This Easy Pistachio Pesto recipe only requires 6 ingredients and takes less than 5 minutes to make. All you need are pistachios, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice.
There's nothing more that I love than an easy pesto recipe. Sometimes, pine nuts are hard to come by, so using pistachios is a great alternative.
If you're looking for more pesto-style recipes, then check out my avocado pesto. Both pesto recipes work really well on my cheesy pesto baked chicken, a great one for a busy weeknight dinner.
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About Emily's Recipe
Texture: This pistachio pesto can be made as coarse or smooth as you like. Just blend the nuts until they're to your desired level! I love my pesto with a bit of a crunch.
Taste: Rich, nutty flavour with a subtle sweetness, balanced by the brightness of fresh herbs and a hint of garlic, creating a creamy yet earthy taste profile.
Ease: So easy! You only need 6 ingredients to make these and around 5 minutes of your time.
Top Tips: Blending the nuts, basil, garlic, and salt (and olive oil) first ensures that they are evenly broken down into a smooth, cohesive mixture before adding the parmesan, which is drier and can clump if introduced too early.
Would I make this again? Yes! I love that this pesto is made with ingredients that most already have in their kitchen. I can make a big batch of it and store it in my fridge or freezer, and serve it up with pasta, meats, vegetables, on toast...the list is endless!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Pistachios: buying shelled pistachios is cheaper than the de-shelled ones, if you're looking to save money. Just bear in mind that you'll take a few minutes to de-shell them yourself! If you're looking for a different nut option, pine nuts, walnuts, or cashews are a few of my favourites.
Basil: basil adds the freshness and green colour we need for this pistachio pesto.
Garlic: fresh garlic cloves adds a lovely savoury and pungent kick to the pesto. I add two cloves for this quantity but feel free to add more if you like.
Extra virgin olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the best choice for pesto because of its rich, fruity, and peppery flavour, which enhances the freshness of the herbs and other ingredients. Regular olive oil (OO) has a more neutral taste and might lack the depth that EVOO brings to the dish.
Parmesan: freshly grated parmigiana reggiano is the best option for this pesto recipe. You can also add in some pecorino cheese too if you'd like.
Lemon: to balance out the earthy flavours, we're using some fresh lemon juice. You can omit this if you'd like but I like the hint of acidity.
Find the full ingredients list and quantities further down this blog in the recipe card!
Step by step instructions with photos
Step 1: Place a pan/skillet on medium heat and add in the pistachios. Dry fry them for a few minutes until you can smell them beginning to toast. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 2: In a food processor, combine the toasted pistachios, fresh basil, garlic cloves, and a big pinch of flaky salt (I use Maldon salt). Blend until the mixture is finely chopped but not fully pulverised into a paste. Then gradually add the olive oil as the blender is running.
Step 3: Add the grated parmesan and lemon juice to the mixture. Blend once again for a few seconds or give everything a mix with a spoon. Taste and season according to your preferences.
Step 4: Place your pistachio pesto in an airtight jar or container and into the fridge for up to 4 days. Or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or serve it with pasta and combine with pasta water until silken and combined.
What to do with leftovers
Storage: As I mentioned above, store the pesto in an airtight jar or container for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
FAQs
Yes, this recipe has been created so that you can easily double or triple the ingredient quantities and the end result will taste the same.
For sure, just remove the parmesan and swap it out with 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast.
I love serving mine with pasta. But using it as a sauce in a sandwich is also a great option. Serving it with chicken, pork, or tofu is also delicious. Using it as a salad dressing is another tasty way too.
If you tried this Pistachio Pesto or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
Easy Pistachio Pesto
Equipment
- 1 food processor or pestle and mortar
Ingredients
- 50 g pistachios de-shelled
- 50 g fresh basil
- 2 garlic cloves more or less based on your preference
- 1 teaspoon flaky salt I use Maldon salt
- 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 50 g parmesan grated
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice more or less based on your preference
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place a pan/skillet on medium heat and add in the pistachios. Dry fry them for a few minutes until you can smell them beginning to toast. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the toasted pistachios, fresh basil, garlic cloves, and a big pinch of flaky salt (I use Maldon salt). Blend until the mixture is finely chopped but not fully pulverised into a paste. Then gradually add the olive oil as the blender is running.
- Add the grated parmesan and lemon juice to the mixture. Blend once again for a few seconds or give everything a mix with a spoon. Taste and season according to your preferences.
- Place your pistachio pesto in an airtight jar or container and into the fridge for up to 4 days. Or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or serve it with pasta and combine with pasta water until silken and combined. Makes around 300ml of pesto. Enjoy!
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