This Basil Pesto is a vegan and dairy-free version with all the same bright and herby flavors as traditional pesto! It’s also lower in oil than your typical pesto recipe so less fat and calories per serving! This recipe makes a good sized batch of pesto which can all be used for a large pasta dish or frozen for later (I like to freeze in an ice cube tray!) for smaller uses like spreads or aiolis, Mediterranean-style tofu scrambles, or dips, just to name a few ideas.
Tips for success
- Instead of processing, stir in the olive oil by hand at the end. When olive oil is exposed to a high speed blade, it creates an emulsifying effect with the polyphenols. Polyphenols are compounds (known for their antioxidant properties) that have a bitter taste but they’re coated with fatty acids which keeps the bitterness from being released. When the blade chops the polyphenols down into smaller droplets, the polyphenols emulsify the pesto (which is good) but also releases the bitterness and disperses that throughout the mixture — leaving the pesto with a bitter taste. By hand stirring, the olive oil stays intact, has a more rustic flavor, and prevents it from being bitter!
- Heat can also make pesto bitter. Heat will also break down the polyphenols, so that’s why it’s best to stir in the pesto after everything is cooked rather than heating the pesto itself up to high temperatures.
- Don’t freeze longer than 3 months. I always want to make pesto to squirrel away in the freezer for way too long, but don’t do that. I need to stop doing that. It’s so much better fresh, it’s easy to make, and after 2-3 months it starts to get freezer burn. Make it, enjoy it!
Why skimp on the olive oil, isn’t it healthy?
It is! Olive oil is 75% monounsaturated fatty acids by volume, which is a healthy fat! Studies have shown that olive oil consumption reduces risk of heart disease, certain cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, respiratory disease, and all-cause mortality.1 Extra virgin olive oil is superior to plain olive oil because it’s processed without high heat and chemical solvents, which salvages the phenols in the extra virgin olive oil. Phenols act as antioxidants and there are at least 30 phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil.2
Some recipes use a ton of olive oil, but I try to keep it to a minimum. Why skimp if it has all these health benefits? Olive oil in moderation has potential health benefits but don’t forget the saying “too much of a good thing”. Just because olive oil has healthy compounds doesn’t mean we should drown all our food in it. Studies have shown that replacing high saturated fats in the diet (such as butter, margarine, mayonnaise, and dairy fat) with olive oil can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and provide all these heart-healthy, brain-healthy, anticancer benefits.3 These health benefits weren’t occurring by adding olive oil to the diet but rather swapping out the high saturated fats with olive oil.
What if you removed all the saturated fats and limited olive oil as well? If it’s the phenolic compounds found in olive oil you’re concerned about missing out on (mainly oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol) why not add a few fresh green olives to your diet instead? Fresh olives are a better source of those phenolic compounds since it’s the whole food rather than processed but moderation is key as they are packaged in brine.
If you’re trying to lose weight then you can eliminate a lot of unnecessary calories and fat just by sautéing your veggies in a splash of water instead of olive oil, for one simple example. If you heat your skillet up with 2 Tbsp olive oil for sautéing, that’s 240 calories, 28 grams of fat, and 4 grams of saturated fat before you’ve even added any food to the pan. If you’re not using a non-stick, more oil gets drizzled in as you cook and to prevent sticking. I honestly didn’t realize how much olive oil I was actually using until I switched to non-stick pans and splashes of water for sautéing veggies.
Basil
Basil is an aromatic herb with bright and green flavors with a hint of mint, anise, pepper, and a slightly sweet finish.
When I’m able to get an abundance of basil from the garden, I make pesto with all basil leaves. If I buy basil from the store then I’ll cut it with spinach to get more bang for my buck. Totally up to you!
Pesto isn’t limited to just basil, or even greens! Have you ever had Olive Pesto Pasta? It’s delicious. Mint pesto pasta is fantastic way to utilize all that wild mint growing in your yard! Or what about Stinging Nettle Pesto? Yum!!
Basil is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory4 but it doesn’t have a particularly high amount of vitamins and minerals — except for Vitamin K! A ¼ cup of fresh basil packs an impressive 31% of the Daily Value of Vitamin K, with Vitamin A trailing behind at 6% DV.5
Basil Pesto (Vegan and Dairy Free!)
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh basil tightly packed and large stems removed
- 1/3 cup walnuts or pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼-½ tsp salt to taste preference
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil more if desired
Instructions
- Fit food processor with chopping blade. Add nuts and garlic and process until chopped. Add lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and basil leaves and process until everything is finely chopped and a paste consistency, stopping to scrape the sides a few times.
- When pesto is at desired consistency, remove the blade and stir in 3-4 Tbsp olive oil until pesto is creamy. (Stirring in olive oil will help prevent pesto from being bitter!) Add anything more to-taste!
Notes
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4198773/#:~:text=Conclusion,%2C%20and%20MUFA%3ASFA%20ratio.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12550060/#:~:text=Olive%20oil%20is%20a%20source,are%20oleuropein%2C%20hydroxytyrosol%20and%20tyrosol.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35027106/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28720944/
- https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/spices-and-herbs/213/2
