Pesto is one of the easiest sauces that you can make in a blender. It typically requires a few simple ingredients, but you can change up the ingredients if you want a different flavor profile. There’s no need to include dairy and you can use almonds, walnuts, or cashews in place of pine nuts, which can be quite pricey.

One of the best iterations of pesto is the sun-dried tomato pesto. Sun-dried tomatoes offer a robust, warming flavor with a hint of acidity. Because this pesto is raw vegan, the sun-dried tomatoes have to be dried, not in oil. You can find the fully dried tomatoes in various grocery stores, and they typically come in a bag. The jarred varieties with excess oil are not acceptable to consume while cleansing.

Because you don’t have the excess moisture from the oil, you have to soak the sun-dried tomatoes in water a couple hours before making this pesto. This helps to soften them up and make the blending process much easier. You may also need a little extra water when it comes time to blend. Don’t worry, the water won’t dampen the flavor of this pesto. There are too many powerful ingredients that won’t surrender to a little water! Lastly, it’s best to use a food processor instead of a blender for this recipe. The reason for this is because there isn’t a ton of liquid, so an average blender won’t blend everything thoroughly, or you’ll be left with excess chunks.