This easy broccoli pesto is a delicious twist on traditional pesto, made with fresh broccoli, herbs, garlic and nuts. It's creamy, fresh and full of flavour, and ready in minutes. Try tossing some through this Dairy-Free Macaroni Salad.
It's a great way to use broccoli in a different way and makes a versatile vegan pesto sauce for pasta, sandwiches, wraps and to drizzle over roast vegetables. Make a batch of these tasty Pesto and Cheese Swirls with it for something rather special.
And because there is no cheese in this recipe, it's naturally vegan and dairy-free.
At-a-Glance - Broccoli Pesto
⏲️ Ready in: 3 minutes
👪 Serves: 8
🍽 Calories: 39
🧾 Main ingredients: Broccoli, basil, garlic & cashew nuts
👩🏻🍳 Suitable for: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian
An exciting fresh gluten-free pesto that will perk up so many lunches and a good way to add some extra veg.
Summarise & save this recipe:
Jump to:
- At-a-Glance - Broccoli Pesto
- ⭐ Why You'll Love This Homemade Broccoli Pesto
- 📋 What You Need
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make Broccoli Pesto
- 🥦 Don't you need to cook the Broccoli?
- 💭 Drain the broccoli well before blending
- 🥦 Can I use the Stalk?
- 🥦 How to Serve Dairy-free Broccoli Pesto
- 🥦 Can I make Broccoli Pesto Ahead?
- 💭 FAQs
- 🥣 More Vegan dips & Sauces to try next
- ⭐ Sign up for a free recipe sent to your inbox every morning
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
⭐ Why You'll Love This Homemade Broccoli Pesto
- It's easy and quick to make
- A delicious alternative to traditional basil pesto
- Packed with the goodness of broccoli
- Naturally vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free
- Great for lunches and snacks
- Easy to adapt
- Can be made ahead
📋 What You Need
Here are the simple ingredients for this simple plant-based pesto. The full ingredient list is in the recipe card.
- Broccoli - I use tenderstem broccoli, but you can use a standard head of broccoli
- Garlic - you can add extra garlic
- Parmesan - I don't add cheese to this pesto, but you can add some vegan parmesan or nooch (nutritional yeast)
👩🏻🍳 How to make Broccoli Pesto
This pesto is super easy and quick to make in a blender or food processor.
Step 1
Step 1 - Add the broccoli and garlic to a food processor or blender, then add the basil and nuts.
Step 2
Step 2 - Add the olive oil, season, and blend. Don't overblend, as it's nice to have a bit of texture. Taste to check the seasoning, then serve. Enjoy!
🥦 Don't you need to cook the Broccoli?
Nope, you can blend the raw broccoli to make this pesto.
Raw broccoli is more nutrient dense, and of course it's quicker to blend it uncooked, less washing up too.
However, if you have leftover cooked broccoli after making lunch or dinner, you could use it to make pesto.
Jac's Top Tip
💭 Drain the broccoli well before blending
Extra water clinging to the florets will make the pesto thin and dilute the flavour, so drain well and pat dry before adding to the blender or food processor.
🥦 Can I use the Stalk?
Yes, do add the stalk to the blender too; just cut off any tough parts. It's full of flavour and good stuff.
🥦 How to Serve Dairy-free Broccoli Pesto
Broccoli Pesto Pasta
Pesto is always good in pasta. Stir some pesto through the freshly cooked pasta, along with some reserved pasta water to make a silky sauce and top with this tasty Vegan Parmesan.
TOP TIP: add frozen peas, corn or spinach (or all three) to the cooking pasta and add an extra boost of veg to your meal.
Sandwiches
Spread a generous layer of the homemade broccoli pesto onto soft bread or crusty baguette and top with roast vegetables, vegan feta and salad leaves.
Wraps
Use as a tasty spread in a wrap with cooked vegan sausages and grated vegan cheddar.
Toast
Spread it on toast and top with slices of Marinated Cherry Tomatoes and avocado or fried mushrooms and vegan feta, and top with a generous grinding of black pepper.
Grain Bowls
Add rice, quinoa or couscous to a bowl along with a generous dollop of this dairy-free pesto, slices of avocado, falafel (try this Air Fryer Falafel), slices of tomato, sundried tomatoes and Pickled Cabbage or pickled beetroot and top with crumbled vegan feta.
Dip
Use it as a dip for crunchy vegetables, breadsticks or crusty bread.
Baked Potatoes
Add broccoli pesto and roast veg to a fluffy jacket potato or add a dollop before adding grated vegan cheddar.
🥦 Can I make Broccoli Pesto Ahead?
Yes, this pesto will keep happily in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Give it a good stir before serving.
You can freeze it too, freeze portions in an ice cube tray, then pop in a labelled and dated freezer bag.
You can leave it in the fridge overnight to defrost before making lunches in the morning or pop a cube into soups and sauces for a burst of fresh flavour.
💭 FAQs
Yes, you could use seeds instead of nuts, such as sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
Yes, you could add vegan parmesan cheese or add nooch (nutritional yeast) for that cheesy flavour.
I wouldn't recommend frozen broccoli as it contains a lot of water, which will ruin the texture and thin the pesto.
Add a splash of water or olive oil and blend again.
It sounds like the broccoli wasn't drained and dried well. Try adding more nuts to the mixture and blend again.
If the broccoli is a little bitter, you can add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten up the flavours and add vegan parmesan or nooch (nutritional yeast) to even out the flavours.
🥣 More Vegan dips & Sauces to try next
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📖 Recipe
Easy Broccoli Pesto
Ingredients
- 60 g broccoli 10 stalks tenderstem or 4-6 florets standard broccoli
- 10 g fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic
- 200 g cashew nuts
- 250 ml olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Whizz all the ingredients until smooth or nearly smooth in a blender, food processor, pestle and mortar or in a beaker or jug with a hand blender.
- Taste to check and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- You may use standard broccoli instead of tenderstem.
- You may add vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast (nooch) if you like, but do try it without it.
- This pesto can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- This pesto can be frozen in portions and defrosted in the fridge.
Unknown says
As a pesto lover, I am having so much love for this! Thank you for sharing!
Jess Morton says
I made this today and it is great! thanks for the recipe.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I am so glad you enjoyed the pesto. It's great being able to add extra veg to dishes.
Kylie says
Such a nice change from traditional pesto!
Annissa says
Love this healthy and yummy recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Kate says
Oh it's such a great idea to make pesto with broccoli! I can't wait to give it at try.
Anonymous says
This looks so good and a good way of adding extra veg sneaky like for my kids.
Anonymous says
I have not heard of tender stem but I do have a broccoli in the fridge waiting to be used. Thanks for the inspo.
Unknown says
This is actually perfect for my toddler who's starting to love pasta! Thank you for your recipe!