This vegan broccoli pesto is a perfect way to get more veggies into your family. Easy to make and pairs perfectly with your favorite pasta!
This recipe was originally published on 3/31/14
Traditionally, pesto is made from basil. And it's delicious. But I'm always looking for ways to sneak more veggies into my kids, the key is changing it up!
And there is no better way to change things up than swapping out greens for new greens. Which is how this broccoli came into my pesto.
More is more when it comes to the veggie department. And pesto is a perfect vehicle to carry out this master plan. You can slip in anything from spinach to broccoli (even asparagus, look at this asparagus pesto here!), mix it with pasta (like in this pesto pasta salad) or use it as a topper (like on this stuffed mushrooms). There is no one way to devour pesto!
Getting in your daily dose of veggies can be tough sometimes, so when I figured out a way to sneak in more I got excited. My kids love broccoli so it's an even easier to sell when they throw out mean looks to their green covered noodles.
Ingredients
Fresh ingredients make the best tasting pesto!
- broccoli
- spinach
- basil
- seasonings
- walnuts
- veggie broth
How To Make Homemade Vegan Broccoli Pesto
It's so easy to make your own veggie packed pesto, you just may never go back to store bought!
- Blend everything.
- Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions:
Use this vegan pesto for your favorite pasta, or use it for any of these recipes:
Tips and tricks
As foolproof as this broccoli pesto recipe is, it's always nice to have some extra helpful information!
- You can add or substitute the veggies with others depending on what you have on hand. Try out kale, chard, or asparagus.
- Fresh, raw broccoli will give you the best results, but if you need to sub out for frozen broccoli you can. Just make sure you defrost ahead of time so that there's not extra moisture.
- Walnuts are my chosen nuts for texture, protein and healthy fats. You can sub them out for other nuts or seeds if you'd prefer.
- Olive oil is what I use to get the perfect consistency, but you can make it thinner and oil free by using more broth instead.
- You can add more garlic if you like it really garlicy, we love the extra garlic.
- Try different seasonings, like oregano, sage, or spice things up with red pepper flakes!
- You can use water instead of broth, but broth gives the best flavor.
- When you are adding the water/veggie broth, add a little then mix and see if you need more. Be careful not to add too much because it will turn out runny.
- I like using my food processor to make this pesto, but a high powered blender would also work.
Common Questions
Any time you're blending raw greens and adding them to your food, you're upping your health game. Remember that not everything with veggies is necessarily healthy. Blend, taste, adjust the amounts to get the flavor you love, but be careful about your ratios, you don't want an oil laden pesto.
This broccoli pesto pasta is amazing cold or warm. The pesto itself makes a great dip too! Perfect for parties and a much healthier alternative than so many other dips out there.
Store the pesto in the refrigerator in an airtight container, it will keep for a few days. You can also freeze for up to three months.
Any way that sounds good! Spread it on some toast, toss your favorite pasta in it, or make lasagna!
More Pesto Recipes:
Love pesto? Check out all of these other fun flavors:
Easy Vegan Broccoli Pesto Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw broccoli
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ½ cup fresh basil
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup walnuts
- ½ cup veggie broth , you can also use water but broth gives more flavor
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil , optional
To serve:
- 16 ounces your favorite pasta , gluten-free if needed
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well mixed, adding water or veggie broth to bring the pesto to desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust to desired taste.
- Serve with your favorite pasta!
Notes
- You can add more garlic if you like it really garlicy, we love the extra garlic.
- When you are adding the water/veggie broth, add a little then mix and see if you need more. Be careful not to add too much because it will turn out runny.
- This recipe makes about 2 cups, serving size is ¼ cup.
- Nutrition facts are for the pesto only
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Tami
if you want a quick, flavorful and hearty meal, then this is a must! I followed the recipe (extra garlic & no oil), except I had a small amount of cauliflower that needed to be used so I added it with broccoli. This was well received from two teenagers!! I topped it with a couple shakes of hemp seed.
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy you and your family liked this Tami! I loved how you got in some extra veggies too, always a plus! Thank you so much for the great review.
Samantha
I am totally trying this!!!! I'll let ya know! (Hello from Long Beach, just a smidge north of you!)
JD
I love how fast and easy this is. I especially love it as a dip and sauce!
Valerie
Traditional pesto usually has parm in it as well, do you find you miss the parm in this or do the veggies make up for it?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Valerie! I absolutely do not miss the parmesan. I actually have never used parmesan in my pesto. I find that what people may miss is really the salt and fat in the parmesan, so typically if you add a little oil and/or salt you will feel as if the parmesan is in there. I personally don't even use the oil, my tastes have changed a lot and I love the fresh flavor of the veggies and herbs. I have a few other pesto recipes on here that are also delicious: https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2014/06/03/lemon-hemp-seed-pesto-a-giveaway/ and https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2013/11/18/pesto-sks-style/
The hemp seeds in the first one give you some natural fats that do give the effect of parmesan. Let me know if you try any of them! Thanks so much for being here!
LItsa Orenich
Sophia, I loved your lentil/ quinoa salad, so good to see you & your family!
I'll make it for Alex when we visit her in Knoxville TN in May, she is graduating Vet school & ready to come home to California.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Litsa! It was great to see you all too. Hopefully it won't be too long before we see you again! Congrats to Alex!