Fresh Dairy-Free Basil Pesto with Toasted Pine Nuts
- Our Nourished Kitchen
- Jun 7
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
When I say my family is obsessed with pesto, please know this is an understatement. This Fresh Dairy-Free Basil Pesto with Toasted Pine Nuts recipe a staple in our family. We always have pesto in the fridge- my kids put it on everything! This pesto is amazing tossed with pasta, spread on chicken or fish, and mixed with rice or quinoa dishes. This pesto is also delicious with our recipe for The BEST Gluten-Free Dairy Free Meatballs. My kids use pesto as a condiment, in the same ways that many other kids might use ketchup.
We grow basil in our garden from early spring to as long as we can keep it going (usually mid-fall). My kids help regularly water the garden, paying special attention to the basil. When they know we are going to make pesto, they love to assist in carefully harvesting each leaf and placing it in our garden bowl. This pesto comes together quick- in under 15 minutes from start to finish! This recipe is great to meal-prep, and use in dishes through the upcoming week.
I have found that most store bought pestos contain cheese. This pesto is so delicious on it's own, you don't miss the dairy. If you desire a cheesier flavor, you can definitely add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast or hemp hearts. I hope you enjoy this nourishing sauce!
How to Make this Fresh Dairy-Free Basil Pesto
Toast the Pine nuts: Don't skip this step, it really add a great depth of flavor to the finished pesto.Toast them in a pan on medium-low heat. The pan should look seasoned and glisten, but any excess oil should be wiped out.
Spread the pine nuts out in the pan for 2-minutes, wait close by while they toast (and smell amazing!) then shake the pan. Finish toasting for 1 additional minute. The pine nuts should look slightly browned. Take them out of the pan, transfer to a bowl, and cool for 5 minutes before combining with remaining ingredients.
Make the Pesto: Place the fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, smashed garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt directly into the bowl of a food processor or a high-speed blender (I used a Vitamix, which works great). Blend on high for 15 seconds, then add the olive oil and blend on high for 15 additional seconds until the ingredients are completely broken down, fully emulsified, and perfectly smooth. You want to see everything married together in a nice puree.
Transfer into storage dishes and refrigerate. It will stay bright green and vibrant in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days (if it lasts that long!)
Check out other great dinner recipes to add to your weekly rotation:
If you try this recipe, leave a comment below👇 and let me know how it turned out—I absolutely love hearing from you!
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