This vegan spinach pesto pasta is a really simple dish that’s great for any time of year - we love it as a winter warmer and as a summer day pasta salad!
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I absolutely love taking classic recipes and putting a vegan spin on them. That’s what I’ve done here, making my own pesto sauce with lots of different main ingredients, such as Sundried Tomatoes, Grilled Peppers, Wild Garlic, and even with Courgette Blossoms!
If you wanted to make this recipe your own, you could try swapping out the sunflower seeds for pine nuts. While pine nuts are a little harder to come by, they are one of the classic ingredients in pesto, so your flavor will be a little bit more conventional.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Packed with fresh greens – Baby spinach and basil make this pesto beautifully green and nutritious.
Vegan & dairy-free – Uses vegan cheese and olive oil for creamy, rich texture without any animal products.
Quick & easy – Ready in just 30 minutes and made with pantry-friendly ingredients.
Great hot or cold – Serve warm for comfort or chilled for a light summer pasta salad.
Ingredients
How To Make Vegan Spinach Pesto Pasta
STEP 1 - TOAST AND BLEND THE BASE
Let’s get started by gently toasted the sunflower seeds in a hot pan until they’re fragrant. The smell of well-toasted sunflower seeds is a wonderful thing that always signifies the start of a new season, and we love it!
Add the toasted seeds and vegan cheese to the bowl of a blender, then blend them until they’re completely powdered. Ensure that the powder is the same consistency all the way through - this will help a lot with flavor distribution. Any large chunks that the blender hasn’t quite caught will have plenty of unreleased flavors, so make sure to avoid that!
STEP 2 - ADD THE SPINACH
In the same blender, add the fresh spinach in a couple of small batches, and pulse everything until it’s finely chopped. Alternatively, you can simply blend until the texture is to your liking.
STEP 3 - COOK THE PASTA
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water. A great tip to cut down on the time needed to boil pasta - boil the water that you’ll need in the kettle before adding it to a pan of dry pasta and salt. The pasta will cook just the same, and an electric kettle will boil water much more quickly than a pan full of pasta will. Try it out - it saves us so much time!
STEP 4 - SEASON THE PESTO AND COMBINE
Now, take a large bowl, and add in the chopped spinach, cheese and sunflower seed powder, as well as the garlic puree, olive oil, and lemon juice. Then, add in a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, and mix everything well with a spatula.
Drain the pasta al dente, and then coat it in the wonderful pesto sauce. While you can cook the pasta just as much as you’d like, I would certainly recommend cooking it al dente. The idea of cooking pasta like this is that the residual heat in the food will actually continue to cook it as you’re eating it.
STEP 5 - ENJOY OR REFRIGERATE
Finally, you can enjoy your vegan spinach pesto pasta straight away! Alternatively, you can chill it in the fridge for a cold version, which we’d actually recommend for the summer months - it’s great for sunny days!
Tips for the Perfect Spinach Pesto Pasta
Add extra greens: Try adding rocket or parsley for extra peppery notes.
Make it creamy: Stir in a spoonful of vegan cream cheese or plant-based yoghurt for a richer texture.
Change up the pasta: Wholemeal pasta or gluten-free pasta both work great with this pesto sauce.
Meal prep: This pasta stays fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days – perfect for lunchboxes or easy meal planning!
Recipe
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