A flavorful lemon hemp seed pesto full of greens, protein and a hint of lemon. Creamy and filling, toss with your favorite pasta or salad for a delicious, healthy and super easy meal!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Manitoba Harvest. The opinions and text are all mine.
As if it isn’t obvious already, our family loves pasta. Creating pasta sauces and dishes is my happy place, and this one is no exception. Although I have created a few pestos already, in our house, one can never have too many pestos so may as well make another!
Hemp Hearts hemp seeds by Manitoba Harvest have been our latest obsession. I absolutely love them, as can be seen by my most recent creation Cauliflower Hemp Burgers. They were such a hit in our family, that I wanted to make something else using hemp seeds, so pesto it was! And what perfect timing as this is Hemp History Week!! Hemp seeds are a great source of protein (among other things) and I love using them. Especially when they are mixed with veggies or greens, making them a one sauce kind of meal. What is better than that?! My boys love pesto so much they eat it with their hands straight out of the bowl. It’s so incredibly messy, but I try my hardest to put my Type A personality aside and let them go to town. I can’t really complain when they are stuffing their face with truckloads of goodness. And if I can time it for when I have plans and am off duty, even better!
Hemp seeds are used in this pesto as the main source of heartiness, leaving it with an almost creamy consistency. I combined them with both spinach and basil for added goodness and threw in a splash of lemon to give it a tart little twist. It worked fabulous and we now have a new favorite pesto! My favorite part is how easy this is to make, my three year old can even do it! Seriously…I prepped it and he put it all in the food processor and mixed until ready! I’m thinking I need a new category on my blog, “So easy your 3 year old can do it!” Lol! We made a giant batch and froze some for another day, perfection.
In honor of my love of hemp seeds and Hemp History Week, I have teamed up with Manitoba Harvest to giveaway a bag of Hemp Hearts hemp seeds! How cool is that?! In order to enter, you need to go to my Facebook Page and click on the blue “Giveaway” box.
From there you will see how to enter. Let me know if you get confused or have any questions! Good luck!
Lemon Hempseed Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 1 cup hemp seeds
- Himalayan pink salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
- juice of 1 small lemon
- Your favorite oil for using in sauces to taste optional
- ¼ - ½ cup water or veggie broth to bring to desired consistency
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor, blender or high speed blender and blend until well mixed, adding water or veggie broth to bring the pesto to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings to desired taste.
Notes
- The lemon gives this pesto a tangy taste, so if you prefer less tang, cut the lemon down.
- I like to double or triple the recipe and store in the freezer for quick meals. If using oil, you will need just a splash if using a pure high quality oil because the taste is much more flavorful, so even though you may pay more, less is more when using it and in the end you won't be buying as much.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate. Please read more about that here.
Emily Kemp says
I love finding new pesto recipes, this one looks SO delicious can’t wait to try it!
Kaitlyn says
This pasta looks and sounds delicious! Pesto is one of my favorite foods! I bet the hemp seeds add the perfect amount of crunch.
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much!! The hemp seeds are so great in pesto!
pbandvegan says
Ha ha, I lied. Parsley tastes like grass. Hemp seeds taste like dead fish!! I took Somer’s advice and started stirring them into smoothies instead of blending and I like them better like that. I’m a work in progress 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
I top my smoothie bowls with them so it’s a stirred effect. I like the texture that way! Keep at it, I’m sure they’ll grow on you 😉
pbandvegan says
I’m trying to love hemp seeds. I still think they taste like grass!! I’ll try this recipe to see if my love for them blossoms 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Lol! I love the flavor, but mostly eat them mixed with things…I don’t think you can taste them in the pesto, but maybe start with a little less and see?? Also, have you tried them in smoothies? The sweet of the smoothie definitely covers up the hemp seed taste! And if you add some peanut butter to your smoothie, even better.
Kibby@Kibby's Blended Life says
I ADORE hemp seeds – especially Manitoba Harvest – and have been using them for years. I like them on salads, making hemp milk, sauces, dressings and will definitely be making this lovely lemon hemp seed pesto – thanks for the recipe. Love your site.
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you! Aren’t hemp hearts great?! I love them in all those ways too. You should also check out my hemp seed burger!