Name: Cashew Pesto
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tbsp Minced Garlic; 1 cup Fresh Basil tightly packed; ¼ cup Olive Oil plus more as needed; 2 tbsp Lemon Juice freshly squeezed; ¼ cup Unsalted cashews; 2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese shredded. Can use Vegan cheese if desired

Jump to Recipe

This homemade Cashew Pesto Recipe is a beautiful and bright herby spread that is so easy to make. Cashews are a great alternative to pine nuts because they are exceptionally creamy when blended and are a lot more affordable than pine nuts!

closeup photo of cashew pesto, in a small glass jar with a gold spoon dipped inside. There is a gold pot of basil and a kitchen towel in the background, and basil, cashews, and garlic in the foreground

WHY THIS CASHEW PESTO RECIPE IS SO GOOD

Cashew Pesto is an amazing, delicious, versatile food! I love making in the summer when my little herb garden grows like crazy and we have tons of fresh basil. There truly is nothing better than fresh basil in the summer.
Traditional pesto recipes call for pine nuts, which are delicious in pesto, but also hard to find and usually pretty expensive. Cashews make an extra creamy pesto that is just as good, if not better than pine nut pesto.
This cashew pesto would be great on pasta, mixed in dips, on an omelet, or spread on a sandwich. Get creative!

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MAKING CASHEW PESTO

We get tons of flavor from garlic in this pesto. Fresh garlic is going to give you the best results.
This is what blends everything together and gives the beautiful texture and mouthfeel that you expect from a pesto. Use a high quality, extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.
The cashews gives our sauce bulk and a delicious creaminess. Be sure to buy unsalted nuts. Salted ones will be too salty for this recipe.
For a vegan option, feel free to substitute traditional parmesan cheese for vegan parmesan cheese.

photo of cashew pesto, in a small glass jar with a gold spoon dipped inside. There is a gold pot of basil and a kitchen towel in the background, and basil, cashews, and garlic in the foreground

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Cashew Pesto

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 cup Fresh Basil tightly packed
¼ cup Olive Oil plus more as needed
2 tablespoon Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
¼ cup Unsalted cashews
2 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese shredded. Can use Vegan cheese if desired

Instructions

Place the minced garlic and a cup of tightly packed fresh basil leaves into a food processor.
Add in oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Then add cashews and parmesan cheese to the mixture in the food processor. Pulse until well combined, but not completely smooth.
Add salt and pepper to taste, then adjust to desired consistency by adding more oil.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Notes

Make this recipe vegan by using a vegan parmesan cheese substitute.
Use high quality, fresh ingredients for the best results.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 202Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 95mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g

Insanely Easy Recipes occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only.