Throw it in pasta, toss it in a salad, smear it on a sandwich, and don't even bother trying to resist gobbling it straight from a spoon! This pistachio pesto packs a flavor punch from fresh basil, garlic and a touch of fresh lemon juice. The best part: it whips up in minutes!
The first time I tried to make pesto, it turned out horrible. I used dried basil. Oops.
In my defense: I was twelve at the time. Still working on my culinary skills! Anyhow, I'd had pesto at our local Spaghetti Factory and fell in love. I'm not sure I followed a recipe. I probably asked the server what was in this delicious sauce and thought I'd stuck gold when I realized mom had all the ingredients on hand.
But no, she really didn't.
In case you were wondering, pesto made with dried basil is a chewy, disgusting mess.
So yeah, this recipe uses fresh basil, and is far superior to my original pesto recipe.
I've made classic vegan pesto before, but I decided to switch things up for once, and try some pistachio pesto.
Pistachios are a great way to vary the flavor in basil pesto, and, good news: they're a heck of a lot cheaper than pine nuts.
Bonus: lemon is also delicious and refreshing and goes great with fresh basil. So I've included some freshly squeezed lemon juice in this recipe as well.
Making pistachio pesto is easy! Throw your ingredients into a food processor and blend.
Give it a taste. Does it need anything? Add it now! It'll probably be a bit thick at this point, so run it through the food processor a second time and drizzle in some additional olive oil as you do, just until the consistency is right.
Pro Tips
- Don't use dried basil. Haha! I hope you figured that out by now, but just in case.
- Your homemade vegan pesto will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
- Try freezing your pistachio pesto in individual portions in an ice cube tray. Transfer the frozen cubes to an airtight container and return them to the freeze for long term storage. Then thaw as many as you need at a time!
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📖 Recipe
Pistachio Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ⅓ cup shelled pistachios
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ cup olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Place the basil, pistachios, garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, lemon juice, zest, and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade.
- Blend until all ingredients are finely chopped, then drizzle in the remaining olive oil with the food processor running.
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The pesto turned out delicious, thanks for the recipe 😊🙏🏼
I really like this on my breakfast toast. fyi, I needed a bit more detailed nutritional values so I used https://nutriely.com/tools/recipe-builder to calculate, glad to see it is a good source of many minerals.
Cheers!
Wonderful pesto recipe -- this is my go to pesto for at least the last three years!
Oopsies, I looked up Pistachio salt content and it seems low. What makes the sodium content for 2tbsp 170mg?
Thanks!
Most of it comes from the salt itself, so feel free to cut down on that. This nutrition calculator should come in handy if you modify the recipe: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I love pesto and would love to try this recipe. What a good substitute for Pistachios that will cut down the sodium content?
Oh, this is really delicious ! You’re right – it tastes great on everything! Was so tired of pesto and we have sooooo much basil!Thank you
I'm so glad you like it!!
I've never tried pistachios in pesto before but that must be delicious! Looks so good!
Thanks Jess! It's so good!
Hi- I’m one of the few who has never tried pesto.
Couple questions for ya......
Are the pistachios raw or cooked?
Is it possible to use more lemon juice and cut back on the oil?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Spazv
They're roasted - most shelled pistachios you see at the store are. You could probably cut back on the oil, but be careful about adding too much lemon juice or it will be very tart. I'd use a mix of lemon juice and water, and make sure to taste-test as you go. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it!
I had some awful experience with a similar recipe. The pesto turned brow, just the top part ot it, I guess it oxidated. After some research I found out that the best thing is to use the plastic blade. Have you had any problems with that? Do you know any tips? Thank you so much! :) I love all the recipes you post! such an inspiration!!! Too bad where I live can't find most of the ingredients (the fancy ones), but I manage to adapt things just fine.
Huh...I've never heard that about plastic blades! I've also never had a problem with pesto turning brown. Was the recipe you followed oil-free by any chance? I think the oil should help protect it from oxidation. Also, with this recipe I think the lemon juice should help!
Pesto is one of my favorite condiments, if that's the right term for it. I usually use walnuts, but will have to give pistachios a try! I taught my bf how to make pesto years ago and he's a total addict, too. I also gave him my favorite pesto tip: freeze it in ice cube trays, then empty the cubes into a freezer bag. You can throw cubes into various soups and things during the cold months, after that last basil harvest. SO yummy!
Oh, great idea with the ice cube trays! I always make a big batch at the end of summer, but then I end up freezing it in a couple of food storage containers. I'm totally switching to the tray method this year. :)
I just made this (adding some salt) and it's amazing!! I'd never tried making pesto with pistachios and I'm in love <3
I'm glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks Celia!
Aloha Miss Saenz,
I don't know where to purchase nutritional yeast. Please tell me where you obtain yours and the cost.
Thank you!
Laura
I usually buy it on Amazon. I just updated the post to include a link to the brand I use - it's right in the recipe. It's about eight bucks for a big container. You can also get it at places like Whole Foods and some really well-stocked regular supermarkets. I hope you like it - it's a staple in my kitchen. :)
I hope to enjoy "freedom" sometime in the next few months, ha ha! Fingers crossed I'll be able to leave my job and blog full-time. :) I didn't know you were a lawyer! Do you know what you're going to do?
This pesto looks delicious! Pesto is my favorite food; I love trying different variations of it. Pinning to make later!
This was actually a post from last year. I just shared it again because I updated the photos, which is kind of funny because I just looked at the post and realized it included an announcement that I was going to start doing that!
I actually ended up starting my own law practice, so I've been doing that and slowly devoting more and more time to the blog. It's been a crazy year, but I am enjoying more freedom. Full time blogging is definitely something I'm interested in pursuing as well :)