Baking sheet with pizza dough, pesto sauce and veggie toppings.

In my own personal opinion, pesto pizza gives the traditional red-sauced pizza a run for its money. The savory and salty flavor of homemade pesto adds a new layer of seasoning, and it’s complimentary to so many different toppings. It’s very easy to customize your pesto pizza to create a crowd-pleasing culinary dish.

This cashew pesto pizza recipe is also incredibly versatile. You can alter the recipe to make it vegan, vegetarian, plant-based and even keto. Either way you decide to make this favorite food, it’s always a healthy yet still satisfying and filling.

Making your pesto with cashew nuts instead of the traditional pine nuts is a very easy swap, and the flavor is not terribly different. Both cashew and pine nuts have an abundance of healthy fats, which give your pesto a creamy texture and flavor. Cashews are also less expensive than pine nuts so you can save some cash too.

You can also double the batch and freeze some pesto for a future meal, it holds up well in the freezer. The pesto sauce also works with pasta meals.

3 Easy Steps to Creating Your Pesto Pizza

This pesto sauce recipe yields a little bit over a cup, which is more than enough for a large pizza. If you let the pesto sauce sit out for a bit, the oil will separate which is natural. Just stir it before you use.

You can either make this recipe with a food processor or a stone mortar and pestle.

Ingredients for Pesto Pizza Recipe:

Pre-made pizza dough, or you can make your own dough from scratch using this recipe.
1/2 cup raw cashews.
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (swap for miso if you want to make this pesto sauce vegan).
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled.
2 cups fresh basil leaves - pack your measuring cups with medium pressure.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil.

Cashew Pesto Sauce Cooking Instructions:

An optional first step is to roast the raw cashews to bring out the natural flavor. In a dry skillet without any added oils, slowly roast the cashews on low to medium heat. Remove them from heat and allow them to cool before putting them into the food processor.
In your food processor add the garlic cloves, cashews and parmesan cheese. Process for about 30 seconds until they are finely ground.
Slowly add in the basil leaves, lemon juice and sprinkle in the salt. When your food processor is running, gradually pour in the olive oil. You can turn off the processor once you’ve achieved a smooth texture.

Over 15 Pizza Toppings for Your Pesto Pizza

All the topping options listed below compliment the garlic and olive oil in pesto, enhancing all the flavors for your pizza.

Veggie & Plant Based Pizza Toppings:

Pine Nuts
Tomato
Red Bell Peppers
Baby Spinach Leaves
Olives
Broccoli
Sweet Potato
Red Onions
Pepperoncini Peppers
Hummus
Zucchini

Cheese & Meat Pizza Toppings:

Grilled Chicken
Ricotta
Parmesan
Goat Cheese
Sausage

The final step is to build your pizza with your dough or pre-baked crust, cashew pesto sauce and toppings. I typically cook a large pizza on 350 °F for about 20 minutes, checking frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn. The entire cooking process shouldn’t take too much time, I would say less than an hour.