This nut free pesto is sure to become a staple sauce recipe for you. It's fresh and savory and goes well with everything. The best part, though, is it takes just 5 minutes to make!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
It's so versatile. You can put this pesto on pasta, pizza, chicken, veggies, you name it! I love putting it on this microwave pasta for a quick and easy dinner.
You can make it in minutes. This recipe is super quick and easy to make. Just add the ingredients to a food process, blend, and it's ready to use!
No nuts, all the flavor. Even though this is a nut free pesto recipe, it doesn't sacrifice any flavor! It's super fresh tasting with balanced garlic, herbs, and cheese flavors. I honestly prefer this over classic pesto, and whether someone has a nut allergy or not, they'll love this too!
Ingredients You'll Need
- Basil- fresh basil leaves.
- Garlic- fresh garlic cloves.
- Parmesan cheese- you can also use pecorino romano.
- Olive oil- preferably extra virgin olive oil.
- Salt and pepper- a pinch of each.
By the way, you can use all of these ingredients to make this Luca pasta recipe. It's another delicious recipe with a homemade pesto.
How To Make Nut Free Pesto
Step 1: Blend the ingredients. Put the fresh basil, fresh garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Seal the lid and blend for about 30 seconds until everything is combined. Stop every few seconds to scrape the sides. You can also put everything in a jar and blend it with an immersion blender.
Step 2: Serve. Either use your fresh pesto without nuts immediately or store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 weeks or freezer for 6 months.
Variations To Try
- Use nut alternatives, like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds, to give the pesto a slightly nutty flavor.
- Make spinach basil pesto by using half basil and half fresh spinach. You can even omit the basil entirely and just make spinach pesto if desired.
- Make vegan pesto by swapping parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast.
- Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a little extra flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of nuts in pesto?
Some alternatives to nuts in pesto are sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or pumpkin seeds. Personally, I like to skip seeds altogether when making this pesto without nuts.
What can I use this pesto sauce on?
It's delicious on this creamy pesto pasta, parmesan noodles, Italian chicken cutlets, baguette garlic bread, used as a pizza sauce, or mixed with any pasta noodles.
More Recipes
- Chicken pesto pasta
- Stuffed shells with meat
- Lazy lasagna
- Cream cheese pasta
- Tomato paste pasta sauce
Nut Free Pesto
This nut free pesto is sure to become a staple sauce recipe for you. It's fresh and savory and goes well with everything. The best part, though, is it takes just 5 minutes to make!
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth or it reaches your desired consistency. Stop blending to scrape the sides. You can also put everything in a jar and blend it with an immersion blender.
- Serve with pasta, pizza, chicken, veggies or however you want.
Notes
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 weeks or in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for 6 months.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
½ cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 618Total Fat: 62gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 681mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 17g
Emma
love love loved this nut free pesto. Just put it on some chickpea pasta mmmm so good