This homemade vegan pesto is fresh, vibrant and packed with basil, garlic and creamy cashew nuts. Ready in 5 minutes, it has so much more flavour than most shop-bought pesto and can be stirred through pasta, spread on plant-based sandwiches and wraps, drizzled over soups and used to add a burst of flavour to salads and roasted vegetables.
Traditional pesto is made with Parmesan and pine nuts, but this dairy-free version swaps in creamy cashews and optional vegan hard cheese (Violife do a good Parmesan dupe called Prosociano or try my easy Vegan Parmesan) to make a rich, fresh sauce that's easy to make, freezer-friendly and perfect for meal prep.
At-a-Glance - Cashew Pesto
⏲️ Ready in: 5 minutes
👪 Serves: 10 portions
🍽 Calories: 95 kcals (depending on portion size)
🧾 Main ingredients: Fresh basil, cashew nuts, garlic, vegan parmesan (optional), olive oil, seasonings
❄️ Freezer-Friendly
👩🏻🍳 Suitable for: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian & gluten-free
Once you see how easy and full of flavour this pesto is, you won't go back to shop-bought pesto.
Summarise & save this recipe:
Jump to:
- At-a-Glance - Cashew Pesto
- ⭐ Why You'll Love This Pesto
- 📋 Ingredients You Need
- 💭 Is Pesto Good Without Parmesan
- 💭 Why Use Cashew Nuts Instead of Pine Nuts
- 💭 Adding Fresh Basil
- 👩🏻🍳 How to Make Cashew Pesto?
- 👩🏻🍳 Variations
- 🍜 Beyond Pasta
- 🥣 How to Store Homemade Pesto
- Pesto FAQs
- 🥪 More Vegan Sandwich Spreads to Try Next
- ⭐ Sign up for a free recipe sent to your inbox every morning
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
⭐ Why You'll Love This Pesto
- Ready in minutes
- Fresher than shop-bought pesto
- Simple ingredients
- Freezes well
- Great for meal prep
- Perks up many dishes including salad, sandwiches, wraps & pasta
- Easy to customise
If you love pesto, also try this Broccoli Pesto and you also might like this recipe for Homemade Sundried Tomato Paste.
📋 Ingredients You Need
This vibrant homemade dairy-free pesto is made with a few simple ingredients.
Find the full ingredient list with quantities in the recipe card.
- Olive oil - I like to use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), but you can use a milder olive oil or rapeseed oil
- Parmesan - You can add Vegan Parmesan, substitute it with nutritional yeast (nooch) or skip it
- Cashews - Give this pesto a rich, creamy finish, but you can use pine nuts instead
💭 Is Pesto Good Without Parmesan
Basil is the star flavour of a good pesto, but vegan parmesan gives a savoury flavour.
You can sub the parmesan with nooch (nutritional yeast), which gives a good umami flavour and a boost of Vitamin B12, but honestly it's still good if you skip the cheesy flavour altogether and add neither.
💭 Why Use Cashew Nuts Instead of Pine Nuts
| Cashews | Pine Nuts |
| cheaper | expensive for a small bag |
| buttery, sweet flavour | more delicate flavour |
| easier to find | more traditional |
| creamy texture | more grainy |
Try this easy homemade pesto with cashews and compare the flavour and texture with your regular pesto. I am sure you will love this variation.
Jac's Top Tip
💭 Adding Fresh Basil
When choosing basil for your pesto, look for bright green leaves with no black spots and wash and dry thoroughly before adding it to your blender or food processor to make pesto.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Cashew Pesto?
These step-by-step photos show you how easy and quick it is to make this plant-based pesto in a blender or food processor.
- Step 1: Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender (you can also use a pestle & mortar if you prefer).
- Step 2: Blend until fairly smooth, though you can leave more texture if you prefer. Taste to check seasoning.
- Step 3: Spoon into a clean jam jar or airtight container and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
👩🏻🍳 Variations
- Chilli pesto - add fresh chilli or chilli powder and paprika for heat
- Lemon pesto - add lemon zest and juice
- Rocket (arugula) pesto - swap half or all of the basil with rocket leaves
- Spinach pesto - swap the basil with spinach
- Sundried tomato pesto - add sundried tomatoes
- Kale pesto - add kale instead or as well as basil
🍜 Beyond Pasta
When you think of pesto, your first thought may be to toss it through freshly cooked pasta or pasta salad; while this is delicious, there are many other ways to use this herby green sauce.
- Spread on bread when making sandwiches
- Add to wraps
- Swirl into soups
- Drizzle over pizza
- Mix into mashed potatoes
- Stir into risotto
- Spoon over roasted vegetables
- Mix into couscous or quinoa
- Stir into hummus
- Dollop onto a jacket potato or baked sweet potato
- Spread on toast before adding avocado and black pepper or slices of ripe tomato and salt
🥣 How to Store Homemade Pesto
Store in an airtight container or jam jar in the fridge for 4-5 days.
To freeze, spoon portions into an ice cube tray (you can buy large ice cube trays for bigger portions), then move to a labelled and dated freezer bag or tub and take out what you need.
Defrost in the fridge overnight or add straight to soups or sauces.
Pesto FAQs
Absolutely. Cashews are an excellent alternative as they are cheaper and have a wonderfully creamy texture, but you can use other types of nuts too.
For best results, use fresh basil, but if you are adding the pesto to other dishes and it's not the star of the show, you can make pesto with frozen basil.
Homemade pesto is definitely better as there are no preservatives, additives or other nasties and you can control the ingredients and tweak it to your tastes.
Pesto makes an excellent sandwich spread and it's good in wraps and toasties too.
🥪 More Vegan Sandwich Spreads to Try Next
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Cashew Pesto
An easy recipe for a vibrant green vegan pesto made with basil and cashews.
Ingredients
- 120 ml olive oil
- 30 g fresh basil
- 100 g salted cashew nuts
- 3 tablespoon vegan parmesan (optional)
- 1 clove garlic
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients in a blender, food
processor or a pestle and mortar. - Blend until it is the pesto consistency you like.
- Taste to see if it needs more seasoning.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- I sometimes skip the vegan parmesan altogether or add nooch (nutritional yeast instead).
- Remember if you are using salted cashews, you don't need to add more salt.
- I keep this pesto in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it in ice cube trays, then pop it in a freezer bag I've labelled and dated.
Chrissie Douglass says
I like the sound of this, could you use coriander?
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Definitely, it's fun to swap the herbs or nuts each time.
Simone says
Love this and it was super easy to make. I find everything off your website so far has been a success in my household. Just one thing, could you PLEASE add a Jump to Recipe button. I know it's there for the occasional recipe bit I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't need all the blog and just wants to make the deliciousness😊 Thanks so much.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Hi Simone. I am glad you are enjoying my recipes. Yes, a few of the early posts from when I started on Blogger have no jump to button as I couldn't figure out how to add one when they converted to WordPress. The majority of the posts do though and they all will have it going forward. If you want a wee hack, just hit on comments, it will whizz you down to the bottom and the recipe card is just above that.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yes they do. I actually prefer them.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
It is rather colourful and such a versatile dip.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh absolutely. It's so much nicer.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Yes the cashews do give a different flavour. Do try it.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
It's super vibrant. I hope you enjoy it.
Anonymous says
Wow what a color 😍 I am going to try it.
Beth says
Yummy! This looks so delicious and tasty! Homemade recipes are my favorite! I can't wait to make this!
Lauren Vavala says
Cashews are my all time favorite nut. I love regular pesto with pine nuts, but this recipe is a must try for sure!
Dannii says
Wow, look at the colour of that - so vibrant. We use pesto a lot for a quick and easy meal, and I love the look of this vegan version.
Julia says
I absolutely agree with you! Homemade pesto is the best!
Alisa says
The cashews are a great addition. They add a great buttery flavour.