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Vegan Wild Garlic Leaves Pesto (European Bärlauch Pesto)

Vegan Wild Garlic Leaves Pesto (European Bärlauch Pesto)

Nutritious, versatile, and bursting with flavors – this Wird Garlic Leaves Pesto is something that you would want in your fridge when the Spring season comes. Literally! You would want to have it with everything – bread, salads, sandwiches, crackers, pasta, pizza, etc. It has no cheese in it but still, it is very cheesy because of nuts, seeds, and nutritional yeast.

If you like this one, you might want to try our Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, Italian Basil Pesto, and Spinach & Basil Pesto too.

What is Pesto?

Pesto is a traditional Italian condiment recipe that is basically a sauce or a dip. It is made by hand-pounding garlic and basil leaves with some pine nuts and cheese. It is extremely flavorful and cheesy because of all the herbs, cheese, and olive oil. Traditionally, it is used to make Pesto Pasta but you can be creative and make a lot more things with this flavorful dip.

How to make Pesto?

The best way to make pesto is by using a mortar pestle. This is the traditional method of making it. In this method, all the ingredients are crushed in a mortar and pestle until you get a paste-like consistency. While crushing, the ingredients release their juice, aroma, and flavors and you get an absolutely delicious pesto. This method makes a slightly coarse pesto which in my opinion tastes much better. The best part of this method is that you get to soak in all the aroma while crushing the ingredients. It feels amazing. The oil that the ingredients release by pounding adds a unique flavor that you don’t get in a mixer grinder.

But this is obviously a time taking method and you need to be ready for some good arm workouts. It is surely a good method when you want to make a lesser quantity but if you are someone like us who would want to make a big batch so that you can have it all through the week, then it could be a little pain in the head. That’s why I make it in my food processor.

Apart from the mortar pestle, you can even make this pesto in a mixer grinder or food processor.

Spinach Basil Pesto

How to make Pesto Pasta?

You can follow our delicious and creamy Pesto Pasta recipe for this. It is quite easy and quick to make. Just saute some veggies, add boiled pasta, and mix well. Switch off the flame and add pesto as needed. Mix well and your absolutely delicious and restaurant-style pasta is ready to be served.

How to use Pesto?

Pesto can be used for the following:

  1. Pesto Pasta
  2. Pizza
  3. Sandwiches
  4. As a dip with crackers, bread, etc.
  5. Pesto Puffs
  6. To make Pesto Bread

Source

What is Wild Garlic (Bärlauch in German)?

Bärlauch (German) or Wild Garlic is a popular herb mainly grown in Europe. You can find this herb during the Spring season. According to my experience, it has got very strong garlic flavor and that is why in the pesto you do not need to add any other garlic. These leaves are just sufficient.

It is highly nutritious and rich in antioxidants. These are anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and even used for medicinal purposes. You can use these leaves in Salad, Pasta, Pizza, and Sandwiches. It tastes amazing.

Easy Swaps

  1. Nuts & Seeds: You can use soaked almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, or sunflower seeds in the recipe. They all make the pesto rich and creamy.
  2. Nutritional Yeast: It is an ingredient that adds a cheesy flavor. The perfect option for vegans. But if you are not vegan, you can use parmesan cheese instead. Skip cashews in that case.

Basil Pesto Pasta

Is this recipe Vegan?

Yes. This Wild Garlic Leaves Pesto recipe is totally plant-based and vegan. It doesn’t have any cheese to it. Instead of cheese, I added cashews, pumpkin seeds, and nutritional yeast to the pesto recipe. These ingredients make the pesto creamy and cheesy.

How to Store Wild Garlic Leaves Pesto?

You can make a big batch of this pesto and refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks (or even more). Make sure to store it in a clean, dry, and air-tight container.

If you want to store it for a longer time, then put it in the freezer. It can last for more than a month. Whenever you want to use it, take out the pesto from the freezer well in advance to thaw well, or else, put the jar in hot water and de-freeze the pesto.

Other Recipes – just as good

  1. Spinach & Basil Pesto
  2. Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
  3. Vegetarian Lasagna
  4. Vegan Mushroom Sauce Pasta

Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this Italian condiment – spinach basil pesto at home. It is the perfect sauce, dip, or condiment which you must keep in your refrigerator at all times. This way you can make a quick meal and have a party feel at home.

If you try this recipe & like it too, please share the photo of your creation on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Love from us

Richa & Jatin

Vegan Wild Garlic Leaves Pesto (European Bärlauch Pesto)

Quick. Delicious. Vegan.

Tell us what you think

This wild garlic pesto is highly nutritious and oozes with flavors. It is so simple, quick, and easy to make that after trying this, you would never buy a pesto from the stores. 

Do make it and dive into a flavorful world.

8

Servings

10 min

Prep Time

2 min

Cook Time

12 min

Total Time


Ingredients

Steps

  1. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend until everything is well combined and you get a smooth but slightly coarse paste. 
  2. Take it out in a clean air-tight container, and top it up with some extra-virgin olive oil to add a nice shine.

FAQs

What is Pesto?
+

Pesto is a traditional Italian condiment recipe that is basically a sauce or a dip. It is made by hand-pounding garlic and basil leaves with some pine nuts and cheese. It is extremely flavorful and cheesy because of all the herbs, cheese, and olive oil. Traditionally, it is used to make Pesto Pasta but you can be creative and make a lot more things with this flavorful dip.


What does Pesto taste like?
+

Pesto is a thick and coarse green-colored sauce that has a strong taste and flavor of basil and garlic. The flavors are made cheesy and nutty by using a hard cheese – mainly Parmesan Cheese – and a generous amount of pine nuts. It even has a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil that gives it a unique strong aroma and flavor. It is salty and can be used to make Pesto Pasta, Pizza, Sandwiches and can be used as a dip too.


How do you eat Pesto?
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You can eat Pesto with the following:

  • Pesto Pasta
  • Pizza
  • Sandwiches
  • As a dip with crackers, bread, etc.
  • Pesto Puffs
  • To make Pesto Bread

You can even mix other ingredients to it like sour cream, greek yogurt, and cream cheese, and make a delicious spread.


What is nutritional yeast?
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Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that is quite popular amongst vegans. It is not the yeast that is used to bake bread. Nutritional yeast is a good source of Vitamin B12 but not all nutritional yeast contains this vitamin. So, check the label before buying. This ingredient adds a nice cheesy flavor to pasta, soups, salads, dips, and dressings.


Is Nutritional Yeast healthy?
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I always say that anything is unhealthy if not consumed in moderation. Nutritional yeast is a good source of Vitamin B12 for vegetarians and vegans. If consumed in appropriate amounts, you can even avoid taking pills (as suggested by nutritionfacts.org). But it may or may not suit your body. So, just take care and see if it is good for your body and health.

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