Creamy Pesto Sauce (Dairy-Free)
5-minute CREAMY pesto sauce with cashews and fresh basil. An herby, savory, dairy-free addition to pasta, veggies, and beyond!
Servings 8 (1/4-cup servings)
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup raw cashews*
- 2 cups (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
- 3 Tbsp olive oil (for richness // if oil-free, add more water)
- 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled
- 1/2-2/3 cup water
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender* (starting with the lesser amounts of lemon juice and water) and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust, adding more cashews for richness/thickness, more nutritional yeast for “cheesiness,” more lemon juice for brightness, or more salt for overall flavor/balance.
- Leftover sauce will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Not freezer friendly.
Notes
*A NutriBullet or similar small, powerful blender will also work well. We didn’t find it necessary to soak the cashews for this recipe, but if you don't have a powerful blender, soaking will help (though it may not be enough to achieve a completely creamy sauce).
*Recipe as written makes ~2 cups.
*Adapted from our Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta (30 Minutes!).
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of lemon juice.
*Recipe as written makes ~2 cups.
*Adapted from our Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta (30 Minutes!).
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of lemon juice.
Nutrition (1 of 8 servings)
Serving: 1 (1/4-cup) serving Calories: 116 Carbohydrates: 4.6 g Protein: 3.3 g Fat: 10 g Saturated Fat: 1.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4 g Monounsaturated Fat: 6.3 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 295 mg Potassium: 141 mg Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 0.8 g Vitamin A: 70 IU Vitamin C: 3 mg Calcium: 21 mg Iron: 1.1 mg