My Vegan Habanero and Basil Pesto is an easy and healthy recipe made with only 6 clean, real food ingredients. It's a spicy twist on traditional pesto that's dairy-free and can be prepared in about 5 minutes!
Here's Why This Recipe Works
My top 3 favorite reasons:
- It's 100% Dairy-Free and Vegan
- Can Be Prepared In About 5 Minutes
- Made With Only 6 Clean, Real Food Ingredients
You can feel good about making my healthy, plant-based recipe because it's raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, keto/low-carb, and paleo-friendly!
Karielyn's Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions
Here are some of my expert tips and ingredient substitutions to make this recipe perfectly:
Basil: You will need fresh basil for this recipe and make sure to "pack" it tightly into your measuring cup.
Walnuts: These could be substituted with another nut such as pine nuts or even almonds.
Avocado Oil: Can be substituted with organic extra-virgin olive oil in the same amount.
Nutritional Yeast: I added this ingredient as a dairy-free substitute for Parmesean cheese normally added to pesto, which gives it a "cheesy" flavor.
Habanero Peppers: These are extremely hot. If you've never used habanero peppers before, I would suggest starting with just (1) and adding an additional one if you prefer.
Himalayan Pink Salt: This is my salt of preference, however, it can always be substituted with sea salt.
Serving Size: This recipe will make approximately ½ cup of pesto. Nutritional information is for (1) tablespoon which is (1) serving.
Want More Healthy Vegan Dip and Dressing Recipes?
Check out these:
- Tomatillo and Jalapeno Dip
- Healthy Artichoke Dip
- Spinach and Avocado Dip
- or my Real Food Vegan™ 14-Day Meal Plan Program with 42 plant-based vegan + gluten-free recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Vegan Habanero and Basil Pesto
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups organic fresh basil leaves (packed tightly)
- ½ cup organic walnuts
- ¼ cup 100% pure avocado oil
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1-2 habanero peppers
- ⅛ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
Instructions
Prepare the habanero peppers:
- Take care when cutting the habanero peppers. Use gloves and wash hands thoroughly when finished; make sure you don't touch your eyes, etc. after handling them because they are extremely hot. Start with (1) pepper and add an additional one, if you prefer.
Prepare the pesto:
- Add all ingredients to a Vitamix (with a "pulse" feature) or a food processor and pulse until the walnuts and basil is chopped and everything is well blended and to your preferred consistency.
- Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.
- Store in an air-tight BPA-free container in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The instructions, notes, and photographs for this recipe by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ website are copyrighted material. This copyrighted work is protected and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) and cannot be legally used without my written permission.
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