Nut Free Summer Squash Pesto (Gluten Free, Vegan)

I don’t know if it’s the summer temperatures or a random craving, but I’ve been addicted to sauces, spreads and dips for the last month. As in four-sauces-per-gluten-free-dinner addicted. So when I first whipped up and tasted this six-ingredient nut-free pesto sauce of mine, I literally smacked my lips.

Just imagine: a vegan pesto sauce that’s just a little tangy, a lot creamy and packed with good-for-you ingredients like hemp seeds, spinach, zucchini, and apple cider vinegar. Hemp seeds are high in protein and healthy fats like omega 3 and 6, and reportedly improve the health of your digestion, heart, joints, hair skin and nails. (AKA, why I love putting hemp seeds on everythang). Meanwhile, spinach offers vitamin K and A, manganese and folate while zucchini is low in calories but high in vitamin C, B6 and potassium. Basically? This creamy gluten free pesto is a super delicious way to get in some plant based protein and veggies!

As a true basic pesto recipe, this sauce is also super easy to make. No pre-soaking of seeds or high-speed blenders required. You can literally just throw these ingredients in your blender (I used my parents’ Nutribullet), blend until creamy, and dig in!

Ingredients for Gluten Free Pesto Sauce:

Ready to make your own healthy pesto? Gather the simple ingredients below. This will make around 1 cup of vegan pesto sauce:

1/4 cup hemp seeds
3 cups spinach
1/4 cup chopped squash or zucchini
6-8 tbsp water (depending on desired thickness)
Splash of apple cider vinegar (or squeeze of lemon)
Shake of thyme and oregano 

How to Make Vegan Pesto:

Like I mentioned earlier, this healthy pesto recipe is super easy to make in any blender. Just chuck all of the ingredients in and blend! I’d recommend starting with six tablespoons of water and adding more as necessary to blend. If you want a saucier consistency like pictured, though, you’ll probably end up using the full eight tablespoons. 

Like I write in the ingredients list, you can also easily sub in whatever ingredients you have on hand. No apple cider vinegar? Use a squeeze of lemon instead. Zucchini will also work just as well as yellow summer squash, and you could experiment with using other greens instead of (or along with) the spinach. If you try to make this recipe with something other than hemp seeds, know that the ingredient ratios will probably need to be adjusted. I’d recommend just trying my Seed-Stuffed Pesto recipe instead, which is made with pumpkin and sunflower seeds.  

This spread obviously tastes delicious when used in a vegan pesto pasta recipe, but you can put this pesto sauce on basically anything savory and it will be a win! I’ve used it as a pizza sauce; a dip for homemade French fries; a spread on (veggie) burgers or sandwiches; and a drizzle on salads or roasted veggies. As long as you like your meals a little saucy, you’ll go through this healthy pesto in no time...but luckily it only takes a few minutes to make a fresh batch. 

Regardless of why I’m craving sauces like crazy this summer, this homemade vegan pesto is a great addition to my saucy lineup...and since it’s gluten free, vegan and nut free, almost anyone can enjoy this spread. The only hard decision you have to make now is what to put this pesto on first! 

What would you eat this pesto with? Tell me in the comments!