This is the Best Vegan Kale Pesto – it’s lemony, garlicky, and completely delicious!

I LOVE pesto. Not only is it super delicious, but it’s customizable, versatile, and nutritious. If I’m feeling like I’m not getting enough greens, I’ll make a pesto to put on whole wheat or chickpea noodles. I also love adding pesto to mashed avocado (with a dash of hot paprika) to make a deliciously flavorful avocado toast.

This is my best vegan kale pesto recipe – I make it a couple times a month, and it’s usually gone within a day or two! The recipe is well-balanced, with the savory and herby elements of garlic and basil, nuttiness from the pumpkin seeds, and earthiness from the kale. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to throw together! I love it when you can achieve big flavors with minimal effort.

Even though I’ve always loved pesto, I make it more often now because it’s my boyfriend’s favorite. In fact, for his birthday yesterday he requested my pumpkin gnocchi recipe with pesto. I made a variation of this pesto, but I swapped out kale for spinach and added in a dash of paprika. The result was AMAZINGLY delicious (see it here). It made me so happy to create something tasty and nourishing for him, because my boyfriend does so much for me. I know he gets a decent amount of air time here, but he deserves so much recognition for all that he does. Even though we’ve been dating for almost a year, I’m still constantly surprised by how giving and thoughtful a person can be. I feel like (in fact, I know) you don’t come around people like him that often. He’s unlike any other person I’ve ever met. Sometimes I just sit down and wonder how I got so unbelievably lucky!!

So it makes me really glad to be able to create these recipes for him. I’ve always been the type of person who likes to take care of someone else, and cooking is the absolute best way to do that. There’s nothing like saying “I love you” by making a delicious meal for the person that you care about! :)

P.S.

If you make this recipe and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me @wellandfull and #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your takes on my recipes :)