If you're a fan of sun-dried tomatoes and pesto, you'll love this vegan sun-dried tomato pesto. It's bright and tangy with an umami kick that plays nicely with pasta, pizza, roasted vegetables, and more. And it comes together in minutes in a food processor with just seven ingredients.
You may recognize it as the sauce from my pesto roasted Brussels sprouts recipe. Made with plump, flavorful sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, it's an easy twist on traditional vegan pesto sauce.
Just like the green version, this pesto isn't only for pasta. Spoon it over vegetables, swirl it into soups, and spread it on sandwiches. You can also serve it as a dip or whisk it with oil and vinegar to make a bold salad dressing.
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Sun-dried tomato packed in olive oil: Look for them in a jar, either whole or sliced. (If you want to use dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes instead of ones packed in oil, you will first need to rehydrate them. You can soften them in a small bowl of olive oil or warm water for about 10 minutes before using.)
- Toasted pine nuts: You can substitute an equal amount of walnuts instead, or use hemp seeds for a nut-free version.
- Nutritional yeast: I recommend Trader Joe's, Frontier Co-op, and Anthony's.
- Olive oil: Alternatively you can use some of the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
How to make vegan sun-dried tomato pesto
- Place the fresh basil leaves, drained sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
- Process, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as necessary, until a chunky paste has formed. You should still see bits of green from the basil. Use right away or refrigerate for later.
Serving suggestions
When serving this vegan sun-dried tomato pesto with pasta, reserve about ½ cup of the starchy cooking water. Add a little at a time until the sauce clings to the noodles.
For drizzling, whisk in a bit more olive oil. For a zesty salad dressing, add a splash of vinegar along with the oil.
Try it as a spread on crusty bread, or stir a few tablespoons into sesame seed chickpea hummus or lemony white bean hummus for extra flavor. It's also great in place of mayo or mustard on chickpea veggie burgers or sliced tofu sandwiches.
This vegan sauce is so versatile, you may want to keep a jar in the fridge at all times.
Made this recipe or have a question? Please leave a comment below. 💙 For even more recipes, join the Veggies Save The Day community. It's less like a newsletter and more like emails between friends.
Love and Veggies,
Amy
📋 Recipe
Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto in 5 Minutes
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed basil leaves, large stems removed and discarded
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 Tablespoon toasted pine nuts, (or walnuts; Substitute hemp seeds for nut-free version)
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, (or use the excess oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes)
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add the basil leaves, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and salt, to taste, to the bowl of a food processor.1 cup packed basil leaves, ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 1 Tablespoon toasted pine nuts, 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, salt
- Process until a thick paste is formed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. You should still see bits of basil in the pesto. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Use right away, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for later.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Emmy says
I had gotten some specialty pasta from the Italian grocery store so I knew I wanted to pair it with a really good sauce/topping. I tried out your sun-dried tomato pesto and it was perfect! The flavors were really well-balanced.
Amy Katz says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the pesto, Emmy!