Bright and fresh tasting, with a lovely zest from cilantro and lemon, this Vegan Basil and Cilantro Pesto brings the spring and summer flavours.
Mixing Herbs in Your Vegan Basil and Cilantro Pesto
My number one trick to elevate a simple pesto is to use a mix of herbs. You will get a much more complex flavour if you use more than just basil in your pesto.
Basil, a member of the mint family, is a beautiful base for pestos. The sweet peppery flavour of basil mixes so well with an array of other fresh herbs. To take a basil pesto to the next level, choose an herb pairing or medley of herbs. Basil, thyme, parsley, cilantro, and mint all complement each other beautifully.
From radish greens to leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, arugula, watercress or even seaweed can be used in pesto. Generally any leafy herb or member of the lettuce family can be turned into pesto. Be sure if your leafy green is bitter, to pair it with a sweeter herb for a balances flavour. When using a woody herb like thyme, be sure to use only the leaves and remove the hard stems.
Cilantro & Nutritional Yeast for a Bright Flavour
This recipe uses basil as its base and cilantro as an accent flavour, for a bright and lovely Vegan Basil and Cilantro Pesto.
Cilantro’s delicate, lacy green leaves have a bright and tangy flavour, resembling a stronger version of parsley. Its pungent zest and citrus-y taste mixes so well with basil to amp up your pesto. Pairing these two herbs really achieve a pleasing complex flavour.
Nutritional Yeast heightens this complex flavour by bringing a nutty aroma into the mix. I suggest not replacing the nutritional yeast in this recipe with a vegan cheese. There’s something about the unique bold flavour of the nutritional yeast that makes the flavour of this Vegan Basil and Cilantro Pesto so divine.
This zesty Vegan Basil and Cilantro pesto can be used to make a cold pasta salad, to add to sandwiches, as a tofu marinade or on top of pizza. You can make my Easy Homemade Vegan Pasta to go with your pesto, or use it as a marinade on my Easy Vegan Seitan Chicken!
Vegan Basil and Cilantro Pesto
Ingredients
Vegan Basil and Cilantro Pesto
- 1 1/4 cup fresh basil (large stems removed)
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro (large stems removed)
- 3 Tbsp pine nuts or almonds (or nuts of choice)
- 3 large cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- 2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3-6 Tbsp water
Instructions
Vegan Basil and Cilantro Pesto
- To a food processor add cilantro, basil, nuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, nutritional yeast. (or use a hand blender, or crush manually with a mortal and pestle.
- Add olive oil and water until desire consistency is achieved. (thicker for pasta and thinner if using as a pourable sauce).
- Continue to blend with food processor or hand mixer (or with pestle and mortar).
- Taste and add more salt, lemon juice and/or nutritional yeast if desired and mix.
- Use in pasta or as dressing. Store leftovers in an air tight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
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