Easy Walnut Pesto

5 from 1 vote

With a rich, nutty twist on classic basil pesto, this summery 6-ingredient, 5-minute walnut pesto is quick, easy, and irresistible with pasta, sandwiches, and more!

Prep Time5

Cook Time0

Total Time5

Course: Dip and Spread

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings: cups

Author: Toni

Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup raw walnuts
1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 small cloves)
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a blender or food processor, combine the basil, walnuts, garlic, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and salt.
Blend on high until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.
Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

Video

Notes

Use high-quality ingredients: I highly recommend fresh, bright green basil, high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, good walnuts, etc.

For deeper flavor: Toast the walnuts until fragrant.

To adjust the texture: Pulse the walnut pesto until chunky, smooth-ish, or completely smooth. Also, adjust the oil (or water) for a thicker/thinner pesto.

Don’t over-blend: Otherwise, the basil and walnut pesto may become overly runny, bitter, or murky.

Thank You! https://truesavings.info/easy-walnut-pesto/%C2%A0%3C/em%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-17247":{"type":"food","name":"Easy Walnut Pesto","slug":"wprm-easy-walnut-pesto","image_url":"https:\/\/foodsharingvegan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Walnut-Pesto-4-e1747539534947.jpg","rating":{"count":1,"total":5,"average":5,"type":{"comment":1,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":0,"amount":"\u00bd ","unit":"cup","name":"tightly packed fresh basil leaves","notes":"","unit_id":51,"id":2500,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bd ","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"uid":1,"amount":"1","unit":"cup","name":"raw walnuts","notes":"","unit_id":51,"id":2501,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","name":"minced garlic","notes":"(about 2 small cloves)","unit_id":93,"id":2502,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"\u00bd ","unit":"cup","name":"olive oil","notes":"","unit_id":51,"id":1509,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bd ","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","name":"nutritional yeast","notes":"","unit_id":95,"id":627,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"}}},{"uid":5,"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","name":"salt","notes":"","unit_id":93,"id":58,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}}],"originalServings":"2","originalServingsParsed":2,"currentServings":"2","currentServingsParsed":2,"currentServingsFormatted":"2","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0}}}