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. You can make it ahead and it will store for up to a week in the fridge. Enjoy, x.
Simple Vegan Kale and Cashew Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh kale, washed and roughly torn packed cups
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 2 garlic cloves or more to taste
- 1 1/4 cups olive oil up to 1 1/2 cups
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp 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
![Autumn arrived today and it is officially soup weather. As a kid my favourite soup was chicken noodle. These days I can still enjoy a bowl minus the bird. This birdless version from my cookbook #greatveganmealsforthecarnivorousfamily uses jackfruit to add texture to the crazily authentic and flavorful broth. Takes me back to my childhood. 💚
4 to 6 servings1 (14-oz [400-g]) can jackfruit
2 tbsp (30 ml) tamari
⅛ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp (10 g) nutritional yeast
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely sliced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp water plus 2 cups (503 ml) for
the soup broth
Zest of 1 lemon
4 cups (1 L) vegetable stock
Handful (around 3 oz [85 g]) dried
spaghetti, broken
1 cup (30 g) baby spinach, finely
sliced
Good pinch sea saltDrain and rinse the jackfruit and cut each one into thin slices from the longest point of the triangle. Put the sliced jackfruit in a bowl with the tamari, white
pepper and nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil to a large soup pot or saucepan and heat over low heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves and thyme and
saut. for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water. Cook
covered, for around 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, add
the second tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat.
Add the jackfruit and sauté for 5 minutes, pulling it apart gently with a fork as you
cook. Stir the shredded jackfruit into the vegetables, add the lemon zest, stock and
remaining water, and bring the soup up to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for
20 minutes. Add the broken spaghetti, cooking for another 7 minutes. Remove the
bay leaves and thyme, stir in the baby spinach and season with sea salt. #letscookvegan #fromscratch #foodstyling #meatlessmonday #makeitdelicious #tastingtable #eatplants #worldwideveganfood #goop #thecookfeed](http://scontent-ort2-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/9b62eb225aa88c73717b1f85ec8d6d6a/5D81B1E8/t51.2885-15/e35/s320x320/53425017_2026465847655903_4310692797615736546_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.cdninstagram.com "Autumn arrived today and it is officially soup weather. As a kid my favourite soup was chicken noodle. These days I can still enjoy a bowl minus the bird. This birdless version from my cookbook #greatveganmealsforthecarnivorousfamily uses jackfruit to add texture to the crazily authentic and flavorful broth. Takes me back to my childhood. 💚
4 to 6 servings1 (14-oz [400-g]) can jackfruit
2 tbsp (30 ml) tamari
⅛ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp (10 g) nutritional yeast
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely sliced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp water plus 2 cups (503 ml) for
the soup broth
Zest of 1 lemon
4 cups (1 L) vegetable stock
Handful (around 3 oz [85 g]) dried
spaghetti, broken
1 cup (30 g) baby spinach, finely
sliced
Good pinch sea saltDrain and rinse the jackfruit and cut each one into thin slices from the longest point of the triangle. Put the sliced jackfruit in a bowl with the tamari, white
pepper and nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil to a large soup pot or saucepan and heat over low heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves and thyme and
saut. for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water. Cook
covered, for around 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, add
the second tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat.
Add the jackfruit and sauté for 5 minutes, pulling it apart gently with a fork as you
cook. Stir the shredded jackfruit into the vegetables, add the lemon zest, stock and
remaining water, and bring the soup up to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for
20 minutes. Add the broken spaghetti, cooking for another 7 minutes. Remove the
bay leaves and thyme, stir in the baby spinach and season with sea salt. #letscookvegan #fromscratch #foodstyling #meatlessmonday #makeitdelicious #tastingtable #eatplants #worldwideveganfood #goop #thecookfeed")
Hmm so tasty
Not a great pesto flavor. I much prefer a basil. Which I added and made it taste better to me
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.