Vegan Spinach Pesto (Nut-free) (10+ Ways to Use It)

Take a handful of fresh basil and spinach leaves and turn them into a nut-free pesto in 5 minutes! To make this Italian classic condiment vegan you will need SEVEN simple ingredients. No expensive pine nuts or cashews nuts will be required to make this tasty vegan spinach pesto recipe.

Condiments are not always worth making at home but sometimes it is just too easy like making peanut butter or hummus. Sometimes the store-bought version contains so many weird ingredients but if you choose homemade you will know exactly what you are eating like in these vegan cream cheese, vegan sour cream, or vegan BBQ sauce recipes. Browse through our vegan condiments recipe gallery to find more. 

Nut-free and vegan, how?

The original Italian pesto (also called “pesto alla Genovese“) is made of pine nuts, basil leaves, Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, and a bit of salt. Traditionally, all ingredients are crushed in a mortar and mixed with olive oil. This is the base of all pesto variations including pesto with spinach.

If you are looking for a nut-free basil pesto recipe, you probably already know that pine nuts are tree nuts. Therefore, if you have a nut allergy you should look for a substitute. We recommend sunflower seeds since they have been so helpful in other nut-free recipes. Other substitutes can be pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas), sesame seeds, or hemp seeds.

Why would pesto not be vegan? Neither Parmesan or Pecorino cheese are vegan, but it is still easy to make vegan pesto. Because there are marvelous substitutes. We love using this brand*, but the easiest substitute is nutritional yeast.

Try also our vegan sun-dried tomato pesto if you are looking for a red pesto recipe.

Ingredients

How to make spinach pesto vegan and nut-free? If you have these 7 ingredients and a food processor you can have a delicious pesto in no time. So what do you need?

• Fresh basil leaves
• Fresh spinach leaves
• Garlic
• Nutritional yeast (instead of Parmesan cheese)
• Sunflower seeds (instead of pine nuts)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Nutmeg (optional – but it adds a lovely zing to it)

In some vegan pesto recipes, I do see lemon juice as an ingredient. We don’t think you need it though here. Neither do the people in Italy, since the traditional pesto recipe doesn’t have it either.

How to make vegan spinach pesto without nuts?

Prepare the ingredients

• Wash the basil and spinach leaves.
• Peel garlic cloves.
• Measure all ingredients.

Blend them in 5 minutes!

Making a vegan spinach pesto is really only one step. Add all ingredients to your food processor. To make a smaller serving size, use an immersion blender. Blend iYou t until you get the correct texture. You might need to stop and scrape the sides a couple of times before your pesto is ready.

The end result shouldn’t be as smooth as hummus, but there shouldn’t be any large pieces. Its texture should be similar to a thick, stiff paste with a little chunkiness like in the below picture.

Wanna try it with a mortar?

Do you want to go down the traditional route and use a mortar with a pestle?

1. Start with crushing the garlic and the sunflower seeds to a creamy consistency.
2. Add the nutritional yeast and the salt and mix thoroughly.
3. Add the spinach and basil leaves little by little. As well as the olive oil. You should alternate between the leaves and the oil.
4. Crush them as hard as you can. It may take a while to get them to a chunky consistency.

What to do with pesto?

Think of anything Italian and then think outside of this box. We have a couple of ideas for you to start with:

• PASTA -> Start with this vegan spinach pesto pasta recipe (see it in the below picture). Traditionally, Italians use mandilli de sæa (“silk handkerchiefs”), trofie, or trenette, but any type of pasta would be perfect. Or add an extra layer of flavor to this asparagus lemon pepper pasta.
• GNOCCHI -> How about combining our homemade sweet potato gnocchi with this nut-free pesto recipe? I’ll tell you that it will be delicious.
• LASAGNA -> You can turn a simple vegan lasagna into a spinach lasagna with a bit of pesto. We have this vegan cabbage lasagna recipe where you can substitute this spinach pesto for spinach alfredo in the recipe.
• PIZZA -> Skip pizza sauce and use pesto to make this Mediterranean pizza. If you want to make a thin Italian-style pizza but need it to be gluten-free, check out this easy-to-roll gluten-free pizza crust recipe.
• RISOTTO -> What’s not to love in vegan risotto, especially with some spinach pesto for additional yumminess.
• MARINADE -> You can use it as a marinade for these grilled vegetable kabobs, this cauliflower steak or tofu steak. Pesto would be perfect to add to any roasted vegetables like these roasted asparagus and mushrooms side or these roasted cauliflower.
• SANDWICH -> Add it to a grilled cheese sandwich or bruschetta. I would totally try it with vegan egg salad sandwich. Skip the cream cheese and turn these cream cheese pinwheels into a pesto one.
• SALAD -> Drizzle it on top of your favorite green salad or any other type of salads really. Haven’t I already told you that pesto just goes with everything.
• SOUP -> It can be a garnish or topping for any creamy vegan soup. We especially love it with this Hokkaido pumpkin soup or with this vegan cauliflower soup.

Let us know in the comments what is your favorite dish with pesto!

FAQs and substitutions

What can you use instead of sunflower seeds?

You can use any other nuts and seeds actually. The most popular ones to make vegan pesto is cashew nuts and pine nuts.

If you are looking for nut substitutes try almonds, pecans, or walnuts.

If you have a nut allergy, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or hemp seeds work just fine. We choose sunflower seeds for their budget-friendly nature as well as because we just love using sunflower seeds in place of other nuts and seeds.

Can you make pesto without basil?

You can use any combination of fresh green herbs and leafy greens. The original pesto uses basil, but you can use mint, cilantro, or parsley. More creative recipes use even carrot greens or sage.

What can you use instead of spinach?

You can use kale, arugula (rocket salad), watercress, or any other collard green. The flavor profile will be slightly different for all combinations.

Can I use dried leaves instead of fresh ones?

Nope, I don’t recommend using dried leaves. The consistency will be way off.

How to store leftovers?

It is perfect for batch cooking since you can store it in the freezer up to 6 months without any problem. Since pesto is quite rich and filling, you don’t need a lot per serving. Using an ice cube tray to freeze them in small portions is a popular option. You can transfer it to a freezer-safe storage bag to save space.

You can also keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days without problem. Oil is a good preserver so it may be good even longer. If the oil has a pungent odor or the taste is off, don’t use it.

This spinach basil pesto recipe is dairy-free and egg-free. It is suitable for vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, and gluten-free diets. It is not compatible with whole foods plant-based diet as olive oil is a kind of must-have ingredient.

More vegan spinach recipes

You can browse through our vegan spinach recipes or check out these.

• The Easiest Cream of Spinach Soup
• Creamy Spinach Pasta Sauce
• Vegan Stew with Jackfruit
• Vegan Cabbage Lasagna with Spinach Alfredo
• Green smoothie (Kiwi Banana Spinach)

More vegan condiment recipes

You can browse through our vegan condiments or check out these

• 5-minute Oil-free Hummus
• Roasted Beetroot Hummus
• Peanut Butter
• Marinara Sauce
• Vegan BBQ Sauce

UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in May 2021. It has been updated with more info, tips, serving suggestions, and related recipes and republished in May 2022.