Nut Free Pesto (vegan pesto!)

While I love pesto I realise that those with nut allergies can be left out. So I came up with this delicious nut-free pesto which ticks all the taste boxes but is great for everyone. There is no parmesan in this recipe either so it is a vegan pesto recipe too.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Vegan pesto or even nut-free pesto is not something you can find easily in the supermarket.
• My vegan pesto is super economical to make, no expensive pine nuts and no cheese either!
• The taste – my vegan pesto tastes delicious and is so versatile too.

I share a lot of pesto recipes here. To me, pesto is real fast food. You can do so much with it. From adding it to pasta to stirring it into soup.

Spreading it on bread to using it as a dip for a party or just for yourself in front of the TV with a glass of wine and some crisps.

But I haven’t shared an allergy-friendly pesto with you before and it’s high time I did. This is a nut-free pesto and also a vegan pesto recipe.

Vegan Pesto!

Actually, this nut-free pesto is also dairy-free as the toasted breadcrumbs I use in the recipe also replace the parmesan cheese.

In Italy, poor people would use bread to replace cheese if they didn’t have any, and breadcrumbs became known as paupers cheese.

Feel free to add parmesan if you wish. I like to make it both ways, either with or without the cheese.

The keen reader of Larder Love will know that I adore pesto. So much so that I wrote a book about it. Yes, if you get that into a subject go write a book about it!

A Passion For Pesto

This delightful Ebook contains over 75 recipes for all types of pesto from herb-based pestos to ones made using veggies.

There are even weedy pestos too. And best of all my fruit-based dessert pestos. There are also loads of recipes for how to use your homemade pestos too.

Ingredients for nut-free pesto

Anyway back to that nut-free pesto. There are only 3 ingredients in this vegan pesto recipe.

Bread – You will need 2 slices of good-quality white bread

Herbs – I have used a mixture of herbs in this nut-free pesto recipe. Fresh basil, parsley and thyme plus a wee bit of dried thyme to really kick start the flavour and really makes this simple vegan pesto recipe sing!

Garlic – that kick of garlic flavour really ramps up your vegan pesto.

Olive oil – use a good quality olive oil, you will always taste the difference when you are making pesto if you use a good quality olive oil to start with.

Can you use other herbs?

Yes, you can use any combination of herbs that you like in this vegan pesto recipe. A mixture of herbs really pumps up the flavour and since you don’t have cheese in this vegan recipe you want to pack in as much flavour as possible.

How to make nut-free pesto

With this nut-free pesto you want to replace the nuts (and parmesan) with the bread. Now just using the bread as it is wouldn’t hold much taste or texture.

I have cut the bread into cubes, seasoned it with salt and pepper plus some dried thyme and toasted it. Basically making croutons.

Whizz the garlic in your food processor along with the herbs’

Now simply throw those croutons and PULSE. Don’t just switch it on and leave it.

If you do that you will just end up with a smooth paste. You want your nut-free pesto to have the proper consistency of normal pesto so leave some texture in there.

Add seasoning and as much olive oil as you like.

How long will this keep?

Your vegan pesto will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Make sure the top of the pesto is covered with oil to keep that vibrant colour.

Serving ideas;

You can use your nut-free pesto in so many ways, from adding to a simple bowl of spaghetti to using as a dip. 

Or spreading on a sandwich or dolloping into soup, the choice is yours, but this nut-free vegan pesto will make your taste buds sing, in Italian of course!

Looking for more super easy pesto recipes to try? Then check these out before you go;

Rosemary and walnut pesto

Strawberry and basil pesto

Great British pesto

Nasturtium leaf and flower pesto

Roasted red pepper pesto

Wild garlic pesto

Carrot top pesto

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.