Vegan Sunflower Seed Pesto

Vegan Sunflower Seed Pesto is a budget-friendly, nut-free, and dairy-free twist on traditional pesto. It requires just seven ingredients and under 5 minutes to whip up a deliciously flavorful sauce that's delicious in so many dishes.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5

Total Time 10

Course sauces and condiments

Cuisine Italian, veg

Servings cup

Calories 890 kcal

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

50-60 grams fresh basil leaves ~2 cups
½ cup sunflower seeds raw and unsalted
2 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ - ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

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Instructions

Process: Place all the ingredients, except for the oil, into a food processor equipped with an "S" blade. Pulse until everything is chopped. Open it up and scrape down the sides whenever needed.
Drizzle: Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the processor running. Continue to blend until the mixture reaches your desired consistency. You will probably need to scrape down the sides a few more times and may not need all the oil.
Adjust: Taste the pesto and add salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. If the pesto is too thick, add more olive oil to reach your desired consistency.
Serve/Store: Immediately put this pesto to good use (check out the serving ideas in the post), or keep it fresh by transferring it to an airtight container and drizzling a bit of olive oil on top to prevent browning. It'll remain vibrant and tasty in the fridge for about 4-5 days. For longer storage, freeze it in a container suitable for the freezer.

Video

Notes

Fresh basil equals vibrant pesto.

The food processor is my go-to for making pesto. The blender is doable, but a bit harder to get the consistency right and a bit of a hassle to scrape all the pesto from the bottom.

Cut back on oil without losing flavor by reducing it by half and adding a bit of water if needed. Also, using a food processor makes it much easier to use less oil by drizzling it and stopping when you reach your desired consistency.

This is a matter of preference, but I like to blend pesto until it is just smooth for a bit of texture.

To prevent basil pesto from darkening, add a thin layer of olive oil when storing in the fridge and place a plastic wrap touching the surface to keep the air out. Then add an airtight container lid.

Nutritional information is only an estimate.

Nutrition

Keywords budget friendly, easy, gluten free, less than 10 ingredients, nut free, quick

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