Vegan basil pistachio kale sauce features vitamin-rich kale leaves blended with buttery pistachios, fresh basil leaves, garlic, and tangy lemon juice. This flavorful sauce is extremely versatile and can be enjoyed as a veggie dip, sandwich spread, pasta sauce, or salad dressing!
Are you tired of the same old salad dressing flavors? Do you want a sneaky way to work more greens into your meals that’s healthy and tastes good? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you should definitely give this vegan pistachio sauce a try! This versatile sauce is loaded with nutritious ingredients that when blended together will add so much flavor to whatever you put it on!
This creamy pistachio sauce is incredibly easy to make and you can use it in so many different ways! Try it as a dip for veggies, a spread on sandwiches or wraps, a sauce for pasta, or as a flavor booster drizzled over your favorite vegan buddha bowl.
Are Pistachio Shells Edible?
No, pistachio shells aren’t edible. If you don’t want to throw the shells away, you can use them for arts and crafts or you can crush the shells and then sprinkle them in the garden to help keep bugs away.
The Easiest Way to Open a Pistachio
Don’t use your fingernails or your teeth to pry open a pistachio shell, the shells are very tough and can damage your nails and teeth. The easiest way to open pistachios without hurting yourself is to pick a pistachio where the two shells are pretty open and wide apart. You should be able to break it open pretty easily without using much force.
Then you can use one of the shells from the pistachio that you just opened to stick into the crack of another whole pistachio where the opening is much smaller and more difficult to open with your fingers. Use the shell as a lever to pry the two shells apart and get the nut inside.
How to Make Pistachio Sauce
This basil pistachio kale sauce is so simple to make! All you have to do is remove the shells from the pistachios and then add all the ingredients to a small blender cup and blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy. You can enjoy the creamy pistachio sauce immediately or you can chill it for one hour before you pour it over your buddha bowl for lunch.
How Long Does it Last in the Refrigerator?
The pistachio sauce will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Can You Freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze the pistachio sauce in an airtight container for up to 3-4 months. When you’re ready to eat it, remove the container from the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours. Give it a good stir to help break up any ice chunks and to help the sauce blend back together if it separated.
Ways to Adapt this Recipe
You can use this basil kale pistachio sauce in so many delicious ways!
- Salad Dressing: Drizzle the dressing over a big salad.
- Veggie Dip: Serve the pistachio kale sauce as a dip for raw carrots, cauliflower florets, broccoli florets, zucchini slices, cucumber slices, and bell peppers.
- Vegan Pistachio Pasta Sauce: Combine the pistachio kale sauce with 8 ounces of gluten-free chickpea pasta, green peas (for extra plant-based protein), cherry tomatoes, and vegan parmesan cheese for a super flavorful, high-protein, and filling meal.
- Stuffed Mushroom Filling: Replace the pesto sauce in this stuffed portobello mushroom recipe with this kale sauce for a light meal option.
- Vegan Buddha Bowl: Use the pistachio sauce as a flavor booster with your favorite vegan buddha bowl.
- Sandwich Spread: Use the sauce as a healthy spread to add flavor to wraps for avocado zucchini sandwiches.
Substitutions & FAQ
- Kale Substitution: You can use spinach or swiss chard leaves instead of kale.
- Basil Substitution: Instead of basil, you can use fresh cilantro.
- Lemon Substitution: Instead of lemon, you can use fresh lime juice.
- Pistachio Substitution: Walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, or sunflower seeds can be used instead of pistachios.
- What to do With Pistachio Shells? Pistachio shells are not edible but you can wash them and use them for arts and crafts or break them up and use them to ward off bugs in a garden.
- What Type of Kale Should You Use? I used curly kale for this recipe, but you can also use red kale or lacinato (dinosaur) kale.
- Allergy Notes: This sauce is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and oil-free. To make it nut-free, substitute sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for the pistachios.
Success Tips
- Kale stems taste bitter, so make sure to remove them before adding the leaves to the blender. If you don’t want to discard the edible stems, you can thinly slice them and add the steams to this vegetable barley soup.
- Don’t damage your fingernails trying to break apart all of the pistachio shells. Open one shell and then use that shell as a lever to pry open the other shells.
- Store the vegan pistachio sauce in an airtight container (like a mason jar) in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze it for a future meal.
More Vegan Sauce Recipes You’ll Love!
Spicy Vegan Avocado Chipotle Sauce
Vegan Basil Pistachio Kale Sauce
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 3 cups loosely packed kale stems removed
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pistachios shells removed
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1/4 tsp himalayan pink sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup water (add more to taste)
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the kale leaves and take the pistachios out of the shells.
- Put 3 cups kale leaves (stems removed), 1 cup basil leaves, 1/4 cup pistachios (shells removed), 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 small garlic clove, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/3 cup water into a medium-sized blender cup (I used a Nutribullet) and blend until smooth and creamy.
- If the sauce is too thick, keep adding 1 tbsp water at a time to the sauce until you reach your desired consistency.
- You can use the sauce immediately or you can put it in the fridge to chill for 1 hour if you prefer a cold dressing.
Notes
- Kale stems taste bitter, so make sure to remove them before adding the leaves to the blender. If you don't want to discard the edible stems, you can thinly slice them and add the steams to this vegetable barley soup.
- Don't damage your fingernails trying break apart all of the pistachio shells. Open one shell and then use that shell as a lever to pry open the other shells.
- Store the vegan pistachio sauce in an airtight container (like a mason jar) in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze it for a future meal.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally shared on 1/6/16, but I updated it with better recipe instructions on 5/27/20.
