Even as a vegan, I love cheese. I never really craved dairy cheese after going vegan, but I sure as heck crave vegan cheese now. From mac’n’cheese to nacho cheese to melting cheese shreds on, well, lots of things – I eat lots of vegan cheese. When I had some leftover pesto from the pesto & gnocchi recipe I created, I knew I wanted to melt some Daiya mozzarella shreds on top with some of my favorite Dave’s Killer Bread Good Seed toast.

This recipe is really very easy to pull together. After roasting the garlic, all you need to do is blend up all of the pesto ingredients, slice some tomatoes, and toast everything with the shreds on top in your toaster oven or oven for a few minutes until the shreds are melted. I also sprinkled a bit of pepper and oregano on top of my toasts after they were out of the oven.

All of this is done in under 30 minutes, and most of it is not active time. You can also prep the pesto in advance to make this a great quick breakfast you can pop in the oven in the morning while you get ready. It’s also a great lunch option!

This recipe makes enough pesto for 8 slices of toast, or you can save about half the pesto for two servings of the pesto gnocchi recipe I’ve also posted that uses the same pesto. You can use any bread you’d like – I’m a big fan of Dave’s Killer Bread, especially the Good Seed style. I really like the texture and taste of the bread and that it has seeds in it with a bit of crunch. I’ve also used Daiya shreds here but you can substitute with your favorite vegan shreds as well. I’m a fan of Daiya shreds, and they tend to melt very well.

This quick meal is ready in under 30 minutes, and the pesto can even be made in advance for an even faster meal – perfect for a busy week. I would love the hear what you think of this recipe and how you make it your own. Let me know in the comments or message me at @thejewishvegan on Instagram. And, as always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out. Now, let’s get started!

Print Recipe

Simple Vegan Cheesy Pesto Toast

Ooey-gooey vegan cheese melted on top of crispy toast with a kale pesto sauce and thick slices of tomato make a great savory breakfast or lunch. This tasty toast is ready in less than 30 minutes with only a few minutes of active cooking time.

Prep Time20

Cook Time8

Total Time28

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Keyword: easy vegan meals, easy vegan recipe, meals in under 30 minutes, pesto toast recipe, vegan pesto recipe, vegan pesto toast, vegan toast recipes

Servings: 8 toasts

Equipment

Toaster oven (or oven if no toaster oven)

Ingredients

Pesto Ingredients

2 cloves garlic
½ cup cashews raw, unsalted
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tbsp nutritional yeast
3½ cups kale leaves stems removed
salt & pepper to taste

Other Toast Ingredients

8 slices your favorite bread I use Dave's Killer Bread
2 tomatoes sliced
1 package vegan cheese shreds I used Daiya mozzarella shreds

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the cloves of garlic in tin foil or on a small baking pan and drizzle with oil. Roast for 20 minutes.
While the garlic is roasting, prepare the rest of your ingredients for the pesto and place in your blender (cashews, olive oil, roasted garlic, parsley, kale, and lemon juice).
Slice your tomatoes and prepare your bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper if using the oven.
Once the garlic is done, add it to the blender and blend everything until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides or stir the mixture to ensure it is evenly blended and smooth.
Taste the pesto and add salt and pepper to taste.
Spread the pesto on the toast, then add the tomatoes, then add as much cheese as you'd like. Place in the toaster oven or oven and toast until the cheese is well melted. Enjoy hot!

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