Vegan Spinach Pesto

Vegan Spinach Pesto, a quick and easy pesto sauce recipe that uses spinach instead of basil! This delicious recipe requires just a handful of ingredients and 5 minutes to make, and features nutritional yeast instead of parmesan cheese as a vegan alternative.

Craving pesto, but out of basil? No problem! Pesto can be made with just about any type of herbs and greens, and one of our favorite alternative pesto recipes uses fresh spinach.

👉 Here are FOUR reasons why you should be making pesto with spinach:

• It’s delicious! Pesto is so tasty no matter what, but the spinach in this recipe adds a note of freshness that you’ll want to add to everything!
• It’s vegan-friendly. Making spinach pesto vegan is so simple. Instead of parmesan, this recipe uses nutritional yeast which is a plant-based substitute for cheese. Its nutty, cheesy flavor is a great savory addition to spinach pesto.
• It’s easy to make. Simply add the ingredients to a food processor and pulse with some olive oil. Make a big batch so you can use it over and over again in dishes like pasta, pizza, soups, or as a dip for vegetables.
• It’s versatile. The possibilities really are endless for what you can do with pesto! Although this recipe uses spinach, you can try mixing in other types of greens and add seasonings of your choice.

Ready to learn how to make plant-based pesto with spinach? Let’s do it!

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🌱 Spinach pesto ingredients

• Spinach: You can’t make pesto without greens! Spinach is the primary leafy green ingredient in this recipe, providing important vitamins and minerals including calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin K, and vitamin C.
• Nuts or seeds: Pesto is typically made with pine nuts, but you can make it with other varieties of nuts and seeds. Try pumpkin seeds, cashews, or walnuts!
• Nutritional Yeast: A dried, flaky ingredient with a savory flavor that resembles parmesan cheese. Nutritional yeast is a common vegan staple and provides vitamin B12, which plant-based diets often lack.
• Olive oil: Boosts the flavor of pesto and contributes to its texture, preventing it from becoming too thick.
• Garlic, salt, and pepper. These are common pesto seasonings that you can adjust to your liking.
• Optional Ingredients: Add a little lemon juice to balance out the pesto with acid and brighten the flavor.
• Recommended tools: A food processor or blender, knife set, cutting board, and salad spinner are the main tools you will need to make spinach pesto (affiliate links).

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🥣 How to make (step-by-step photos)

1️⃣ Step One: Wash + prep spinach

Start with cleaning the spinach by submerging it in a large bowl of water and swishing to remove dirt. Use a salad spinner to dry it, or lay it flat on a plate or kitchen towel.

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2️⃣ Step Two: Blend greens, nuts, garlic, + oil

Toss the cleaned and dried spinach in a food processor. Add nuts or seeds and garlic cloves, then pulse until finely chopped.

Slowly drizzle in olive oil while pulsing the ingredients. Pulse until the chopped ingredients are well coated in oil, but still chunky.

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3️⃣ Step Three: Add nutritional yeast, spices + lemon juice

Finish it off by slowly adding nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Give the pesto a taste and add more seasonings until you reach your perfect pesto.

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❓ Recipe questions + quick tips

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💡How to serve

Have fun with pesto! Pesto is such a versatile ingredient and can be used to flavor up just about any dish. Here are our favorite ways to serve vegan spinach pesto:

• Use as a sauce or spread. You can’t go wrong with using pesto as sauce for pasta or pizza. It also makes for a delicious spread on sandwiches or bruschetta.
• Use for dipping. Need something to dip your veggies in? Use pesto! You can use pesto as a dip on its own (it’s that good!) but it can also easily be mixed with hummus for a creamy vegetable pairing.
• Mix into salad dressing. Pesto makes a delicious addition for salad dressing. Simply combine it with more olive oil and lemon juice so it can be drizzled over your favorite salad.
• Soup garnish. We love using spinach pesto as a topping for soup! Try it with our Roasted Tomato Leek Soup.

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🧊 How to store

You can make a smaller amount of pesto to use all at once, or make a big batch to store and use to make quick meals. Here’s how we suggest storing any extra pesto:

1. Refrigerator storage: 1 week in an airtight container
2. Freezer storage: 6 months in a sealed freezer-safe container

Pro tip: To prevent browning, it’s best to drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on the surface of pesto before putting it in the refrigerator or freezer. You can add pesto to ice cube trays, freeze, and transfer to a freezer-safe storage bag. Having small quantities on hand are perfect for when you need a quick flavor enhancer!

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♻️ Sustainable kitchen tips

Making homemade pesto is eco-friendly in itself, but here are some ways to make it even better for the planet.

Take advantage of spinach season! Prioritizing in season produce on your grocery list is key to a sustainable kitchen. Spinach is in season year-round in California, but find out where spinach is in season near you here.

Add any leftover greens or herbs that you have on hand. Don’t let your greens or herbs go bad! Instead, mix them in with spinach pesto or use as a substitute for spinach in this recipe.

Make spinach pesto in bulk. You can buy lots of spinach while it’s in season, and then make big batches of pesto that you can freeze and use for months to come. This will prevent you from needing to buy pre-made pesto or buying ingredients out of season.

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💚 More pesto recipes

Can’t get enough pesto? Look no further! Here are more vegan pesto recipes:

• Arugula Pesto
• Kale Pesto
• Broccoli Stem Pesto
• Carrot Greens Pesto
• Beet Greens Pesto
• Cilantro Pesto
• Chard Pesto Sauce