If you're on the hunt for a bold and flavorful sauce that's both dairy free and gluten free, look no further than this delicious dairy free pesto sauce. Packed with fresh ingredients and healthy fats, this homemade pesto sauce delivers everything you love about traditional pesto-without the cheese.
Homemade Dairy Free Pesto Sauce
Whether you're avoiding dairy due to allergies, lactose intolerance, or a plant-based lifestyle, this easy recipe for pesto sauce is a must-have in your kitchen rotation. Plus, it's incredibly versatile: drizzle it over pasta, spread it on sandwiches, use it as a dip, or spoon it over roasted vegetables.
Traditional pesto is made with Parmesan cheese, but this dairy free pesto uses a clever blend of ingredients like nutritional yeast and nuts to mimic that rich, cheesy flavor-without compromising taste or texture. The result? A creamy pesto sauce that's 100% dairy free and bursting with flavor. Better yet, it's naturally gluten free too!
DIY Pesto Sauce Ingredients
Making your own homemade sauces is easier than you might think. All you need are a few fresh ingredients:
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves (washed and packed)
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast (for that cheesy flavor)
- ½ cup olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
- ½ cup raw cashews or pine nuts
- Salt and Pepper to taste
How to Make This Easy Sauce Recipe!
Blend it all: Add basil, nuts, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
Add the oil: With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and blend until the mixture becomes a creamy pesto
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. That's it!
Variations of this Dairy Free Pesto Recipe
This is just the start. Try adding spinach or kale to stretch the basil and sneak in extra greens. Swap in walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds for different textures. With a base as simple as this, there are endless dairy free pesto recipes to explore.
If you've tried this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram @thrivingglutenfree or leave a review below!
Let's cook!
Dairy Free Pesto Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basil Leaves packed
- 2-3 cloves Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup extra virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice ½ a lemon
- ½ cup pine nuts macadamia or cashew nuts(optional)
Instructions
- Using a food processor pulse basil, garlic, salt, nutritional yeast and nuts, if using. Pulse until ingredients are finely chopped.
- Add in the olive oil and lemon juice. Continue to pulse until combined.
Dietitian Mom says
Yum, great idea to add nutritional yeast into pesto sauce! 🙂
thrivingglutenfree says
Thanks! It's delicious! Let me know if you try it 😊