This vibrant green pesto sauce is loaded with all of the traditional ingredients (fresh basil, pine nuts, and olive oil) but made dairy free with the use of creamy, delicious roasted garlic as the stand-in for parmesan cheese. Spread it on crusty bread, toss it with pasta, or use it as a pizza sauce – you can’t go wrong!

This pesto has my heart, always and forever. It’s so rich and full of flavor, but somehow bright enough that I could (quite literally) eat it by the spoonful. I’ll settle for mixing it with chicken (pesto chicken salad-style), serving it alongside plantain chips or arugula salad, or tossing it with pasta and salmon for the most delicious salmon pesto pasta dish ever – that’s more sensible, right?!

A bowl of dairy-free pesto on a light gray surface next to a bowl of toasted pine nuts, roasted garlic, and toast.

Pesto is a delicious, flavorful green sauce that is typically made with garlic, pine nuts, basil leaves, olive oil, and (in many cases, but not this one) cheese. It originated in Italy and is SUPER flavorful and versatile!

This dairy-free pesto recipe includes roasted garlic to offset the missing cheese flavor, toasted pine nuts (for even more flavor), and a lot of really fresh basil. Don’t worry, the pesto doesn’t scream “GARLIC!” … it screams “holy cow what is in this magic green paste that tastes so amazing?!”

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Below, you’ll find everything needed for a delicious dairy-free pesto sauce. Substitutions are listed when applicable, and exact amounts can be found in the recipe card!

Ingredients for dairy free pesto sit in a variety of bowls on a marble countertop.
  • Fresh basil leaves – a signature ingredient in pesto! Fresh is key here.
  • Garlic – garlic is the star of this pesto show!
  • Pine nuts – we’re keeping things traditional with pine nuts here, but if you want to save a few dollars, feel free to grab walnuts or sunflower seeds instead.
  • Lemon – fresh lemon juice adds some zing and acidity to the pesto.
  • Salt and pepper

Recipe Step by Step

First, roast the garlic…

Roasting the garlic is the most time-consuming part, which is compensated by the fact that your house will smell like an Italian villa for the rest of the day. I love the smell of roasted garlic. Don’t be intimidated by the process! It’s super easy.

A person chopping off the tip of a bulb of garlic on a wooden cutting board.
A bulb of garlic wrapped up in a muffin tin
A bulb of garlic sitting in parchment paper in a muffin tin.
Roasted garlic wrapped in parchment paper and sitting in a muffin tin.
  1. Prep – preheat the oven to 375°F, and peel the outer layers of the garlic skin off, leaving the cloves still attached. Then, cut the top of the bulb off (making sure to cut the tops of cloves hiding on the side).
  2. Wrap – wrap the prepped garlic bulb in parchment paper with the cut side up, then place the wrapped garlic in a muffin tin to balance.
  3. Bake – roast the garlic at 375°F for 30-45 minutes.
  4. Let cool – remove the garlic from the oven and let cool before handling.

Then, make the pesto…

Now that the garlic is roasted, you’re closer than EVER to having a delicious herby sauce at your disposal – lucky you! Here’s how you’ll pull the rest of the recipe together:

Pine nuts toasted in a small stainless steel pan.
Roasted garlic being squeezed into a food processor.
A top view of homemade dairy-free pesto after being pulsed for the first time.
Fresh basil being added into a food processor.
A lemon being juiced using a bright yellow citrus juicer into a food processor.
Olive oil being added to a food processor of pesto.
Toasted pine nuts being poured into a food processor.
Olive oil being poured into a food processor.
Smooth, creamy, bright green pesto in a food processor.
  1. Toast the pine nuts – stirring constantly, toast the pine nuts in a small/medium-sized pan over low/medium heat. Remove them from heat when they’re slightly brown and fragrant.
  2. Pulse ingredients in a food processor – add the basil, lemon juice, roasted garlic, toasted pine nuts, and half of the EVOO to a food processor, and pulse until everything is evenly combined.
  3. Pulse the rest of the ingredients – add the salt, pepper, and remaining EVOO to the food processor, and pulse until the pesto is smooth and creamy.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

  • Squeeze the roasted garlic – instead of trying to peel the roasted garlic cloves, use your fingers to squeeze them out!
  • Don’t burn the pine nuts – toasting the pine nuts adds A LOT of flavor to the finished sauce. Be sure to toast them just until they’re slightly brown and fragrant, though – they can go from perfectly toasted to downright burnt REALLY quickly.
  • Use a blender – if you don’t have a food processor, just a blender (individual or regular) to make the pesto instead!
A person using a spoon to spoon out some dairy-free pesto from a white bowl.

How to Use Pesto Sauce

Pesto is insanely delicious on SO MANY things. Here are a few of our favorite uses for it:

How to Store

Store your pesto in an airtight container (a mason jar works GREAT) in the refrigerator. Stored this way, it’ll last for up to 5 days.

For long-term storage, freeze your pesto for up to 3 months.

Pesto sauce on a toasted slice of crusty white bread.

Is pesto unhealthy or healthy?

Whether or not pesto is healthy or not is really dependent on your body and how it reacts to different kinds of foods. If you do well with the ingredients in this pesto recipe, then it’s a delicious, healthy option for you that is chock-full of anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy fat.

What do you eat pesto with?

You can truly eat pesto with ANYTHING! It’s incredibly delicious on a sandwich or pizza and can also be used as a toast or scrambled egg topper for breakfast.

Is pesto Italian or Mexican?

Pesto is an Italian basil sauce originally created in Genoa, Italy.

Is pesto usually served hot or cold?

Pesto can be served either way! You can heat it up for pasta or pizza or leave it cold for a sandwich spread. Either way is totally delicious.

Is it worth making your own pesto?

There are definitely some jarred pestos that are really yummy and made with simple ingredients, but honestly, nothing beats homemade, so if you’ve got the time, I recommend whipping up a batch of your own.

What can I use instead of pine nuts in pesto?

Pine nuts are typically pretty pricy, so if you’re looking to save some dollars, feel free to swap them for walnuts or sunflower seeds.

Dairy-Free Pesto with Roasted Garlic

5 — Votes 4 votes
By Amber Goulden
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings
Pesto minus the dairy, but still full of the flavor!

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup packed (4 ounces) fresh basil leaves
  • 1 garlic bulb
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Cracked pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Roasted Garlic
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Peel the outer layers of the garlic skin off, leaving the cloves still attached. Then, cut the top of the bulb off (making sure to cut the tops of cloves hiding on the side).
  • Wrap the prepped garlic bulb in parchment paper with the cut side up, then place the wrapped garlic in a muffin tin to balance.
  • Roast the garlic at 375°F for 30-45 minutes.
  • Remove the garlic from the oven and let cool before handling.
  • Pesto
  • Stirring constantly, toast the pine nuts in a small/medium-sized pan over low/medium heat. Remove them from heat when they’re slightly brown and fragrant.
  • Add the basil, lemon juice, roasted garlic, toasted pine nuts, and half of the EVOO to a food processor, and pulse until everything is evenly combined.
  • Add the salt, pepper, and remaining EVOO to the food processor, and pulse until the pesto is smooth and creamy.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition information above is for 2 tablespoons of pesto sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Additional Info

Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 89
Keyword: pesto

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About the Author

Cassy Joy Garcia, NC

Cassy Joy Garcia, a New York Times best-selling author, of Cook Once Dinner Fix, Cook Once Eat All Week, and Fed and Fit as well as the creative force behind the popular food blog Fed & Fit.


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49 Comments

  1. I haven’t tried the recipe yet but you never let me down. I need to know first, how long does this stay good if I double it?

    1. That is so kind, Renae! Doubling it is a great idea! It can be stored in the fridge for up to five days and in the freezer for 3 months! We like to pre-portion it in plastic baggies or silicone portion trays for easy thawing! We are so excited for you to try and hope you love it!

  2. 5 stars
    I have made this several times and it’s always delicious. I find the amount of roasting you do is important as the depth of garlic flavour changes. I Enjoy a well roasted flavour personally, let it really caramelise. Also the biggest thing I vary is adding double garlic (have been known to triple sometimes if I’m in the mood), I also start with a whole bunch of basil and work my way up from there to taste. It’s always best I find to let it sit overnight as that’s when the flavours do their magic and really come together!

    If there was a rating above 5 I would give it

  3. 5 stars
    Not going to lie. I made this with the intention of adding Parmesan because it’s pesto and pesto and parm go together like pb and j. Well i made it and taste tested it. IT WAS DELICIOUS. Then i realized i didn’t even add the parm! You can’t even tell it’s missing. Another slam dunk from fed and fit!

    1. Yay! So awesome, Megan! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!

  4. This is delicious! First time making pesto and it came out amazing and so easy to make. I am very lactose intolerant so I was excited to find a recipe that didn’t have cheese!

  5. Thank you so much for sharing this. This is my first time to try to make pesto and it taste wonderful but it is not as green as yours. I dipped my small sweet peppers in it for a snack and it delicious. I spread some on chicken breast and have it in the oven now, can’t wait to eat it. Thanks again for sharing

  6. How come you don’t add the garlic as well…why just the juice? Cant wait to make this, thank you!

    1. Thank you for the heads up Nadja. I agree with people not giving credit. Bloggers work very hard on posting recipes and taking gorgeous pictures.

  7. I love this! One tip I have for roasting the garlic is to drizzle some EVOO and salt on top of the bulb before sealing the aluminum foil 🙂

  8. Hi,
    This looks great… is there another nut that we can use vs pine? Or can we get away without using nuts at all?

    1. Hi Nicki, you can try almonds or cashews. Just make sure you use a high powered blender or food processor. I would definitely use nuts though! Hope that helps!

  9. This looks so yummy! Haven’t made pesto in a very long time! You inspired me again! 🙂

    1. Homemade is the way to go! Hope you try it out and love it Kristina!