Sunflower Seed Pesto (Nut-Free)

[Tessa]

A creamy and flavorful twist on traditional pesto, this Sunflower Seed Pesto is made with sunflower seeds, basil, olive oil, and nutritional yeast. Versatile, vegan, and nut-free, it's perfect for pasta, sandwiches, and more!

How do you make vegan pesto without nuts? Easy! With just a couple of ingredient swaps, the process is very much the same.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients And Substitutions
• How to Make Sunflower Seed Pesto
• Storage
• Recipe Tips
• Serving suggestions
• FAQs
• Recipes To Use With Pesto
• Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe​

• Simple ingredients
• Dairy-free and nut-free pesto
• Use in a variety of recipes

Ingredients And Substitutions​

Here are a few quick notes about the ingredients in this recipe. You can see a complete list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card below.

Sunflower seeds - Instead of the traditional pine nuts, sunflower seeds are a great way to add a nutty flavor without the nuts!

Plus, their own unique flavor makes this sauce delicious!

Raw, unsalted sunflower seeds are best or you may find your fresh pesto too salty. Adding a good source of nutrients like vitamin E, magnesium, folate, fiber, and amino acids, this recipe packs a nutritional punch.

Basil - Fresh basil leaves make this sauce! Feel free to substitute one cup of basil with baby spinach.

Extra-virgin olive oil - a high-quality extra virgin olive oil really rounds out the strong flavors of the basil, garlic, and nutritional yeast. Plus, it's got added health benefits!

Nutritional yeast - In lieu of parmesan cheese found in traditional pesto, nutritional yeast gives us a cheesy tang without the dairy.

Garlic - Fresh garlic is best, but if you need to, you can substitute a ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder per garlic clove.

Lemon juice - Fresh lemon juice brightens up the vegan pesto perfectly.

How to Make Sunflower Seed Pesto​

Step 1: Add the basil and sunflower seeds to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.

Step 2: Now add the garlic, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice and process on low.

Step 3: Slowly stream in the olive oil while processing. Add salt and black pepper, and more to taste.

Step 4: Continue to blend until mostly smooth.

Storage​

Store this sunflower seed basil pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days.

The sauce will darken in color when exposed to air, so add a layer of plastic wrap touching your pesto, before sealing with a lid.

You can freeze this sauce in ice cube trays for up to 3 months. There is also the sheet pan method, but I prefer the ice cube trays.

Recipe Tips​

• Stop the food processor occasionally and wipe down the sides with a rubber spatula so that all the ingredients get integrated.
• A thin layer of olive oil on top of the sauce before you seal it keeps things nice and fresh!
• If you like more of a thin pesto sauce consistency, feel free to add extra olive oil.

Serving suggestions​

So what do you eat pesto with? Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy it:

• Add a little extra olive oil and use as a salad dressing
• Spread on salmon, chicken, or shrimp
• Serve alongside a sheetpan meal like lemon herb chicken thighs
• Tossed with quinoa salads and bowls
• Spread on a BLT or chickpea flour flatbread
• Mixed into this white bean pasta
• Dip with crackers, veggies, socca chips, or polenta fries

FAQs​

How long does vegan pesto last?
Due to the use of fresh basil, vegan pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

What can replace pine nuts in pesto?
Pine nuts can be replaced in traditional basil pesto with a variety of nuts or seeds. Walnuts, almonds, almonds, pistachios, and sunflower seeds are all great substitutes for pine nuts.

Recipes To Use With Pesto​

• 
  
  Homemade Savory Oat Crackers (Gluten-Free)
• 
  
  Carrot Fries (Oven-Baked and Air Fryer)
• 
  
  Veggie BLT Sandwich (Vegan)
• 
  
  Easy Roasted Mexican Potatoes

Love this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5-star rating on the recipe card below and let me know what you think in the comments!

Recipe​

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Sunflower Seed Pesto (Nut-Free)​

A creamy and flavorful twist on traditional pesto, this Sunflower Seed Pesto is made with sunflower seeds, basil, olive oil, and nutritional yeast. Versatile, vegan, and nut-free, it's perfect for pasta, sandwiches, and more!
Course Appetizer, Condiment
Cuisine Mediterranean
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 10 minutes minutes
Servings 8
Calories 161kcal
Author Tessa

Equipment​

• Food Processor

Ingredients​

• ⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions​

• Add the basil and sunflower seeds to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.
• Add the garlic, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice and process on low for about 30 seconds. Stop to wipe down sides with a rubber spatula, if needed.
• Slowly stream in the olive oil while processing, then add salt and pepper. Continue to blend until mostly smooth.
• Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Notes​

• If you like more of a thin sauce consistency, feel free to add extra olive oil.
• A thin layer of olive oil on top of the sauce before you seal it keeps things nice and fresh!

To store: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Pesto darkens in color when exposed to air, so add a layer of plastic wrap touching the surface of the pesto, before sealing with a lid. To freeze: Divide into ice cube trays and freeze for up to 3 months. There is also the sheet pan method, but I prefer the ice cube trays.

Nutrition​

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 321IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg​

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