Vegan Kale Pesto

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Need a quick lunch or dinner idea? Try this hearty, creamy vegan kale pesto recipe. It takes only five minutes, from start to finish.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

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⅓ cup olive oil
1 cup kale
1 cup fresh basil
1 garlic clove
A squeeze of fresh lemon
¼ cup pine nuts (toasted)
¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes (for cheesy flavor)
Pinch of pink sea salt and pepper

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Instructions

Remove the stems of the kale and basil, keeping only leaves.
Rinse the kale and basil under cool water, removing any dirt in the leaves. Then, pat dry. Any excess water on your leaves will dilute a flavorful pesto.
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until you get a green paste. (This usually takes about one minute.)
If needed, add more salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast to taste.
Enjoy over your favorite pasta (I prefer brown rice pasta or sprouted whole wheat pasta.)

Notes

What I love about this vegan kale pesto is how versatile it is. On days when pasta feels a bit heavy, I like to spread this pesto on toast. I also use it as a dip when I feel like snacking! So don’t forget to make spare servings for those peckish nights.

For storage, cover the pesto with a plastic film and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze it for up to 1 month, but I recommend you divide it into portions before freezing. When you’re ready to eat, simply use a microwave oven to defrost to your desired temperature.