If you're a fan of both sun-dried tomatoes and pesto sauce, you'll love this Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto. It's bright and tangy with an umami quality that pairs well with pasta, pizza, roasted vegetables, and more. And it's easy to make in minutes with a food processor and only 7 ingredients!
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You may recognize this Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto as the sauce from my pesto roasted Brussels sprouts recipe. Made with plump and flavorful sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, it's an easy variation on traditional vegan pesto sauce.
And just like the green version, this pesto isn't just for pasta.
It's a wonderful way to add incredible flavor to dishes like vegetables, soups, and sandwiches. Plus you can enjoy it as a dip or or turn it into a salad dressing.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's easy to make in 5 minutes in a food processor.
- It only requires 7 ingredients.
- You can enjoy it as a quick meal with pasta or use it as a versatile sauce on a wide variety of dishes.
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.
Instructions
- 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 transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for later.
Amy's tips
Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto is a thick sauce. To serve it with pasta, reserve some of the starchy cooking water before draining the cooked noodles, then add a little at a time so that the sauce adheres to the pasta. For other uses, stir in additional olive oil as needed to thin it.
Serving suggestions
Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto can be used in a variety of ways, just like traditional basil pesto.
- Toss it with spaghetti or your favorite pasta shape
- Thin it with olive oil and vinegar to turn it into a zesty salad dressing
- Stir a few tablespoons into sesame seed chickpea hummus or lemony white bean hummus for extra flavor
- Use in place of mayo or mustard on chickpea veggie burgers or sliced tofu sandwiches
- Enjoy it as a spread on crusty bread
Storing
Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More vegan recipes with sun-dried tomatoes
Made this recipe? Have a question? Please leave a comment below. 💙 And for even more recipes, join the Vegan Mediterranean Diet Recipes Facebook group for community, inspiration & fun!
Love and Veggies,
Amy
📋 Recipe
Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
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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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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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!