HealthyHappyLife.com

  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • about
  • subscribe
  • mom life
  • travel
  • blogging
  • videos
  • free gift!
  • shop
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • about
  • subscribe
  • mom life
  • travel
  • blogging
  • videos
  • free gift!
  • shop
search icon
Homepage link
  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • about
  • subscribe
  • mom life
  • travel
  • blogging
  • videos
  • free gift!
  • shop
×
  • Plant-Based Recipes for Hot Summer Days
  • Simple Vegan Cacio e Pepe Pasta - One-Pot Meal
  • Summer Dress Try-On: My Favorite Twirl-Tested, Celebration-Worthy Picks
  • Face: What Our Skincare Routines Say About Modern Motherhood
  • Still Obsessed: My Rothy’s Code + Review (2025)
  • My Pandemic Baby Is Graduating Preschool
  • 5 Comfy-Cute, One Piece Swimsuits - Long Torso Edit
  • Spring Fling: Best Garden & Outdoor Finds for Your Home & Kids
  • Plant-Based Protein Sources: The Ultimate Guide // Back to Basics Series
  • Overthinking Won't Save You — But This Might
  • Creative Mom Working From Home: Glitter, Chaos, & On-Brand Post-its
  • The Ultimate Copenhagen with Kids Guide: Where to Stay, Eat & Play
Home » Recipes » pasta

Pine Nut Pesto

by Kathy Patalsky · updated: May 5, 2020 · published: Sep 22, 2019 · About 4 minutes to read this article. Leave a Comment

Pine Nut Pesto

This vegan Pine Nut Pesto Sauce is absolutely divine. The texture is like velvet. Rich and creamy, yet totally fragrant and bright. The flavors are basil, garlic, lemon, plant-based Parmesan and of course those nutty, buttery pine nuts. This is a super speedy sauce that will make any boring 'pasta night' into something to crave...

ingredients for pesto
Pine Nut Pesto
These pretty bowls are by East Fork.

Pine Nut Pesto.

I stopped making pesto sauce with pine nuts a long time ago. I remember being at Costco and noticing that a medium-sized bag of pine nuts was something like thirty dollars. then I started noticing how pine nuts were very expensive at just about every store. Pine nuts are still a luxury item. I paid around ten dollars for my medium-sized bag from Whole Foods. But the good news is that a little goes a long way! This recipe calls for only ½ cup of pine nuts, and you can definitely taste their unique, buttery, nutty flavor.

Picking up the 'richness' slack in the ingredients department is the olive oil. If you can, use something with a high quality flavor. Something that Ina Garten would call 'good olive oil.' you will definitely taste the flavor of the oil in this sauce.

fresh basil

Can I reduce the oil? Sure! You can always make tweaks to pesto. The flavor and texture will vary, but you have that option. IF you reduce the oil, you will want to replace that liquid with a bit more pasta water. In turn, your sauce will be less rich, but still doable.

Fresh Basil. Fresh basil is so important for this recipe. You want to choose basil leaves that are perky green and fluffy and vibrant. Any leaves that are blackening or seem wilted will not be good for pesto sauce.

Which dried pasta to use? You can use any pasta variety you'd like. I love a basic spaghetti. Or something like a penne works very well too.

vegan pesto pasta

Make ahead? You can make this pesto sauce up to a day in advance for best flavor. I actually had a bit set aside to see how it fared the next day and it was great! I drizzled it over top an Amy's frozen vegan pizza. So good!

Other Uses for Pesto Sauce?

  • Drizzling over pizza
  • Salad dressing or topping sauce
  • Sandwich drizzle
  • Toss roasted veggies in it
  • Over top roasted potatoes
  • Pesto Lasagna - using pesto in place of marinara sauce
  • And yes, any pasta
bowl of pesto pasta
pasta on a fork
pine nuts
pasta with pesto sauce meal
pesto in a bowl
pine nut pesto

Vegan Pesto Sauce

This ultra-creamy and rich pine nut and fresh basil pesto sauce perks up just about any variety of pasta. Vegan, dairy-free.
5 from 2 votes
click the stars to rate
Print Pin
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 7 minutes mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups fresh basil, rinsed and packed
  • ½ cups pine nuts
  • 2-4 cloves raw garlic
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup olive oil, extra virgin
  • ¼ cup Parmesan, vegan
  • ½ cup spinach, packed
  • ¼ - ⅓ cup 'pasta water' or regular warm water
  • ½ teaspoon pink salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Optional: Lightly toast the pine nuts on a warmed skillet over high heat. Toast in a dry pan for just about a minute, or until a few edges start to very lightly brown.
  • Add the basil, spinach, EVOO, pine nuts, lemon juice, Parmesan, salt, pepper and pasta water to a blender.
  • Blend from low to high for about 2-3 minutes, until perfectly smooth. Add another splash of pasta water if you want your pesto thinned a bit more.
  • To add to pasta: Cook pasta. Pour the pesto into a skillet over medium heat. Allow the pesto to gently warm for two minutes. Add the cooked pasta. Gently toss, still over low-medium heat. Turn off heat and serve.

Equipment

  • blender
recipe author: Kathy Patalsky

nutrition estimate | per serving

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 395mg | Potassium: 164mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 875IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 1mg
Side Dish
American
basil, pasta, pesto, pine nuts, sauce
Did you make this?Snap a pic + tag me! @KathyPatalsky

Pin it for later:

Pine Nut Pesto

Craving another pasta dish? Try my Chunky Veggie Pasta Sauce. Or check out my restaurant-style skillet pasta technique.

Enjoy!

Pine Nut Pesto
Pine Nut Pesto

More All Posts

  • Back to Basics: The Ultimate Guide to Vegan Egg Replacers
  • kathy patalsky hbd 44 joy
    I Bought Myself a Cameo for My Birthday - And No, I Haven't Watched it Yet
  • Easy English Muffin Pizzas for Kids (Vegan & Kid-Approved!)
  • 44. birthday post.

About Kathy Patalsky

Hey there! I'm Kathy, lover of kitty cats, weekend baking, 90's movies, travel, beach fog and foamy lattes. Since 2007, I have been sharing my vegan recipes and photos. My goal is to make your cooking life a little easier, delicious - and plant-loaded - while sharing some LIFE and conversation along the way.

Hi, I'm Kathy! I'm so glad you are here! I've been sharing my vegan life and recipes here on the blog since 2007...

More about me →

my cookbooks
my books

Latest Posts

  • 7 Foods for Lung Health During Wildfire Pollution
  • Letter from the Editor: Embracing the Holiday Time Glow
  • Vegan Holiday Recipe Quicklist
  • Holiday Gift Guide for 4-5-Year-Olds: Top Picks for Magic and Fun!

Trending

  • All Posts
  • appetizer
  • Mom Life
  • recipes
  • personal
  • dessert
  • holiday
  • Smoothies
  • snacks
  • kid recipes
  • kid crafts
  • salad
  • Sandwiches
  • entree
  • 101 Things I Love. Happiness Reflection.
  • 5-Minute Skillet Chickpeas
  • Vegan Dining at Disneyland - 2023 - Complete List!
  • 7 Tips for Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls
  • avocado toast with mushrooms
    Mushroom Avocado Toast
  • peanut butter chickpeas
    Easy Peanut Butter Curry Chickpeas

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • about kathy
  • press
  • © 2024 polished dc, llc
  • Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • sign up..
  • subscriber gift: vegan cheat sheets!

Contact

  • work with me

Goodies

  • shop
  • cookbooks
  • finding vegan
  • videos

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




Let us know what you thought of this recipe:

This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My family loved this!
Thank you for sharing this recipe

Or write in your own words:

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required