I am pesto-obsessed. If you are tired of basic pesto pasta, then you need to try this Easy Vegan Kale Pesto! It’s entirely dairy-free, but so flavorful and nutritious. It’s an amazing way to sneak in extra greens like kale. You can use this on pasta of course, layer it into vegan lasagna or stir it into my lasagna soup. I love pesto because you can make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for up to 6 months. If you love pasta, then you need to make my All Your Greens Pasta or Beauty Beet Pasta next!
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Notes on Ingredients
- Basil: Fresh basil is the base of this pesto. I used Josie’s Organics.
- Nutritional yeast: Find nutritional yeast in the seasoning/spices or baking aisle of your grocery store.
- Almonds: Any nut of choice is fine. Cashews and pine nuts are equally as delicious.
- Garlic: I like fresh garlic for enhanced flavor, but powder works too.
Please take note that this is important information about the ingredients used in this recipe and the FULL recipe with measurements and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
How do you make Easy Vegan Kale Pesto?
- Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until it’s totally combined.
- Scrape down the sides as necessary.
- Stir into your favorite pasta and enjoy!
- Step 1: First, add everything to a food processor and blend.
- Step 2: Then, scrape down the sides as necessary and blend until completely smooth. Pour over warm pasta and enjoy!
Commonly Asked Questions
For pesto, it’s best to use a food processor. You can use a blender but it may get too smooth.
Basil is traditional in pesto, but you could replace it with another herb like parsley or green.
Substitute sunflower seeds for the almonds.
Why organic?! Josie’s Organics doesn’t use any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides on their farms. This is so important! I used the fresh organic kale for this pesto from Josie’s Organics, an amazing all organic company that grows their produce in the fertile California Valley. Their family farming business dates back to the 1920’s, when two young Swiss immigrants, Sebastian and Josie Braga decided to start growing beets, tomatoes, onions, hay and corn. Today, three generations later, the organic family farming tradition is being kept alive! Josie’s Organics harvests over 25 varieties of USDA certified organic veggies. I love their inspiring story and love supporting them by buying their produce! If I see Josie’s Organics in the grocery store, I snatch it up real quick because it’s truly such fresh produce. You can find their produce at stores like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Sprouts and many more. Be sure to look out for Josie’s Organics in your local store! Use their store locator here!
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Extra Helpful Tips
- Use gluten-free noodles to make this pasta gluten-free.
- Add an optional drizzle of olive oil into the pesto for enhanced flavor.
- Use a food processor, not a blender, to blend this pesto sauce.
- Use blanched/skinless almonds to make the pesto extra smooth.
How to Store
Store the pesto pasta leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze pesto sauce for up to 6 months.
If you tried this Easy Vegan Kale Pesto or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 5-star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Easy Vegan Kale Pesto
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta I used brown rice pasta
- 2 cups kale I use Josie's Organics
- 2 cups fresh basil
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup almonds blanched
- 2 lemons blanched
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in the food processor until smooth scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Stir into your favorite pasta and enjoy!
Notes
- Use gluten-free noodles to make this pasta gluten-free.
- Add an optional drizzle of olive oil into the pesto for enhanced flavor.
- Use a food processor, not a blender, to blend this pesto sauce.
- Use blanched/skinless almonds to make the pesto extra smooth.
Nutrition
This post was made in partnership with Josie’s Organics.
Mimi says
Wonderful and fresh recipe! Don’t even miss the oil!
Jordan Stacy says
This pesto is bursting with flavor! I love that it’s dairy-free. I use it on so many things!
Katie says
Do you blanch the lemons? Do you use the whole lemon?
Jordan Stacy says
Hi Katie! Jordan from the HealthyGirl team here. You just juice the lemons.