A fresh and bright tasting Vegan Carrot Pesto, made of carrots, garlic, nutritional yeast, oregano, lemon and olive oil.

My Vegan Carrot Pesto has a very light crunch with a savoury and earthy yet slightly sweet aroma. The nutritional yeast gives a hint of nutty cheesiness like a traditional pesto alla Genovese would have.

This healthy and unique twist on pesto is so flavourful and works beautifully on pasta. You can even use it on toast or in a smoked tofu sandwich. It’s super easy to make, plus due to its vegetable content, it’s packing plenty of nutritional value.

Vegan Carrot Pesto Ingredients

Chopped Carrots
Cashews
Nutritional Yeast (My favourite brand is Everland Nutritional Yeast which you can purchase here)

Lemon juice
Olive oil (As usual I suggest a high quality 100% pure extra virgin olive oil like Acropolis Organic)
Water

Oregano
Garlic
Salt

How to Make This Pesto

To a food processor add carrots, cashews, oregano, 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.

Why To Use Carrot Pesto

A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can do wonders for the body! When you add more plants to your food you can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and even positively effect your blood sugar, which can help keep appetite in check!

Adding more vegetables into dishes means increasing your daily nutrients, which is always a great thing! Sauces are a perfect vehicle for sneaky veggies.

If you’re looking for a nutritious way to add sneaky veggies to you and your kids’ meals, this Vegan Carrot Pesto if for you! It’s a totally kid-friendly healthy recipe since carrots are a slightly sweet vegetable that most kids like!

Common Questions

How do I use this vegan carrot pesto?

The best way is in a pasta. Simply add it to any type of pasta as you would a regular pesto. Drizzle with a bit of quality olive oil and a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan cheese!

It’s also great as a dip for veggies, pita and the like. It would make s beautiful addition to any charcuterie board.

Use it as a spread on sandwiches and in wraps as well for a boost of flavour!

WHAT TYPE OF NUTS CAN I USE?

In my pestos I typically like to use unsalted blanched cashews in this recipe. They’re cheaper than pine nuts, and give a lovely creamy taste to a pesto. You can use any nut really! Try walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, pine nuts and more.

HOW LONG WILL THE PESTO LAST IN THE FRIDGE?

Ideally it’s always best to use pesto when it’s just freshly made. It will have the nicest flavour. Since homemade pesto has no preservatives, leftovers will only lasts for about 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Keep it in an air tight container so it remains fresh!

CAN THIS PESTO BE FROZEN?

You can freeze this pesto, like you can any pesto. However, a vegetable based pesto (as opposed to an herb based pesto) will change slightly when frozen. Ideally I would suggest to eat my Vegan Carrot Pesto fresh. If you like, though you can freeze the pesto in a glass jar or other freezer-safe container if you want to use it in large quantities. It will keep in the freezer for up to six months.