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the best basil pesto
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The Best Soy free Vegan Basil Pesto

A super easy recipe for creamy soy free vegan pesto sauce! Only few ingredients to enjoy a dairy free basil pesto as tasty as the famous traditional Italian sauce!
Course Appetizer, First dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword basil, dairy free, gluten free, pesto, soy free, vegan, white sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cashews soaking time 1 hour
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 3 to 4 pasta servings

Equipment

  • 1 pan/bowl (to boil/soften the cashews)
  • 1 strainer (for the basil)
  • 1 blender
  • 1 spatula
  • 1 bowl or jar

Ingredients

  • 100 gr fresh basil leaves
  • 20 gr extravirgin olive oil (+ extra to go on top)
  • 30 gr pine nuts
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 100 gr unsalted cashews
  • 60 gr cold water
  • salt (to taste)

Instructions

  • Soften the cashews either by letting them soak in water an hour or by boiling them a couple minutes
  • Wash the basil leaves in cold water, rinsing them a couple times and making sure they're free from dirt
  • Remove the skin from the garlic cloves (and their core if you want it to be more digestible)
  • Put all the ingredients inside the blender, adjusting salt to taste and adding one clove of garlic at a time and tasting the pesto before adding more
  • If your are not going to use it right away, pour it in a glass jar, cover it with olive oil and close the jar. Store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days