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The World’s Best Vegan Pesto, Ready in Under 5 Minutes

January 25, 2016 By Carrots and Flowers

The best vegan pesto, ready in five minutes

I have a love affair with this vegan pesto. Seriously, I have made this three times just this week alone! With only five ingredients plus salt and pepper, you can make this sauce easily in under five minutes, and have dinner ready to go in ten. I have really been enjoying making scrambled tofu with vegan pesto and cherry tomatoes. It makes a delicious savory vegan breakfast wrap, and it’s ready in a pinch if you have the pesto set to go in the fridge. The video for that meal is coming soon on our new Youtube Channel!

For lunch or dinner, I will usually toss this sauce with whole wheat spaghetti and tofu, then stir in some baby kale while it’s still hot enough to wilt. I just brought a huge bowl of this pesto pasta to an epic lakeside picnic brunch with friends. It was gobbled up and raved about all afternoon. In the spirit of fun and delicious food, we are making it a local LA Meetup called Disco Picnic, so be on the look out for that as well!

The best vegan pesto, ready in under five minutesThe best vegan pesto, ready in under five minutesBack to the deliciousness at hand! When it comes to store bought pesto, there aren’t many vegan options. Most pestos have cheese in them, not to mention cheap, refined oils. Making your own homemade vegan pesto is the best because you know exactly what’s in it! You can ensure all the ingredients are fresh, organic, and local if possible. We bought a basil plant from Trader Joe’s a few months back that wasn’t doing so well. We replanted it in a larger container, so hopefully it will grow into a healthy, strong bush! We want to have endless pesto from our own backyard. It doesn’t get more local than that. 🙂

The best vegan pesto, ready in under five minutes

 

World's Best Vegan Pesto, ready in under five minutesWorld's Best Vegan Pesto, ready in under five minutes Best Vegan Pesto, ready in 5 minutesWe brought our bright green, tasty jar of fresh vegan pesto out to visit our newly replanted basil plant! Hopefully the plant will be inspired to grow into a giant bush and fulfill its delicious culinary destiny.

Best Vegan Pesto, ready in 5 minutes

The World's Best Vegan Pesto, Ready in Under 5 Minutes
 
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Prep time
5 mins
Total time
5 mins
 
The absolute BEST vegan pesto around! Cheezy, flavorful, and garlicky. Perfect for pasta, as a spread, or for making scrambled tofu.
Author: Carrots and Flowers
Recipe type: Sauce
Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 cups fresh basil, large stems torn off
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup hemp seeds
  • 3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ cracked black pepper
Instructions
  1. Rinse the basil, wringing out most of the water and toweling it off a bit. A small amount of water is ok.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large food processor. Mix for 2 minutes.
  3. Stop to scrape down the sides and process for another minute. Then high five yourself, you're done! How easy was that? 🙂
3.5.3226

 

Best Vegan Pesto, ready in 5 minutes

What did you think of this recipe? Tell us in the comments below!

 

 

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Tagged With: Breakfast, Dinner, Easy, Pasta, Pesto, Raw Vegan, Sauce, Vegan

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Comments

  1. Pasha Birman says

    January 25, 2016 at 4:36 am

    This looks incredibly delicious!

    Reply
    • carrots and flowers says

      January 25, 2016 at 4:40 am

      Thank you! We have a very skilled photographer capturing the magic. 😉

      Reply
  2. Linda Knight says

    January 25, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    Tom uses pine nut for his pesto. Why do you use hemp seeds? What do they taste like? I’m sure I’d love your recipe to becuase I love the taste of fresh basil.

    Reply
    • carrots and flowers says

      January 25, 2016 at 9:07 pm

      Hemp seeds are really nutritious. They have more protein than pine nuts (a concern for some vegans) and are also about 1/3 of the price! I use them in so many dishes and smoothies. The flavor is mild and nutty.

      Reply
  3. Edna Lora says

    January 26, 2016 at 2:28 am

    I think I will try pesto with hemp seeds. I do use walnuts and also add fresh mint to my pesto.

    Reply
  4. Shawn Ilardi says

    April 20, 2016 at 8:25 am

    I’ve made this pesto and absolutely loved it. I’m making another batch tomorrow 🙂

    Reply
  5. Kim L says

    July 20, 2016 at 7:38 pm

    We love this recipe, we use it for pasta and pizza!

    Reply
  6. lynnbaird says

    August 15, 2016 at 3:57 pm

    Mine turned out kinda gunky, like it was very difficult to mix, is there anything I can do to fix this?

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      August 15, 2016 at 4:48 pm

      Hey Lynn,

      That’s a shame! We are sorry to hear that. Are you using a food processor or high powered blender? A regular blender would require much more blending time for the pesto. I would try blending again adding a tablespoon of olive oil or water at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  7. lynnbaird says

    August 22, 2016 at 3:38 am

    Hey You guys are really helping me covert to vegan with all your recipes! I guess my blender isn’t the best so maybe that’s the issue. Next time I make it I’ll use a little more oil or water as suggested until it looks like the pictures. Thanks for replying ❤️

    Reply
  8. Melissa LeClerc says

    October 18, 2016 at 10:52 am

    How long would it keep in the fridge?

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      October 19, 2016 at 3:34 am

      Hey Melissa,

      The pesto is good in the fridge for up to five days, although it usually disappears much faster than that!

      Reply
  9. Sara says

    December 22, 2016 at 4:50 pm

    Do you think I could use unhulled hemp seeds?

    Reply
  10. Kenny says

    September 21, 2020 at 8:14 pm

    Where do you find 3 cups of fresh basil?! We love this recipe but I can only find little packs at the store. Thanks!

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Megan aka Carrots & Flowers. I make delicious plant-based recipes for people who love to eat and want to feel good about it! I especially love vegan cheese, 30-minute meals, and kid-friendly options.

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