as it contains the 9 amino acids.

My classic walnut and basil vegan pesto is like a mood ring. Sometimes I crave that extra cheesy goodness, so I throw in some nutritional yeast. On other days, I keep it simple and let the fresh flavors shine. No matter what mood I’m in, this pesto is always a fabulous recipe.

And finally, for those who like a spicy touch, you can even add half chili.

Easiest recipe ever

I hope you’ll enjoy this very easy recipe. It couldn’t be simpler.

Top Tip

Pesto is basically great for everything ! I love to use this delicious healthy pesto recipe with pasta or as a base for my pizza (check how to make super healthy and very tasty pizza dough, cauliflower pizza (low carb) or vegan black charcoal pizza).

I use it for any Buddha bowl or as a spread for a toast too! So it is a great way to have a spread ready in the fridge for the week ahead.

Healthy pesto and…

Basil and nutty flavors, nutrients dense and homemade (no preservatives here).

If you make it

If you make the walnut hazelnut and basil pesto, tag me on Instagram as @live.and.taste and use #liveandtaste hashtag.

Feel free to ask me any question or leave me a comment (reply) below the recipe, I will be thrilled to reply to you.

Healthy greetings from Laetitia