Get the delicious taste and texture of pesto without the allergens with our dairy and nut free sundried tomato pesto recipe. This quick and easy recipe is made with a jar of sundried tomatoes in oil, fresh herbs and allergy friendly substitutes for nuts and parmesan, making it perfect for people with food allergies. And it’s gluten free and vegan too.
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Food allergies and traditional pesto
Traditional pesto is an Italian sauce originating from the Genoa region. It is made with basil, pine nuts, garlic and hard cheese (parmesan or pecorino) blended together with olive oil. Other varieties of pesto substitute the basil for ingredients like rocket/arugula, or sundried tomatoes like we have with this recipe.
For people with food allergies, pesto can present a few problems. Firstly, some people are allergic to pine nuts (which are really a seed). Even if you aren’t allergic to pine nuts, there can be a risk of cross contact with other nuts and the pine nuts are sometimes replaced with cashew or almond. Secondly, people with cow’s milk allergy need to avoid all dairy, including hard cheeses. I have seen dairy free pesto available in the supermarket, but usually these are still nut based. And if like us you are allergic to both nuts and dairy, that means no pesto.
There are lots of allergy-friendly pesto recipes too. However, many vegan and dairy free pesto recipes replace the cheese with nutritional yeast or leave it out together, which can reallyaffect the texture and the taste.
We’ve tried to make our pesto as close to the original as possible – without the nuts and dairy.
Dairy and nut free sundried tomato pesto ingredients
To make sundried tomato pesto without pine nuts and cheese you’ll need:
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, from a jar, drained and oil reserved
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan style cheese
- 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 cup of reserved oil from the sundried tomatoes
Sundried tomatoes
This recipe uses sundried tomatoes that you can buy in a jar, preserved in oil. This is important becuase you will use the already flavoured oil with its herbs and spices in the recipe. Just be sure to check the ingredients carefully for any allergens you need to avoid.
What to use instead of nuts?
For this nut free sundried tomato pesto, I’ve chosen to use sunflower seeds for the utty taste and texture. Anotehr option would be lightly toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or one of our other savoury nut substitutes.
How to substitute the cheese?
While you could leave out the cheese to make this pesto recipe dairy free, it doesn’t quite have the right taste or texture. Using a vegan parmesan style cheese keeps this recipe as close to the traditional as possible.
There are lots of vegan and plant based parmesan style cheeses on the market. Just be aware that many vegan cheeses are actually made with nuts (such as cashew) so may not be a suitable replacement in a nut free recipe. As always, check the ingredients and any may contain statements carefully to ensure the ingredients you use are safe for your allergies.
For this recipe we used an Australian brand called Dairy Free Downunder, but I have also used Bio Cheese Grated Parmesano. These vegan cheeses are made with coconut oil.
Or course, if you don’t need this pesto to be dairy free, you can just use regular parmesan or pecorino cheese instead.
Do you need a food processor?
Yes, for best results you will need to use a food processor to make sundried tomato pesto. I love shortcuts to save on dishes, but a food processor is going to give the best results for grinding up the sunflower seeds and other ingredients to blend together with the oil.
This recipe only makes about a cup and half of pesto, so you’ll only need a small food processor bowl.
This is one reason why I love my Breville Kitchen Wizz (or Sous Chef). This food processor – and others like the Paradice 16 – comes with a large food processor bowl (16 cup or 3.8 L) and a smaller mini bowl (2.5 cup or 1L) that sits inside it and can be used with the included smaller blade. The small bowl is perfect for making sauces like this sundried tomato pesto. (This food processor goes under Sage branding in the UK.)
Method
Drain the oil from the sundried tomatoes and set aside 1/2 cup.
Add sundried tomatoes, sunflower seeds, chopped garlic clove, vegan parmesan and chopped fresh rosemary to the food processor bowl with half of the reserve oil. Pulse until all ingredients are chopped.
Gradually add the remaining reserved oil a little at a time, pulsing in between to combine. Scrape down any ingredients on the sides of the processor bowl with a spatula as needed to ensure even blending. The pesto should be smooth and spreadable, and not too oily.
You may not need to add all of the oil. Alternatively, if you find the mixture too dry you can add some more oil than the recipe states – even just some additional extra virgin olive oil until you reach your desired consistency.
Spoon the pesto into clean glass jars. (Jars should be sterilised or run through a hot dishwasher and dried in the oven first.)
This recipe makes about a cup and a half of pesto and will serve 12. If you are using a generous amount of pesto as a pasta sauce, it will serve 6.
Storage and freezing
If not using straight away, store the pesto in the fridge. There should be sufficient oil to rise to the top and form a thin protective layer. If not, you can add a small additional amount of olive oil to the top of the jar to keep the pesto fresh. Stir well to combine before using.
Freeze any left over pesto for up to 3 months. Make sure to cover any portions you are going to freeze with a thin film of olive oil first and stir well after defrosting.
How to use pesto
This pesto recipe is the perfect addition to pasta (wheat/gluten free if needed). Or use to flavour chicken, pototoes or vegetables. Pesto is delicious spread on brushetta or include it in an allergy friendly dips platter. You could also substitute this tomato pesto for the allergy friendly basil pesto in our vegan cheese twists with nut free pesto.
More dairy and nut free recipes
Need more delicious dairy and nut free recipes? All of the recipes on our recipes page are made without milk or nuts. For something sweet without nuts, try our nut and dairy free rocky road or our no bake chocolate cherry slice.
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Dairy And Nut Free Sundried Tomato Pesto (Vegan)
Equipment
- 1 chopping board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 food processor
- measuring cups and spoons
- Glass jars (sterilised) for storage
Ingredients
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes in oil (drain and reserve 1/2 cup oil)
- ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup parmesan style vegan cheese
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
- ½ cup reserved oil from sundried tomatoes
Instructions
- Drain the oil from the sundried tomatoes and set aside 1/2 cup.
- Add sundried tomatoes, sunflower seeds, chopped garlic clove, vegan parmesan and chopped fresh rosemary to the food processor bowl with half of the reserve oil. Pulse until all ingredients are chopped.
- Gradually add the remaining reserved oil a little at a time, pulsing in between to combine to reach your desired consistency. Scrape down any ingredients on the sides of the processor bowl with a spatula as needed to ensure even blending. The pesto should be smooth and spreadable, and not too oily.
- You may not need to add all of the oil. Alternatively, if you find the mixture too dry you can add some more oil than the recipe states (use extra virgin olive oil if reserved oil is insufficient).
- Spoon the pesto into clean, sterilised glass jars.
