Sunflower Seed Pesto

Sunflower Seed Pesto is nut-free, easy, and flavorful with simple ingredients that are budget-friendly, vegan, dairy-free, Whole30, and gluten-free. This healthy basil pesto with sunflower seeds works great as a sauce, dip or spread, adding flavor to any meal.

Course sauce

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword basil pesto with sunflower seeds, sunflower seed basil pesto, sunflower seed pesto

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 8

Total Time 13

Servings

Calories 125kcal

Author Samantha Rowland

Equipment

food processor

Ingredients

1/4 cup sunflower seeds raw if possible
1 cup basil tightly packed
2-3 cloves garlic finely grated
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup baby spinach

Instructions

Add the sunflower seeds to a medium skillet and put over medium heat. Toast sunflower seeds a total of 7-8 minutes. After 3-4 minutes, you will notice they start to get some color on them. Stir regularly once you notice this and cook 3-4 more minutes until fragrant and toasted in color. Take off heat immediately.
While the sunflower seeds are toasting: Add add the basil, grated garlic (or finely minced), extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic powder to a food processor.
Blend until the basil is broken down (about 1 minute).
When sunflower seeds are done, add them to the food processor and blend again until the mixture is smooth. (1-2 minutes, stop and scrape down the sides if needed).
Add the baby spinach to the food processor and process again until fully broken down and smooth (1-2 minutes).

Video

Notes

Top tips

Time saving tip: If you don’t have time to toast the sunflower seeds in advance, buy roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds or toast the sunflower seeds in advance and store them in the freezer.
I recommend using unsalted sunflower seeds. Note: If you are using salted, roasted sunflower seeds, wait to add salt until after the pesto is blended.
Grate the garlic on a microplane or finely chop the garlic before adding it to the food processor. This helps to ensure that you won't accidentally get a big piece of garlic in your pesto.
Use baby spinach, arugula or kale to add more greens to this pesto. If you want even more basil flavor, use double the basil and omit the spinach.
If you find the pesto to be too spicy (basil and garlic can have a spicy bite) add a teaspoon or two of honey or maple syrup to help sweeten it just a touch.
Stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor one or two times to ensure that nothing sticks to the sides.
If you want to make this pesto a little more runny (it's very thick), add more olive oil or water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
When storing pesto in the fridge or freezer the top can start to turn dark due to oxidation. If you are trying to keep the pesto looking the best, press plastic wrap or parchment paper on top of the pesto to keep the air from the pesto while in the fridge. You can also add a thin layer of olive oil to help prevent oxidation.

Storing leftovers

Fridge: Store leftover vegan sunflower seed pesto in the fridge for up to 5 days. Note that you may notice the top of the pesto turn a little dark in color, this is from oxidation. You can prevent this by pressing plastic wrap or parchment paper firmly against the basil before adding the lid or by adding a thin layer of olive oil to the top of the pesto to act as a barrier.

Freezer: Freeze pesto for up to 6 months in a freezer safe bag or container.

Freeze the pesto in ice cube trays (for 1-2 tablespoons at a time) or in large batches (I recommend using Soupercubes for this). Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer safe bag for up to 6 months.
Note that pesto can get a bit oxidized while freezing (it can get a little dark on the top). To prevent this from happening, add a very thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto before freezing. When defrosting the olive oil will just melt in with the rest of the ingredients.
Defrost pesto in the fridge in an airtight container for the best color.

Nutrition