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!
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, making it a super simple dairy-free pesto recipe to add to your rotation.
Ingredients You Will Need
Fresh Basil: Fresh basil is essential in traditional pesto for its signature herbaceous taste and aroma.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Olive oil helps enrich the sauce with a smooth, rich texture.
Pine Nuts: When toasted, pine nuts add a deeper, nuttier flavor with a subtle crunch.
Garlic: The use of fresh garlic contributes fresh flavors and lots of aromatics.
Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds a fresh, bright, and tangy element, which can help balance the richness of the other ingredients.
Nutritional Yeast: Different from regular yeast, 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 and balances flavors, while pepper adds a gentle heat, improving the overall flavor of a dish.
Instructions
Toast the pine nuts: 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: Add all ingredients to high-speed blender and blend to desired consistency.
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 to help 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 to create a unique flavor profile.
Storage Tips
To store pesto properly, place it in an airtight container and cover the surface with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent oxidation. Seal the container and refrigerate. Pesto can also be frozen for up to 6 months. You can also freeze the pesto in ice cube trays like these, which help freeze your Whole30 pesto in smaller portions making it easier and quicker to defrost.
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.
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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