This parsley hemp heart pesto is vegan, nut-free, and raw. Pesto usually has cheese in it which doesn’t work for those of us who eat a vegan diet. My pesto recipes are always made without cheese. For many, it is best not to eat lots of nuts and this hemp heart pesto is perfect as the hemp hearts add the flavour and texture without the nuts.

Parsley Hemp Heart Pesto Recipe Ingredients

Parsley

It is the star ingredient in this parsley hemp heart pesto. Parsley is a very popular herb that is actually a superfood. Mostly we see it as something that decorates a food dish, especially in a restaurant. The truth is that it adds a subtle flavour to many recipes.

“Parsley has been used as carminative, gastro tonic, diuretic, antiseptic of urinary tract, anti-urolithiasis, anti-dote and anti-inflammatory and for the treatment of amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, gastrointestinal disorder, hypertension, cardiac disease, urinary disease, otitis, sniffle, diabetes and also various dermal disease in traditional and folklore medicines.” ~ Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Hemp Hearts

Hemp hearts are one of the main ingredients in this Parsley Hemp Heart Pesto and they are definitely a superfood filled with health benefits! The hemp heart is hulled from the hemp seed, which is the same plant as marijuana but they will not get you high. Hemp hearts will get you high on nutrients and health benefits. I enjoy adding them to my meals daily and to this delicious parsley hemp heart pesto.

It is best to get organic hemp hearts. They are sensitive to light and heat, so it’s best to store them in a cool, dry place or in the fridge.

Here are the organic hemp hearts I get from Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts, you can get them from Amazon with that link.

Garlic

Garlic can lower cholesterol, prevent blood clots, and lower high blood pressure. It also prevents artery-clogging plaque in its early stage by keeping cholesterol particles from sticking to artery walls. Add some garlic to your soups, stews, and salad dressing recipes to lower high cholesterol, and to this parsley hemp heart pesto.

Sometimes it is easier to use some Organic Freeze Dried Garlic so no chopping and peeling.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is packed with health benefits from helping with weight loss to improving bine health to lowering bad cholesterol and much more. Learn all 12 of the Health Benefits of Olive Oil

Olive oil was referred to as “Liquid Gold” by the famous Greek poet Homer. If you are what you eat, what would happen if you consumed “Liquid Gold” daily? It’s one of the top oils you need in your kitchen and the oil that I use for this parsley hemp heart pesto.

We were shocked to find out that the olive oils that we thought were real authentic extra virgin olive oils were not! Read about The Olive Oil Fraud and which are the Best Real Olive oils

Nutritional Yeast Flakes

Nutritional Yeast Flakes add a tangy, cheesy taste to my food which is good since I don’t eat cheese. I add this to sauces and to this parsley hemp heart pesto as a replacement for Parmesan cheese. Nutritional yeast flakes are an inactive form of yeast and are a good source of protein (contain 18 amino acids and nine are essential ones that your body cannot produce). Also, are a great source of B vitamins and the minerals iron, selenium, and zinc.
Nutritional yeast can sometimes be confused with baker’s yeast, which is still active and can grow inside your stomach, depriving you of nutrients, or with brewer’s yeast, which is inactive but bitter.

Organic nutritional yeast is not fortified, so it does not have the same B vitamins and bright yellow color as conventional yeast flakes. Any fortified yeast cannot be organically certified. Try this very good variety of nutritional yeast: Druids Grove Organic Nutritional Yeast Flakes Kosher Certified

Salt

I always use Pink Himalayan Salt which is a salt that is actually healthy for you!

Time to make this delicious parsley hemp heart pesto!

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Parsley Hemp Heart Pesto Recipe

This parsley hemp heart pesto is vegan, nut-free, and raw. Pesto usually has cheese in it which doesn’t work for those of us who eat a vegan diet. My pestos are always made without cheese. For many, it is best not to eat lots of nuts and this hemp heart pesto is perfect as the hemp hearts add the flavour and texture without the nuts.

Course Sauce

Cuisine gluten-free, Italian, vegan, vegetarian

Keyword garlic, Gluten-free, hemp hearts, parsley, pesto, Vegan, vegetarian

Author Diana Herrington

Ingredients

1-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh parsley
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

Instructions

Wash the parsley thoroughly and roughly chop it.
Chop the garlic.
Put the parsley, garlic, and hemp seeds into a food processor fitted with the S blade.
Pulse about 10 times, to help break down the parsley.
Add all of the remaining ingredients. to the blender
Process till smooth, adding an extra drizzle of olive oil if needed to thin the pesto
Taste the pesto and add more salt if needed
Store the pesto in a glass container in the fridge.

Notes

Find out more about the healthy ingredients I use for this recipe: hemp hearts, extra virgin olive oil, garlic.

This pesto is deliciously served on pasta, or as a dip, on salads, pizzas, toast, or whatever you would like!

Pesto is said to only last 3 – 5 days in the fridge or it can be kept frozen for up to 1 month. I find mine lasts for at least a week in the fridge

Try Some of My Other Tasty Pesto Recipes

Delicious Vegan Pesto – I love this vegan pesto without the cheese; it tastes like the real thing only better to me! Toss with pasta or serve with bread or crackers for an appetizer.

Vegan Zucchini Pesto – This zucchini pesto is lighter than the regular pesto as it has less oil and adds a refreshing zest of zucchini to your pasta. Also, I prefer not to use cheese and the nutritional yeast gives it a delicious flavor.

Tasty Vegan Chickweed Pesto – This chickweed pesto is vegan, is easy to make, and tastes great! Chickweed is a weed that grows everywhere which is one of the best things about this recipe. It is a delicate green weed that is so good for pesto. Toss with pasta or serve with bread or crackers for an appetizer.

Fresh Peppermint Pesto Is So Tasty on Pasta – I love this vegan peppermint pesto during the hot summer. Try it on raw zucchini pasta or even added to your cooked grains or on top of steamed vegetables.

Arugula Pesto Recipe – Healthy and Dairy Free – This arugula pesto is a favorite of mine and it is great to be able to use walnuts instead of the wonderful pine nuts which are so expensive. Cheese is usually an ingredient when making a pesto recipe. However, like all my pesto recipes, there is no cheese in this. This arugula pesto still has a cheesy flavour thanks to the Nutritional Yeast used.

More Healthy Hemp Heart Recipes That Are Delicious

Creamy Hemp Heart Milk Is Delicious and Nutritious – This hemp heart milk is made with hemp hearts which are the hemp seeds hulled. It is very quick to make and is surprisingly creamy!

Wild Blueberry Grain-Free Crumble is Tasty and Good for You – This is a delicious wild blueberry grain-free crumble meaning it is gluten-free too. This wild blueberry crumble recipe is healthy and is also refined sugar-free. What inspired this recipe was that my sister was coming for her birthday dinner and I wanted to have a very healthy dessert to serve.

Sweet Wild Blueberry Keto Smoothie is Easy to Make – I love this wild blueberry keto smoothie. It is perfect for a quick breakfast or makes a tasty afternoon snack. What makes it keto is that there are only a small amount of blueberries in it and all of the other ingredients are keto-friendly. I make it a little sweeter by adding a few drops of stevia to mine.