This Traditional Pesto Sauce & Variations can easily be adapted to create the perfect pesto with your own dietary preferences in mind (whether vegan, nut-free, dairy-free etc.)—all without sacrificing any flavour! It’s all about the base…but more on that later.
“It’s a tradition” is a line from one of my favourite movies, Fiddler on the Roof . While it might not be Jewish, a beautiful pesto sauce is an Italian tradition worth embracing.
I can just close my eyes and conjure a picture of some modest kitchen in the foothills of northern Italy, with Italian music in the background as someone is gathering the freshest herbs and garlic from their own healthy garden in the backyard. And plucking a nice fresh bottle of pure olive oil from a nearby vineyard. Ahhhh….now that’s amore!
Now back to my kitchen. What I like about pesto sauce is that it’s so easy to make really wonderful variations of it—whether motivated by your preferred dietary needs or that you’d simply like to use up whatever ingredients you have on hand. All this becomes possible once you are confident with making a solid base.
And the first five ingredients in this recipe are the base. For instance, this Traditional Pesto Sauce & Variations can easily be adapted to be vegan-friendly by swapping out parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast. (Just don’t tell your friend’s Italian mama!!)
Basil can be swapped out for parsley, cilantro, mint or a combo based on what you are having it with. And the same goes with the nuts.
See tips at the bottom of this recipe for storing and other swapsies, like making it nut-free.
Adding liquids/oils is what makes it into a sauce. And you can control how thick or thin you like it.
Keeping some pesto on hand is great for adding pizzazz to almost any recipe, including a salad dressing, pasta, grilled or cooked veggies, or with fish or any meat.
Check out these recipes below for ideas:
Cheese-free Pesto Salmon (or use this Traditional Pesto Sauce if you’re okay with dairy)
Traditional & Cheese-Free Pesto
Equipment
- Food processor or small blender
- Measuring cup
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 2 cups Fresh Basil fresh, cleaned and dry
- 2 tbsp Walnuts or nuts of your choice, make it nut free by using sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- 3 Garlic cloves peeled
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 3 tbsp Olive oil extra virgin, cold pressed
- 3 tbsp Water filtered, more if needed
Instructions
- basil, nuts or seeds, garlic, nutritional yeast or cheese and sea salt to your food processer or small blender and blend into a nice paste consistency.
- Gradually add the oil in by drizzling a little at a time while blending if possible.
- Scrape down the sides and blend again.
- Add in 1 tbsp of water at a time and blend until consistency desired.
- Add the pesto sauce into a glass container with a lid and store in the fridge. Or alternatively, you could freeze in single portions and take out as needed.