Easy Vegan Cashew Pesto Recipe with Seasonal Greens

This Easy Vegan Cashew Pesto Recipe with Seasonal Greens is a key lesson in adapting sauces to fit the season’s ingredients. I love a homemade pesto any time of year. This vegan version is a spin on the classic pesto recipe that uses basil and pine nuts. Here, we’re using up the vegetal fava greens with bright and herbaceous mint. To help reduce food waste, we’re tossing in some carrot tops as well. This vegan pesto recipe will become a new favorite. Scroll down to see how we make it and print or save the recipe card today. 

The Key to Seasonal Pestos Like This Vegan Pesto

A spin on classic basil pesto, the key for making seasonal pestos year round is in the ratio of greens to nuts to oil. When it comes to the ratio of simple ingredients for any pesto here’s the formula to keep in mind: 

• 1 part nuts of choice
• 8 parts greens
• 2 parts oil
• optional if using: 2 parts cheese

​As an example, in this recipe I’m using a total of 2 cups of greens, 1/4 cup of nuts, 1/2 cup oil. 

Ingredients for This Vegan Pesto Recipe with Seasonal Greens

This pesto is made with fresh herbs and seasonal spring greens. The fresh flavors are a great way to craft a delicious pesto that is ready for pasta, salads, and more. Here’s what we need: 

• 1 cup fava green leaves packed: While traditional pesto recipes use fresh basil leaves perfect in summer, we can make this using some of the springtime greens like fava greens. With the bunches of fava greens we’re getting in our CSA box, this has been a delicious way to use them. If you don’t have fava greens, spinach is a great substitution for similar flavor and texture. 
• 3/4 cup carrot top greens packed: In our efforts to reduce food waste, using the carrot tops in pestos or chimichurri is a fabulous way to use them. 
• 1/4 cup mint leaves packed: Mint has been included in the amount of springtime greens and this recipe has been my new favorite way to use them up.  
• 1/4 toasted pine nuts or cashews: Traditional pine nuts are a classic in traditional basil pesto. Here, we can also swap for raw cashews. The cashew nuts help to yield a creamy texture and helps keep our pesto vegan since we’re not using cheese. For a creamy pesto, I’ve found the use of cashews works really well here. 
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest: I love the brightness the lemon zest affords our homemade cashew pesto. It compliments the mint well too. 
• 2 garlic cloves: One of our favorite aromatics in this variation and in our vegan cashew basil pesto. Garlic is always a must. 
• 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil: use the best quality oil you have access to. 

How to Make This Fava Greens Go-To Pesto Recipe

To make this delicious pesto sauce, here’s what we need to do: 

• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with this metal chopping blade, add the fava greens, mint, and carrot top leaves. Add the toasted nuts, garlic, and lemon zest. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Pulse together until finely chopped. You may need to stop the food processor a few times to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Next, slowly add the olive oil while the machine is running until the pesto is a loose paste. Stop the food processor to taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Enjoy with your desired dish.

Storing and Freezing Tips

Store your prepared pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze cubes of this pesto in a silicone freezer tray. Store frozen pesto cubes for up to 3 months in the freezer. Since we’re not using cheese, the texture is not impacted by freezing. I love using a small amount of the pesto in our favorite pasta. It’s also the perfect recipe for a salad dressing atop spring greens and grilled proteins. 

More Seasonal Pestos to Love Any Time of Year

Pesto is a classic sauce that is a staple in our seasonal meal prep. Here are our favorites to make in a given season:

• Zucchini & Basil Pesto (Summer)
• Spinach & Arugula Pesto (Winter)
• Broccoli Pesto (Spring)