Creamy, rich, basil bursting, zesty, garlic, peppery pizza, with pops of sweet grape tomatoes, yus-puhlease. Vegan Creamy Pesto Pizza you make one mighty fine meal.
I love getting creative with pizza toppings that aren't your standard, such as my Vegan Leek & Potato Pizza, and my Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza. These pizzas don't have the traditional ooey gooey cheesiness, (for ooey gooey cheesy pizza be sure to pick up a copy of Fuss-Free Vegan) but instead are flavour busting handheld deliciousness. That's what we have in this Vegan Creamy Pesto Pizza. It's a total party in your mouth, pesto popping pizza. (Yeah, I thought that sounded pretty cute too).
Party in your mouth, check, but what about east to prepare. You know it! Just pop everything in a blender, puree, spread on pizza dough, top with tomatoes and bake. Takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, just the way I like it.
To make Vegan Creamy Pesto Pizza: Add all the pesto ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
*If you don't have a high-speed blender, you might want to boil the cashews for 10 minutes first to soften them so they blend smoothly. Drain, rinse, then add to the blender as normal.
Ooooeee! This sauces is so deliciously creamy I had a hard time not drinking it all straight from the blender. Try to keep it classy, Sam.
Stretch your pizza dough to fit you pan, then spread all of the pesto sauce across the dough. Top with the grape tomatoes, then pop in the oven to bake for about 18 to 24 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Sprinkle over some fresh basil and red pepper flake and serve hot.
Vegan Creamy Pesto Pizza
Ingredients
For the pesto:
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup water
- 1 bunch fresh basil (about 40g) (set aside some leaves for garnish )
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic , roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
For the pizza:
- 1 pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes , halved
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F and lightly grease a pizza pan.
- To make the pesto: if you don't have a high-speed blender start by adding the cashews to a small pot and covering them with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until they are tender. Drain and rinse. If you have a high-speed blender, you can simply skip to the next step.
- Add the cashews and water to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Now add all of the remaining pesto ingredients and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
- To make the pizza: stretch the dough on a well-floured surface to fit your pan. Spread the pesto sauce over the dough, then top with cherry tomatoes. Bake for 18 to 24 minutes until the edges of the crust are golden brown. Finish by garnishing with extra fresh basil and red pepper flakes if using.
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
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Yulca says
Slightly adapted this to my preferences by replacing 1 tbsp of lemon juice with 1 tsp of white miso paste for more umami & by putting pine nuts on for the last 5 minutes in the oven.
I'm happy I read the comments about the sauce thickening in the oven, otherwise I would have reduced it as it seemed too much, but ultimately wasn't :). Using the pizza rim as kind of a dam helped to keep the sauce in place.
Turned out delicious, and omnivore hubby "didn't even miss the cheese!". Going into our rotation, also great for a party buffet.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved it, Yulca! Thanks for your review 🙂
Homeschool Mommy says
(I used a food processor/blender) It was great but when I added 3/4c of water it made it too liquidy so I ended up adding another cup of cashews which made it too thick. I am going to try it again but start with 1/4c of water and gradually add more as needed.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed! Sorry, the measurements were a bit off for you, great idea to add water gradually next time. 🙂
Liz says
This looks so yummy! Do you think the pesto could be frozen? I have a LOT of basil to use right now!
Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Liz, yes, pesto freezes very well! I like to freeze it in small 2 -4 serving sized batches so that it is easier to thaw. Enjoy!
Liz says
Thanks for your quick response! Looking forward to trying it!
Jill says
This looks delicious.!!!! I can't wait to try it.!! So glad I found you on Instagram.! Your a sweet young lady with a refreshing great personality.! Bless your heart.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks so much, Jill! So happy you found me too 🙂
Christa says
Oh so good! We had this for our Friday Night Pizza and everyone loved it!!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! So happy everyone loved it, Christa!
Noemi says
I made this pizza this morning and it was delicious! The only thing I would change (it was user error), is that I thought there might be too much pesto sauce for my pizza. I used a 14.5'' pan, and I poured most of the sauce on the dough, and it looked pretty well covered. I had about 3/4C left of sauce, which I saved for later, and honestly, I should have used all of it! Once the pizza cooks, the sauce thickens and that extra 3/4C would've made it even creamier and a little less dry. 10/10 would make this pizza again! Apart from my naive incident, it was a lovely, fresh and light pizza, perfect to greet the warm weather!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, yeah I know what you mean, it does seem very saucy but thickens and cooks down as you say. So thrilled you loved it, Noemi!
Betty Majors says
I maked the Pesto Pizza..and Oh My Gooodness, Make it for dinner and saved some for lunch great receipe. Thank you for sharing.
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Thrilled you enjoyed it, Betty. You're most welcome 🙂
WJ says
Forgive me if I sound ignorant, but how much basil is in "one bunch"? Is that a handful of leaves? One cup?
Sam Turnbull says
Haha no problem. I added it in the instructions for you. My bunch is about 40 grams, but it won't drastically affect the recipe if you had a little less or a little more. Enjoy!
Wanda Jenkins says
Thank you! I look forward to making my pesto pizza!
Terre says
Hi Sam,
Love your funny and your recipes!
Can you recommend a good vegan pizza dough?
Mmmwwah!
Terre
Sam Turnbull says
Haha thank you so much, Terre! Good news, almost all pizza dough it vegan! Traditional pizza dough is made with just flour, water, yeast, and salt. I sometimes make mine (I have a recipe in my upcoming cookbook), but I also just buy it from my grocery store, and there it's made in-house so it's not a brand. I'm sure you'll find the same thing at your grocery store, just check to ingredients to make sure. Hope that helps!
Terre says
Thanks, Sam!
Hannah says
I honestly love cheeseless pizzas so much. I love the idea of covering a pizza with a simple pesto instead. Looks delicious 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, Hannah! I'm snacking on the leftovers right now. Omnomnom 🙂