Last updated on February 21st, 2021 at 08:12 am
Ready in 10 minutes flat, this simple vegan kale and cashew pesto is a lovely twist on the traditional basil variety. Made with raws cashews and a bucket of kale, it's simple, healthy and so addictive.
This post is going to be super brief because it is part one of a two-parter. I am putting the finishing touches on a post for my new food crush, my zucchini and mozzarella pizza with kale pesto. Including a much tried and tested pizza dough recipe, this pizza is super green and packed with flavour. But for now, we'll get on to the vegan kale and cashew pesto which will store in the fridge until you're ready to dive in to the pizza prep.
I am not a big fan of basil pesto. Maybe my tastebuds are a little immature but I find basil pesto bitter. Needless to say I was pretty chuffed to find Toby Puttock's kale pesto in his new cookbook Super Natural.
While Toby's recipe is vegan, as is the entire Super Natural cookbook, I have made a few tweaks. I can't help it - I have never met a recipe I haven't felt the need to tweak. Perhaps it's the control freak in me. Don't judge.
With Toby's original recipe firmly in mind, I have kept true to the kale and cashew ratios however here, I deviate. I prefer a little less oil in my pesto than the original recipes calls for so I have reduced it down, I also added nutritional yeast and lemon zest to boost the already lemon freshness.
The result is a vibrant, fresh and slightly citrus pesto with no basil bitterness but a tonne of kale goodness. The beauty of pesto is that you can adjust the seasonings to suit your taste buds. I added lemon zest but you could omit it. Add as much salt as you need and it's awesome with a good crack of black pepper. If you prefer more umami add another half spoon of the nutritional yeast. Simples.
Perfect atop a green pizza or tossed through roast vegetables - like I had for dinner last night - this vegan kale pesto is wonderfully versatile. Ready in no time, it's a trusty back-pocket recipe for unexpected guests or something for your next party. Did someone say party? I have 35 Vegan Party Food Recipes you're going to love. But I digress -you can make this pesto ahead and it will store for up to a week in the fridge. Enjoy, x.
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Simple Vegan Kale and Cashew Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh kale, washed and roughly torn packed cups
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 2 garlic cloves or more to taste
- 1 ¼ cups olive oil up to 1 ½ cups
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the kale, cashews and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Add the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, nutritional yeast and a good pinch of salt and pulse again until combined.
- Taste and add more lemon or salt to your taste.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Nutrition
LOLa says
Excited to try this recipe, do the cashews need to be soaked before putting in the food processor?
Amanda says
Hi Lola, no the cashews don't need to be soaked - we want the texture. It's very similar to making a traditional pesto with pine nuts and basil. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
Lola says
Thanks so much for the quick response, I'm glad I asked!
Amanda says
No worries! 😉
Karen says
I made the recipe for my family and we love it! How long is it good for in the refrigerator before I need to freeze it? Thank you
Amanda says
Hey Karen, I am so happy you guys like the pesto. Me too! It will keep in the fridge for 4 - 5 days. For best results I would either freeze some straight away or around the 3-day mark. I freeze my pesto flat in a ziplock bag for a month r so. I haven't frozen it for longer. Have an awesome day. x
Karen says
Wonderful! Thank you so much. I made a double batch, but I don't think this family will have a problem going through it in a month 🙂
Perveen Usmani says
Hi Amanda, I love this pesto. I put some extra garlic but it was too garlicy so I adjusted the other things accordingly, like you said. Thanks you1
Amanda says
Fantastic Perveen! I am so glad you like it.
Madison says
Hmm so tasty
Renae Beck says
Not a great pesto flavor. I much prefer a basil. Which I added and made it taste better to me
Amanda says
Hi Renae, It's a personal thing. I don't love basil pesto so this is a nice alternative to basil. Thanks for the feedback.