Dairy Free Pesto

You may think that parmesan cheese is a must-have ingredient in pesto but give this dairy free version a try and you won't believe how little you'll miss the dairy. 

Need supplies? Try an Urban Cheesecraft Dairy Free Mozzarella and Ricotta Kit and you'll not only have nutritional yeast, but everything else you need to make bonus vegan and paleo cheese for Italian meals!

Urban Cheesecraft dairy free pesto basil pine nuts walnuts nooch


Ingredients 

  • 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup freshly toasted pine nuts or walnuts
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more if needed
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast 
  • 1 clove raw garlic, to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
  • pinch red pepper flakes, optional

Supplies

  • Mini food processor or hand blender
  • Storage jar
  • Measuring cups, spoons, knife etc. 

Yield 

  • 1/2 cup

Instructions

STEP 1.

Toss the nuts in a hot pan until aromatic and slightly golden- about 3-5 minutes. Careful with pine nuts, they can burn fast- like this. Oops! 

Urban Cheesecraft dairy free pesto pine nuts or walnuts

STEP 2.

Place the ingredients in the mini food processor (unless of course you want to do this in a mortar and pestle!) and pulse a few times. 

Urban Cheesecraft basil pesto dairy free nutritional yeast nuts no cheese

STEP 3.

You may have to stop and scrape down the sides. Pulse again until everything is incorporated. 

Urban Cheesecraft basil pine nut dairy free pesto no parmesan cheese 

There should be a little texture left to adhere to pasta but you can make it to your preference. Like black pepper, perhaps lemon zest? Add a little!

Urban Cheesecraft dairy free basil walnut pesto nutritional yeast 

That's it! Your pesto is ready to enjoy on crusty bread, pasta, roasted vegetables or even simply with carrot sticks. 

Feel free to mess with the ratios or switch up the herbs. It may not be traditional but cilantro and hazelnut pesto is really good! If you grow nasturtiums, the greens and flowers are both great in pesto. 

Urban Cheesecraft dairy free nasturtium pesto vegan paleo pine nuts

Pesto is a great way to get your greens. You can even throw in a little kale and parsley. There's so much goodness in there, you won't miss the dairy one bit!


Storage Guidelines

  • Cover and store in the refrigerator
  • Use within 1 week
                                                                                                                                                               make life delicious! 
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