Roasted Garlic Walnut Pesto

This dairy-free roasted garlic walnut pesto uses garlic roasted on the grill and fresh homegrown basil.

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Summer is the best time to make one of my favorite fresh basil recipes—roasted garlic walnut pesto. I love the simple classic flavors of this pesto. The roasted garlic is wonderful with toasted walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, and lots of fresh basil from the garden. This is a perfect dairy-free summer basil pesto sauce.

Pesto is one of those versatile sauces that's good on everything. Try it on grilled chicken or burgers. Use it as a dip for raw vegetables or a sauce for roasted vegetables. Add a little vinegar to it and make a salad dressing. And of course, you can always toss it with spiralizer zucchini noodles for pasta pesto. The possibilities are endless.

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Ingredients you'll need

The pesto ingredients are traditional, but I substitute a little lemon juice and extra salt for the cheese, making this pesto dairy-free. Here's what you'll need to make it.

• walnuts
• roasted garlic
• fresh basil
• lemon juice
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt

Pro tip: Roast the garlic ahead of time when you're using the oven or grill for something else (here's how to roast garlic on the grill). That way it's ready to go and you don't have to wait for it to cool.

How to make it

This pesto is quick and easy to put together. Everything goes in the food processor and in just a few minutes you have a delicious roasted garlic walnut pesto.

1. Toast the walnuts in a low oven until they start to brown and become fragrant. Set them aside to cool.
2. Squeeze the head of roasted garlic directly into your food processor. Add the cooled walnuts and sea salt. Pulse until the mixture resembles large crumbs.
3. Add the fresh basil leaves and lemon juice to the processor. With it running, stream in the olive oil. Be sure to scrape down the sides and continue to blend until combined. Taste and add additional sea salt as needed.

Serving suggestions

This roasted garlic pesto is great to have in the fridge for quick dinners. Serve over zucchini noodles or on grain-free pasta.

Use it on air fryer chicken, roasted vegetables, or as a dip for raw veggie sticks.

More easy dairy free recipes

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Roasted Garlic Walnut Pesto

This easy dairy-free roasted garlic toasted walnut pesto goes well with just about everything.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 5 servings (recipe makes ⅔ cup of pesto)

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Keto, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole30

Author: Lisa Wells

Ingredients

• ▢ ⅓ cup organic raw walnuts
• ▢ 1 head roasted garlic
• ▢ 1 large bunch fresh basil about 2 cups, stems removed
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ ¼ cup organic extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ sea salt to taste

Instructions

• Toast walnuts in 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool to room temperature.
• Squeeze roasted garlic cloves into food processor and add toasted walnuts and a good pinch of sea salt. Pulse until mixture resembles large crumbs.
• Add basil and lemon juice. With processor running, stream in olive oil. Scrape down sides and process until combined. Add additional sea salt to taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons Calories: 105kcal Carbohydrates: 2g Protein: 1g Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 1g Sodium: 118mg Potassium: 30mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g Vitamin A: 85IU Vitamin C: 3mg Calcium: 13mg Iron: 1mg

Keyword: toasted walnut pesto, walnut pesto

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