This dairy-free Whole30 pesto is one of the easiest, most delicious ways to use up the abundance of basil from your garden. Elevate this pesto by toasting your pine nuts first to a beautiful golden brown. With ingredients like garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and olive oil, you can whip up a delectable pesto in just 10 minutes! This versatile sauce is fantastic for tossing with pasta, serving alongside grilled chicken, or drizzling over tomato slices with fresh mozzarella. The options are limitless for this vibrant and flavorful sauce! Try using this Whole30 Pesto in this Pesto Tomato Sauce dish.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
You won't even miss the dairy in this dairy-free pesto that uses nutritional yeast in place of cheese. Once your pine nuts are toasted, you just need a blender or food processor to blend it all together. This makes it a super simple dairy-free pesto recipe to add to your rotation, especially when you feel like having a whole30-inspired pesto dish.
Ingredients You Will Need
Fresh Basil: is essential in traditional pesto for its signature herbaceous taste and aroma.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: helps enrich the sauce with a smooth, rich texture.
Pine Nuts: add a deeper, nuttier flavor with a subtle crunch.
Garlic: contributes fresh flavors and lots of aromatics.
Lemon Juice: adds a fresh, bright, and tangy element, which can help balance the richness of the other ingredients.
Nutritional Yeast: adds a cheesy flavor to dishes without the need for dairy, making it a popular choice in vegan or dairy-free recipes.
Salt and Pepper: salt enhances the overall flavor of the dish and ground black pepper adds a gentle heat.
Instructions
Toast the pine nuts: in a dry skillet for a couple of minutes until they start browning, tossing frequently and watching closely so they don't burn.
Blend the ingredients: in a high-speed blender to desired consistency, which is essential for crafting a delightful whole30 version of pesto.
Choose your texture: I like it creamier but it's just as delicious when left a little coarser using less olive oil.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Use High-Quality Ingredients: Opt for fresh basil (in season, whenever possible!), high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, and good-quality nuts. This helps ensure the best flavor and texture for your Whole30 pesto. This is a sauce where your ingredients really shine!
Texture Control: Achieve the right texture by gradually adding olive oil to the mixture. Start with a little and add more until you reach your preferred consistency. The more oil you add, the thinner the pesto will become.
Recipe Variations
Traditional Pesto: If you don't have a need to make Whole30 Pesto or don't need to keep it dairy-free, you can swap the nutritional yeast for parmesan cheese.
Other nuts: While a traditional pesto uses pine nuts, you can experiment with swapping them for walnuts or cashews instead. This creates a unique flavor profile with your whole30-inspired pesto.
Storage Tips
To store pesto properly, place it in an airtight container and cover the surface with a thin layer of olive oil. This prevents oxidation. Seal the container and refrigerate. Pesto can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
FAQs About Whole30 Pesto
Does all pesto contain dairy?
While many traditional pesto recipes contain dairy, not all pesto recipes do. This Whole30 pesto recipe substitutes dairy with nutritional yeast, creating a creamy texture that complements the vibrant flavors perfectly.
What is a substitute for parmesan cheese in pesto?
In this dairy-free pesto recipe, we swap parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast.
What thickens pesto?
The thickening in pesto primarily comes from a combination of olive oil and pine nuts. This mixture forms a cohesive, lush texture that binds all the flavors together in a delicious whole30-inspired pesto.
Whole30 Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh Basil packed tightly
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ cup Pine Nuts
- 3 cloves Garlic peeled
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice fresh squeezed
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
Instructions
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet for a couple of minutes till browning, tossing frequently and watching closely so as not to burn them
- Add all ingredients to high speed blender and blend to desired consistency
- I like it creamier but its just as delicious when left a little coarser
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