Hello there! For many years, I’ve made this bean-based pesto:
It doesn’t taste like the real deal, but it kind of scratches the itch and has a good amount of protein and fiber from the beans.
Now, though, I want something closer to the real thing in flavor but without too many calories. I thought, what about a tofu base as that is more neutral than beans and versatile in texture? And found this recipe:
Has anybody tried it and liked it? What oil-free pestos do you recommend that satisfy the craving?
For the record, I’m not anti-oil, it’s just it’s so many calories in such a tiny thing that I prefer to eat something with more volume when cutting calories.
On that note, I’ve started eating shirataki noodles as a sub for pasta, and one of my favorite lunches is a pesto pasta salad with spring mix and cherry tomatoes. Any suggestions on what could be added to bulk that up a bit more that compliments those other flavors well?
by nifflerriver4
5 Comments
Tofu is actually a really common ingredient in most cheaper pestos because it mimics the same creaminess without the more expensive pinenuts and olive oil
I haven’t tried it myself – one I would recommend trying from experience would be aquafaba- the liquid from a tin of chickpeas. I usually sub it for oil innmy hummus recipes and it makes the creamier hummus, it’s thickens to a great creamy consistency when blended or whipped so I could imagine may work in a pesto?
This is my favourite oil free pesto recipe (I leave out the tomato because I rarely have them around the house, so I don’t know how it tastes with the tomato added, but I could put it on everything!)
[https://healthymidwesterngirl.com/easy-vegan-oil-free-pesto/](https://healthymidwesterngirl.com/easy-vegan-oil-free-pesto/)
I’ve made that recipe and I thought it was really good! I subbed walnuts for the pine nuts.
I also love the How Not to Die cookbook recipe that uses soaked cashews instead of oil but obviously it’s higher calorie.
I like kale pesto with sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast. I use a recipe similar to this one, but I use miso or vegetable broth in place of the oil. If I have kale that’s about to turn, I stick it into the freezer until I have enough to make a big batch. You can freeze the pesto. https://minimalistbaker.com/super-green-vegan-kale-pesto/
Better with banana 🍌