Vegan pesto with Macadamia Nuts

macadamia nut pesto in bowl with sliced bread

Course: Appetizer, Sauce

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pistachio pesto, vegan pesto

Prep Time: 5

Servings:

Calories: 251kcal

Author: Cindy Rainey

Macadamia nut pesto is perfect for a cheesy vegan pesto! This pesto is vegan, nutty, and lower oil than some but with all of the pesto flavor you'd expect! Perfect for pasta or dips. You will love the flavor and texture the macadamia nuts lend to this pesto!

Print Recipe

Equipment

food processor or high-speed blender

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves heaping
½ cup macadamia nuts salted, see notes
1 clove garlic
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

To a small food processor add the two (heaping) cups fresh basil leaves, macadamia nuts, garlic clove, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast.
Drizzle olive oil on top.
Following the directions on your food processor, process until the desired consistency is acheived. I like it a little chunkier for dips and for coating large pasta and more liquidy for coating thin pasta. See notes.

Notes

If your macadamia nuts are unsalted, then you will want to add in some salt to taste.

I like the ground macadamia nuts to be a little chunkier for dips and for coating large pasta like corkscrew. If I am tossing with small pasta like thin spaghetti, add up to a Tablespoon more oil and process a little longer to make your pesto smoother and the nuts finer.

Nutrition