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    Home » Recipes » Pasta & Noodles

    February 3, 2015 64 Comments

    Vegan Cashew Pesto Pasta

    3.1K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    You know those nights where you're exhausted, maybe because you worked hard all day, or maybe because you watched an entire season of a new show on Netflix, (no judgement). You're tired, you're hungry, you're lazy, and all you want is an enormous bowl of basil-y, garlic-y, cashew-y, vegan pasta. Well what an extreeme coincidence, because I have just the thing for you! (I know, you didn't see that coming at all).

    vegan-cashew-pesto-pasta-



    I love making pesto, because it's incredibly easy, and everyone seems to think you're all fancy pants in the kitchen. When really, all you have to do is just shove some things in a food processor, and boil some pasta. It's like if sweat pants were fancy.

    vegan-cashew-pest

    Traditionally, pesto has a mound of cheese in it (but bleh, clearly), and it's made with pine nuts. Now, there isn't anything non-vegan about pine nuts, but personally I am just not a huge fan. They are pretty pricey, they spoil easily, and I never have them on hand... which doesn't really work for the lazy part of the meal preparation. So, I swapped out pine nuts with cashews, lots of 'em. I love the creamy, dreamy, soft flavour it provides. If you don't have cashews, walnuts work well too.

    Cashew-pesto-pasta

    To make this dish, simply boil water for pasta (yeah it starts that easy), toss all the ingredients for the pesto into a food processor, and pulse until you have a slightly textured paste. Cook your pasta, then toss the hot pasta with the pesto. Done. (It ends that easy too). Top with a little basil leaf or two, and now you are talking some serious fancy pants-ness.

    vegan-cashew-pesto-pasta

    Print Recipe
    4.96 from 25 votes

    Vegan Cashew Pesto Pasta

    Takes less than 20 minutes to whip up this Vegan Cashew Pesto Pasta, but it will taste like you worked all day in the kitchen. Perfect for the lazy gourmet! 
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time20 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    ingredient tag: noodles & pasta
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 607kcal
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb pasta (any shape), gluten-free if preferred
    • 1 bunch fresh basil (1 cup), (save some leaves for garnish)
    • ¾ cup cashews raw or roasted
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and then cook the pasta according to the package directions.
    • Add the basil, cashews, olive oil, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a food processor. Pulse until everything is ground into a paste, but it still has a bit of texture, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
    • Add the pesto to the pot with the pasta and toss until well combined. Serve hot with a few leaves of basil for garnish.

    Notes

    Make-ahead/free: the pesto can be prepped and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 607kcal
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

     Featured Ingredient: Basil. 128 Days, 58 Recipes to go!

    Bon Appetegan

    Sam.

    « Vegan Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
    Thai Sweet Potato Curry »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julia says

      November 09, 2022 at 7:08 pm

      I can't have yeast. Would I be able to remove it or do you have a plant-based alternative. Thanks so much!

      Reply
    2. Leni says

      October 15, 2022 at 7:46 pm

      I followed receipe and made two changes only.. I had arugula on hand which was about to expire, so I used it instead of basil. At the end I added few tablespoons of cold water to make the consistency ore to my liking.. it was delicious! Thank you for sharing Sam.

      Reply
    3. cristiana says

      July 26, 2021 at 7:27 pm

      5 stars
      I quite literally said "oh my god" out loud when I tried this. Finally a recipe worthy of using the basil I've been growing!

      Reply
    4. Brianna says

      January 09, 2021 at 12:08 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely scrumptious! Love the cashew alternative since pine nuts are so expensive. Extra notes: I toasted the cashews before blending them, which brought out the flavor and spooned it onto each Mozarella slice for our caprese salad instead of serving it with pasta. Molto delizioso!

      Reply
    5. Faro says

      July 08, 2020 at 3:09 pm

      5 stars
      YUM YUM YUM! I love how the sauce comes together while the water is boiling, so it doesn't take any time! This is my go to recipe every time!

      Reply
      • Kristal says

        May 20, 2022 at 10:19 pm

        5 stars
        Oh my word!!!! This pesto is absolutely delicious. I added a little bit of plant based milk to thin it out, but that was the only modification I made. It tasted just like Amy's Kitchen Pesto Tortellini Bowl, which I consumed regularly when I ate dairy. Vegan ravioli combined with this pesto sealed the deal for never needing dairy again. You nailed it. Excellent recipe. Thank you!

        Reply
    6. SusanTownsend says

      July 08, 2020 at 3:09 pm

      I am assuming that it’s a packed cup of basil?

      Reply
    7. Uma says

      June 21, 2020 at 10:15 pm

      5 stars
      Loved this recipe. No fuss. Add things together and boom...best kind for my quick dinner for a tired dat after work. I used coconut oil instead of olive oil, which sticks perfectly. I love your enthusiasm in sharing. Thank you.

      Reply
    8. Maria says

      June 08, 2020 at 1:54 pm

      4 stars
      Oh! The flavour, it's just sooo good!
      I paired it up with homemade gnocchi from thecuriouschickpea and it was delicious. So simple to make yet so flavourous and rich! The only downside is the consistency, it was not easy to mix to the pasta and didn't stick well. But overall great recipe, thank you!

      Reply
    9. Dottie says

      April 09, 2020 at 5:40 pm

      5 stars
      SO DAMNED GOOD! Never have even bought nutritional yeast before, but I made a special trip to get some for this recipe. Thank you!

      Reply
    10. Michelle Mather says

      August 17, 2019 at 4:02 pm

      5 stars
      OMG Sam! I can't believe it took me this long to try this recipe but I have a garden full of yummy basil and so I turned to the best vegan cooking website on the planet (this one of course!) and found this recipe. It really is gourmazing and yet so quick and easy! I absolutely adore this and now I am trying to figure out how to keep basil growing all year long so that I can eat this all year long!
      BRAVO once again to you!!!! I would give this 10 stars if I could!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        August 21, 2019 at 12:12 pm

        Awwww! Melt my heart, Michelle 🙂 So very thrilled you love it so much 😀

        Reply
    11. Anna Helfand says

      January 02, 2019 at 5:11 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious! I had to restrain myself and not eat it all before guests came.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        January 03, 2019 at 11:08 am

        Haha! Love it 🙂

        Reply
      • Uma says

        July 30, 2020 at 1:39 am

        Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice?

        Reply
    12. Sue says

      November 25, 2018 at 9:19 pm

      Hi Samantha,
      How long will a batch of the pesto keep in the refriegerator?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 27, 2018 at 5:49 pm

        I would say about a week, or a couple of months in the freezer 🙂

        Reply
    13. Jo says

      August 05, 2018 at 8:10 am

      5 stars
      Decided to go vegan this week so this is the very first vegan recipe i’ve ever made - and if this is vegan I’m i’m never looking back! This was so much better than my regular shop-bought non-vegan pesto - delicious 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        August 06, 2018 at 10:36 am

        YAY!! Welcome, Jo and a big congrats on your first week vegan. You're in for a treat, I have endless scrumptious vegan recipes. I hope you enjoy many recipes to come. If you ever have any questions or support just let me know 🙂

        Reply
    14. Jessica says

      June 09, 2018 at 12:56 am

      5 stars
      THIS IS ABSOLUTLY DELICIOUS! Glad I did the cashews over the pine nuts. So so so yummy! Thank you

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 09, 2018 at 9:01 am

        Yay!!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Jessica 🙂

        Reply
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