1/2cupswalnutsor pine nuts (can use 3/4 cup nuts for more texture)
4largegarlic cloves
1/2teaspoonblack pepperadjust to taste
saltto taste
1/2cupolive oil
1/4cupnutritional yeast
1tablespoonlemon juice
Instructions
To a food processor, add 2 cups packed basil leaves. Then to that add 1/2 cup walnuts (or pine nuts) and 4 large garlic cloves.
Also add salt and pepper to taste and then pulse to combine everything together.
Open the lid and now add 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Also, add 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Pulse to combine everything together. Your homemade vegan pesto is now ready!
Video
Notes
You can use up to 3/4 cup of nuts if you prefer, that makes the sauce chunkier.
As you can tell from the pictures, I like my pesto on the thicker side and I also like it chunky. If you prefer a more smooth version you can blend it into a finer paste (you will probably need more liquid).
Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil in this recipe. It makes a lot of difference to the final flavor of the pesto.
If you don't have nutritional yeast, you can simply skip it. The pesto will still be good.
Basil can be replaced with spinach or kale. Or you can do 50% basil and spinach.