This vegan basil & kale pesto is a great condiment to keep in the fridge when you want to put together a quick meal. Add it to pasta or pizza base, use it as a salad dressing, spread it on toast or use it as a dip – it’s so versatile!
I am writing this blog post still overwhelmingly elated after my first Healthy Eating Master Class last week at Rawberry Cafe, Winchester. Although the nerves were riding admittedly high weeks before the event, I managed to conquer them somewhat after demonstrating the first recipe, once I saw the audience tucking into the pots of overnight protein chocolate ‘zoats’ – soaked oats with grated zucchini (or courgette if you’re British) and ‘carrot cake oats’ that I lovingly prepared for them to taste.
If you have been following my humble journey for a little while, you know how much of a big step it was for me to host a master class demonstrating some of my favourite recipes.
Only a few years ago I was a helpless cook who would be setting herself for failure before she even started. It took thousands of baby steps for me to start believing in my abilities and begin to replace the ‘I can’t do it’ attitude with ‘I’ll give it my best shot and see what happens’…
Anyway, I totally digressed. Back to the basil & kale pesto now! I made this vegan pesto for the pizza base sauce at the above mentioned masterclass. I sneaked in an extra ingredient to it this time (kale) to make it even more nutritious. It received a lot of thumbs up from the wonderful audience I had the pleasure to share my evening with, so I’m happy to post the recipe on my blog.
HOW TO MAKE DAIRY FREE KALE & BASIL PESTO FROM SCRATCH?
It’s really easy! We combine fresh basil, kale, pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast flakes (which replaces traditional Parmesan), garlic & seasoning in a blender. We then blitz it up for a few minutes until smooth and creamy. Voila!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS VEGAN PESTO
- It’s a great time saver when you haven’t got much time for cooking.
- Thanks to its versatility, you can use it in so many meals, for instance pasta sauce, salad, pizza base, sandwich spread. The choices are endless!
- It’s super easy and quick to prepare. 10 minutes is all you need!
- If you’re looking to eat healthier, this recipe has less fat than traditional pesto with Parmesan.
- It’s bursting with fresh flavours
- Full of nutrients
- It’s free from dairy, gluten and vegan friendly.
HOW TO STORE BASIL & KALE VEGAN PESTO
This pesto will keep in the fridge, sealed tightly, for up to a week. You can drizzle a little olive oil on top of the pesto to ensure it keeps well.
LOOKING FOR MORE HEALTHY VEGAN RECIPES?
Try some of the readers’ favourite below:
- 15-minute Cheesy Polenta
- Super Easy Spring Greens Salad
- Chickpea Waffles
- The ultimate vegan ‘tuna’sandwich with chickpeas
- 15-minute Green Pesto Pasta
As always, if you basil & kale pesto, I’d be delighted to read your comments and hear your feedback. Be sure to drop a comment here on the blog, tag me in your photos on Instagram @Fit Foodie Nutter, Facebook or Pinterest so I don’t miss them. It gives me so much joy seeing your takes on my recipes!
Stay safe and keep well.
Healthfully yours,
Tania x
BASIL & KALE PESTO (DAIRY FREE, GLUTEN FREE, VEGAN)
Ingredients
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 tbsp pine nuts (you can sub for pumpkin seeds)
- 1/2 cup kale leaves, stalks removed
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- Water* (around 3-5 tbsp)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients apart from water in a food processor or blender and process for 3-4 minutes until well combined.
- Whilst the motor is still running, slowly start adding some water, a tablespoon at a time (I used around 3 tbsp), to reach the desired consistency.
- Transfer the mixture into a jar. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week.
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