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This Kale Almond Vegan Pesto makes a wonderful alternative to traditional basil pesto plus it's cheaper to make & it's dairy free. Stir through freshly cooked pasta for a super fast & nutritious meal!

This recipe for Kale Almond Vegan Pesto was originally posted in April last year, a week or two after I started my website. I have been making it regularly since then and it has evolved a little for the better over time.

I decided that I should update this post to reflect that and also retake the photos because, quite frankly, the original ones were absolutely terrible! My photography, although still not perfect, has improved considerably since my early days shooting with just my phone and I really wanted to do this delicious vegan pesto justice, by making it look a lot more attractive than it did in my earlier photos!

Kale seems to be one of those things that you either love or hate. I love it and really enjoy the distinct flavour of this delicious pesto.

This Vegan Pesto combines:

fresh kale

garlic

a little nutritional yeast

olive oil

almonds

And it takes all of a few minutes to make.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PESTO

SEE MY VIDEO FOR A VISUAL GUIDE. FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST

Making Vegan Pesto is just as easy as making regular non-vegan pesto is. In fact pesto is one of the easiest recipes you can make period.

Here's how:

STEP 1

Add all of the ingredients, reserving abut half of the almonds for later, to a food processor.

STEP 2

Process until as smooth as you want it to be.

STEP 3

Check the seasoning and add a little more olive oil or a little water to think if required.

STEP 4

Add the reserved almonds and pulse until they are chopped into chunky, texturized pieces.

STEP 5

Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge.

HOW TO SERVE VEGAN PESTO

I love this pesto served with pasta but there are lots of other ways to use vegan pesto:

Try it in my Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta Salad

Use it on pizza instead of pizza sauce, or use it as well as pizza sauce, dolloped all over the top

Spread in sandwiches or wraps before filling

Fill homemade ravioli with it

Top grain, pasta or rice bowls with it

Use in panini

Try it in a baked sweet potato with some cashew cheese. So good!

Toss through steamed new potatoes

Use it to flavour soups and stews

This Kale Almond Vegan Pesto is deep green with flecks of chunky, crunchy almonds. It tastes great freshly made but tastes even better after a few days in the fridge. I store it in a little mason jar and it is then ready for a quick meal at the drop of a hat. It also freezes very well.

Enjoy folks!

Kale Almond Pesto Melanie McDonald This Kale Almond Pesto makes a wonderful alternative to traditional basil pesto plus it's cheaper to make & it's dairy free. Stir through freshly cooked pasta for a super fast & nutritious meal! 5 from 2 votes Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 5 mins Total Time 5 mins Course Entree, Main Course, Sauce Cuisine vegan Servings 6 Servings Calories 194 kcal Ingredients 1x 2x 3x 7-8 large Kale Leaves 7-8 large Kale Leaves

5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (if you prefer not to use oil you can sub this for water but you won't get quite as good a consistency or flavour) 5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (if you prefer not to use oil you can sub this for water but you won't get quite as good a consistency or flavour)

3 large Garlic Cloves (add more or less depending on how much you like) 3 large Garlic Cloves (add more or less depending on how much you like)

4 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast 4 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast

70g / ½ Cup raw Almonds 70g / ½ Cup raw Almonds

Salt Salt

Pepper Pepper

water to thin as necessary water to thin as necessary RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT Food Processor INSTRUCTIONS Wash the kale and strip the leafy parts from the stems. Discard your stems or save them in a bag in the freezer with other veggie trimmings to make your own homemade veggie stock. Wash the kale and strip the leafy parts from the stems. Discard your stems or save them in a bag in the freezer with other veggie trimmings to make your own homemade veggie stock.

Add the kale, olive oil, garlic nutritional yeast and roughly half of the almonds to a food processor or blender and process until as smooth as you would like it. Add the kale, olive oil, garlic nutritional yeast and roughly half of the almonds to a food processor or blender and process until as smooth as you would like it.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and add more olive oil or a few drops of water to thin if you prefer a thinner pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add more olive oil or a few drops of water to thin if you prefer a thinner pesto.

Add the remaining almonds and pulse until they are chopped but not too small. A nutty, chunky texture is really good! Add the remaining almonds and pulse until they are chopped but not too small. A nutty, chunky texture is really good! NOTES Use immediately or keep in a jar in the fridge for up to a week. It also freezes well. If it becomes a little dry just add a few drop of water or some olive oil to dilute it slightly. NUTRITION Serving: 1 serving Calories: 194 kcal Protein: 6 g Fat: 17 g Sodium: 7 mg Fiber: 3.2 g Sugar: 0.8 g Vitamin A: 1050 IU Vitamin C: 18.2 mg Calcium: 50 mg Iron: 0.9 mg Tried this recipe? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan Get my Top 10 reader's favourite recipes e-Cookbook FREE!