5 Minute Pea Pesto | Nut-Free and Vegan

This easy 5-minute pea pesto recipe combines kale, lemon juice, garlic + other flavors to make it the perfect sauce for pasta, chicken, fish or dipping! Using extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast keeps this no nut pea pesto packed with nutrients and flavor.

True Life: I’m obsessed with peas.

AKA this meant a pea pesto recipe was very necessary to have on the blog!

I actually love eating peas frozen as a snack or side with my lunch. I started eating them frozen when I was a kid. my mom would heat them up for dinner and I HAD to steal a handful before they went in the microwave. not sure why/how this habit came about but here I am 25 years later STILL doing it.

it’s probably because

1.  I’ve always been a serious picker! I pick off of other peoples (aka Michael’s) plates all the time, graze around the table well after dinner is over and bite-sized foods have my heart.
2. Peas have a sweet flavor that a lot of more traditional green veggies don’t have. this makes them the perfect snack/food for kids.

I was never a big pesto fan. it was probably the green color that threw me off when I was little and then the no-fat diet craze that happened when I was in high school/college.

Thank GOODNESS we have moved forward and now know that healthy fats are KEY to a balanced diet and regulating hormones.

It’s also no surprise that I’m very much into 5-minute recipes… 5 Minute Vegan Cheese, Raspberry Chia Seed Lemonade, this Coffee Banana Smoothie and so on…

No Nut Pea Pesto Ingredients:

• kale
• extra virgin olive oil
• peas
• lemon
• nutritional yeast
• minced garlic
• salt
• & a food processor or nutri-ninja

One of the most beneficial healthy fats is extra virgin olive oil — aka the base for pesto.

Extra virgin olive oil offers modest amounts of Vitamins E and K and plenty of beneficial fatty acids, but where extra virgin olive oil really shines is in its content of antioxidants.

You can read more about extra virgin olive oil benefits here.

I chose peas as my base because they are high in protein, fiber, vitamin C and I just really like the taste 🙂

A few notes before you get cooking!

1. Frozen peas are fine to use – just defrost them before you blend them into the pesto!
2. If you’re not a big fan of kale you can substitute pea shoots, spinach, arugula, or basil leaves.
3. Feel free to add parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, pine nuts, almonds, or other nuts + seasoning to make it your own!

This easy 5-minute pea pesto combines kale, lemon juice, garlic, and other flavors to make the perfect sauce for cauliflower gnocchi (as seen in this Shrimp, Pesto, and Cauliflower Gnocchi recipe), pasta, chicken, fish or dipping! This nut-free pesto recipe is also a delicious spread on some crostini with a little goat cheese or crumbled feta.

I hope you enjoy this easy recipe! Be sure to tag me on Instagram when you make it!

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5 Minute Pea Pesto

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Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Servings 1 Cup

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 Cups Kale
• 1 Cup Peas
• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1-2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• 1 Tsp Minced Garlic
• Salt To taste

Instructions

 

• Place peas, garlic, salt, kale, and lemon juice into a food processor. Pulse a few times until everything is coarsely chopped.
• While the food processor is running, slowly stream in olive oil and blend until everything is incorporated into a smooth pesto. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula and pulse once more to incorporate.
• Serve immediately or store pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. This pesto also freezes beautifully if you want to keep it longer!

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!