There are many reasons to make this Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Walnut Pesto/ Spread. It's incredibly simple with only 5 ingredients, (plus olive oil, salt, and pepper) and takes just minutes to make in a food processor. It tastes incredibly rich and flavorful, with hints of acidity from lemon, and nuttiness from walnuts.
As with some of the other vegan recipes on my website, this Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Recipe is "naturally vegan." In other words, it doesn't call for cheese strictly because it doesn't need it. In fact, to add cheese would be to overwhelm the pesto.
Let me explain. Sun-dried tomatoes are quite bold, with highly concentrated flavors of sweetness, acidity, and umami. These rich tomatoes combined with black garlic (fermented garlic) provide the perfect amount of umami flavor for one sauce, without the cheese.
How to make Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
Making this pesto takes about 10 minutes, including prep time. Here's what you'll need and how you'll do it.
Ingredients
This Sun-dried Tomato Walnut Pesto has just 5 ingredients, plus olive oil, salt, and pepper. They are as follows:
- Sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- Calabrian chili peppers (crushed or diced. These are optional but they add a lot of flavor and the perfect amount of spice)
- Walnuts
- Black garlic cloves (or fresh if you can't find black garlic)
- Lemon zest and juice
Steps
- Place all of the ingredients in a food processor
- Process on low for 10 seconds, then on high for 60 seconds.
- Taste for seasoning and consistency. If it's too thick, stream in a little olive oil.
This pesto's consistency resembles a spread. It shouldn't drip. Imagine spreading it onto a piece of toast or a cracker.
Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Tutorial
Visuals can be really helpful, so here's a quick Youtube Tutorial.
What else to make with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
One of the absolute best things about this awesome spread is that you can make a big batch and use it for so many different recipes.
- Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad
- Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Gnocchi
- Various types of Sandwiches
- Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Chicken
- Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Salmon
How to Store Pesto
As with any pesto, coat with aa drizzle of olive oil, and store it in an air-tight container. use it for up to a week.
Necessary Equipment
You only need 1 piece of equipment to make this Sun-dried Tomato pesto: A food processor. I cannot recommend my Cuisinart brand enough. It works quickly and efficiently, and doesn't allow food to get stuck under the blade. Crucial.
Vegan Pesto 2 Ways
Believe it or not, this Sun-dried tomato Walnut Pesto is not the only vegan pesto recipe on my site. My Vegan Wasabi Pesto is another favorite on here, and it's just as easy to make as this sun-dried tomato pesto. I guess I have a knack for vegan pestos!
In fact, I love playing around with different types of pesto combinations. I put together a loose Pesto Guide for making pesto using whatever ingredients you have on hand. Keep in mind, the guide does not focus on vegan recipes, but still offers some helpful pesto-making suggestions if you are vegan.
Recipe
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Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 and ¼ cups of pesto 1x
- Category: Pesto, vegan pesto
- Method: Pesto, food processor
- Cuisine: Italian, vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A, easy and incredibly tasty Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pesto recipe that everyone will love
Ingredients
- 1 8-10 oz jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil (see note 1)
- ⅓ cup walnuts (1 oz)
- The zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 3 cloves of black garlic (see note 2)
- 1 tsp of Crushed Calabrian Chili Peppers (or more, to taste)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 Tb olive oil
Instructions
- Lightly toast the walnuts in a small pan over medium heat, just until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Add walnuts to the food processor along with the full jar of sun-dried tomatoes, including their oil, the lemon juice and zest, the black garlic, Calabrian chili peppers, salt, and pepper.
- Stream in 2 Tb of olive oil. The pesto should be pretty thick in texture, like a spread.
Notes
Note 1: If you want to use vacuum sealed sun-dried tomatoes instead of the oil-packed ones, you'll have to use 5.5 oz of sun-dried tomatoes and ⅓ cup plus 2Tb of olive oil.
Note 2: Black garlic has a complex, umami flavor, that reminds me of a more natural tasting, less salty bouillon cube. Try to find black garlic! It's s super interesting and worth it. But if you can't find it, instead use 1 clove of fresh garlic.
Keywords: vegan sun-dried tomato pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, sundered tomato walnut pesto, sun-dried tomato spread
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