Creamy Pesto Sauce (Dairy-Free)

We’re throwing a pesto party, and you’re invited! With all the herby, savory goodness of traditional basil pesto, this CREAMY dairy-free pesto SAUCE is endlessly versatile and almost too easy. It comes together in just 5 minutes with 7 simple ingredients!

This sauce is delicious on everything from pasta to veggies and beyond. Let’s get pesto-ing! 

How to Make Creamy Pesto Sauce, Dairy-Free!

This creamy pesto sauce is a twist on our Easy Vegan Pesto. It has similar ingredients, including basil, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and salt. The difference is that it heads in a creamy, cheesy, saucy direction with cashews and extra water, nutritional yeast, and salt.

To make it, simply blend everything in a powerful blender (so the cashews break down fully), and it’s ready to serve!

We hope you LOVE this dairy-free pesto sauce! It’s:

Creamy
Savory
Bright
Herby
Quick & easy
& SO versatile!

Enjoy it on pasta or drizzle over chicken, fish, veggies, or bowls!

More Herby Dairy-Free Sauces

• Herby Green Tahini Sauce (5 Minutes!)
• Magic Green Sauce (10 Minutes!)
• Easy Green Goddess Dressing (Plant-Based!)
• 6-Ingredient Vegan Tzatziki

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Creamy Pesto Sauce (Dairy-Free)

5-minute CREAMY pesto sauce with cashews and fresh basil. An herby, savory, dairy-free addition to pasta, veggies, and beyond!

Author Minimalist Baker

Print
SAVE SAVED

4.50 from 10 votes

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8 (1/4-cup servings)

Course Sauce

Cuisine Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Italian-Inspired, Vegan

Freezer Friendly No

Does it keep? 2-3 Days

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• 2/3 cup raw cashews*
• 2 cups (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
• 3 Tbsp olive oil (for richness // if oil-free, add more water)
• 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2-2/3 cup water

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender* (starting with the lesser amounts of lemon juice and water) and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust, adding more cashews for richness/thickness, more nutritional yeast for “cheesiness,” more lemon juice for brightness, or more salt for overall flavor/balance.
• Enjoy on pasta or drizzle over chicken, fish, veggies, or bowls!
• Leftover sauce will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Not freezer friendly.

Notes

*A NutriBullet or similar small, powerful blender will also work well. We didn’t find it necessary to soak the cashews for this recipe, but if you don’t have a powerful blender, soaking will help (though it may not be enough to achieve a completely creamy sauce).
*Recipe as written makes ~2 cups.
*Adapted from our Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta (30 Minutes!).
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of lemon juice.

Nutrition (1 of 8 servings)

Serving: 1 (1/4-cup) serving Calories: 116 Carbohydrates: 4.6 g Protein: 3.3 g Fat: 10 g Saturated Fat: 1.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4 g Monounsaturated Fat: 6.3 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 295 mg Potassium: 141 mg Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 0.8 g Vitamin A: 70 IU Vitamin C: 3 mg Calcium: 21 mg Iron: 1.1 mg