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Quick Vegan Kale Pesto recipe – with or without oil.
Making pesto is always a great way to incorporate more greens into your diet without even noticing it. And let’s be honest, there are no better greens out there this time of the year than kale. Right? My Vegan Kale Pesto is super quick to make, plus it’s satiating, healthy and very very delicious, you’ll love it! If you’ve never tried kale pesto before, give it a try, because it’s a total game changer!
Guys, I’m out of excuses for why I post here so rarely. Seriously, I feel constantly guilty for neglecting my blog, but I can’t help…I have really no time nowadays. Plus I still struggle with stress management and anxiety, and to be honest sometimes just the thought of blogging makes me feel exhausted. It actually really sucks, because blogging used to make me sooo happy, and most days I felt like I could hardly wait to finally share a new recipe with you….
So sorry. Let’s hope things will be back to normal soon once.
On a positive and less complaining note, today I finally felt an urge to sit down and write down this recipe (yay!). These two recipes, to be correct. One is an oil-free version with avocado and tahini for extra creaminess, the other one is a more classic approach with olive oil. I personally prefer the oil-free version, however I made the one with oil for a client recently, and they liked it a lot, so I thought I’d share that one with you too.
As always, feel free to use the recipe as a starting point, then adjust it to your liking. If two cups of kale is too much for you, simply use just the half, and add extra basil, spinach, or parsley. You can also use pine nuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, sunflower seeds, or a mixture of those instead of hazelnuts. Add more water for a runny sauce, or keep it all nice and thick without any water. You can blend the pesto extra smooth or keep it a bit chunkier for a rustic version. Serve pesto with pasta, pizza, or soup, or as a bread spread or salad dressing.
If you try this recipe, let me know! I would highly appreciate if you could leave a comment and rate it. Also don’t forget to take a picture and tag it on Instagram (use the hashtag #greenevi) or post it on Facebook! I love seeing what you come up with! ♥︎
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Vegan Kale Pesto Two ways
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Ingredients
For the oil-free version
- 2 cups of tightly packed kale
- 1/3 cup of toasted hazelnuts
- 1/2 avocado
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2–3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt, pepper
For the classic version
- 2 cups of tightly packed kale
- 1/3 cup of toasted hazelnuts
- 1/3 cup of olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2–3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt, pepper
Instructions
- Place ingredients in a food processor, and blend until smooth (or still a bit chunky, if you prefer). Adjust consistency with water if needed. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Category: Main, Sauce
- Cuisine: Vegan
How long will it last in the fridge?
I would say for 3-5 days it’s definitely safe to eat, although I had personally kept it for over a week in the fridge and was still fine 😉
Delicious! And I eat nutritional yeast daily…so this is perfect for me.
Nutritional yeast is life 😛
If using over pasta, how many ounces fettuccine should I prepare?
I would count with 2-4 tablespoons of pesto per person as a serving size, depending on how saucy you like your pasta. So this recipe is enough for 4-8 people. I usually make 3-4 oz pasta per person.
I’ve made pesto recently for a recipe in my Royal Recipes series and I loved it so much I’ve made it again last weekend. When I made it I though that next time I should be trying kale or spinach and I’m going to do that. I like the idea of adding an avocado too. Yum!!
Thanks, Anca! Kale and spinach are always a great idea 😉
Your photos are always so beautiful Evi! I’m yet to try making pesto with kale – so I can’t wait to make this. I looks so delicious!
Thank you so much! 😘
I hope you’ll like it!
Both versions sound great! I am making one pesto or another quite often, but I have never tried kale. I will keep it in mind.
Thanks, Adina! I always buy excessive amounts of kale this time of the year, so I always have enough for pesto 😀
I always want to try pesto .. I am saving your recipe 🙂 how are you doing?
Hi Priya! So nice to see you here again 🙂
I’m fine, just having some very busy weeks, months…that’s why I’m a bit absent from the blog. I hope you are doing great too! 😘
I’m allergic to hazelnuts. Can another nut be subbed in the recipe?
Thank you!
Absolutely! You could try walnuts, cashews, macadamia, pine nuts, or even seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds. 🙂
Be kind to yourself about not blogging. It’s something you have complete control of, so only do it if and when it brings you joy. We’re here waiting for you when you want to post. No one is keeping count of how often you post, I promise! Take care, I enjoy your posts no matter when they come 🙂 I am putting this in my short list to try as it’s hard to find an oil-free pesto!
Thank you so much for this sweet comment and for your encouraging words! It’s really so lovely to read it 🙂 ❤️