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    Home » Dressings & Sauces

    Roasted Garlic Walnut Pesto

    June 16, 2016 Updated: July 8, 2021 by Lisa Wells / 10 Comments

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

    Rasted garlic walnut pesto

    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.

    Roasted Garlic Walnut Pesto {gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo}

    This pesto is quick and easy to put together. The ingredients are traditional, but I substitute a little lemon juice and extra salt for the cheese, making this pesto dairy-free. Everything goes in the food processor and in just a few minutes you have a paleo roasted garlic walnut pesto. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

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    Roasted Garlic Walnut Pesto

    Roasted Garlic Walnut Pesto

    This easy dairy-free roasted garlic toasted walnut pesto goes well with just about everything.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Save Email
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 10 mins
    Total Time: 20 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
    Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating above and share your photo on social. I love seeing what you've made!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jarome

      August 07, 2013 at 10:14 am

      I love pesto! This is a great recipe. Thanks. XOXO

      Reply
      • Lisa

        August 07, 2013 at 6:16 pm

        Thanks! I love pesto too. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Alissa @ Connoisseurus Veg

      August 07, 2013 at 11:27 am

      I think I just figured out what to do with this year's basil crop, which is getting overdue for harvesting. Oh, and I love roasted garlic. This sounds like the perfect combo. Thanks for this recipe!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        August 07, 2013 at 6:22 pm

        Basil and roasted garlic are two of my favorites! Staring at my overdue for harvesting basil plants inspired this recipe. 🙂 Thanks for your comment!

        Reply
    3. Brenna

      February 07, 2014 at 12:23 am

      how long will this stay good for in the refrigerator? Can i make and freeze?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        February 07, 2014 at 10:39 am

        Brenna, we tend to eat this pretty quickly, so I've never had it in the fridge more than a few days. I haven't tried freezing it either, if you try it let me know how it turns out!

        Reply
    4. Jennifer

      February 22, 2014 at 7:38 pm

      seems high calorie, hmm maybe 1300. Might be a bit much if it tastes as good as it looks, and I'd probably eat the lot on zucchini noodles LOL

      Reply
    5. Rodney

      April 13, 2014 at 12:04 am

      Awesome recipe, it takes a little bit of time to make, but it is super tasty...I left the garlic a little bit less roasted and it gave it a little bit of extra kick.

      Reply
      • Lisa

        April 17, 2014 at 12:12 pm

        Thanks, Rodney! Glad you liked it!

        Reply
    6. madison

      January 29, 2018 at 12:09 pm

      5 stars
      Great! I love pesto. This is great for pasta, pizza. Lusciously perfect!

      Reply

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