Skip to main content

Pistachio Pesto

By chef Henry

This pistachio pesto comes together in 5 minutes flat and delivers a buttery, herby twist on the classic. One food processor, 5 ingredients: inspired by a trip to Sicily!

Pistachio pesto

My parents texted me from Sicily raving about a pistachio pesto pasta they ate had on their trip to Italy. So of course the first thing I said was: let’s figure out how to make it!

I wasn’t sure how different pistachio pesto would taste from my classic basil pesto recipe, but after making it I found pistachios bring this buttery richness that makes it taste absolutely irresistible. I recently slathered it onto this Skillet Pesto Salmon and honestly, it was one of the best things that’s come out of my kitchen in a while! Here are all my secrets.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Way better than store-bought: Most jarred pesto has a bitter or acidic flavor to me. This pesto tastes incredible!
  • Uses only 1 to 2 handfuls of basil: Some pesto recipes use your entire plant! This one just needs a handful.
  • Endlessly versatile: Pasta, grain bowls, salmon, sandwiches, pizza: it works with everything!

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Roasted salted pistachios: This is the most important thing for this recipe. Raw pistachios are great but lack depth. Roasted salted have just the right amount of flavor! If you can’t find them, you can certainly use raw pistachios and add salt after. if you have time, you could also try roasting them first (spread them on a baking sheet and roast at 300-350°F for 8–15 minutes until fragrant, stirring halfway).
  • Garlic: This is a classic pesto ingredient and adds just the right savory flavor: don’t skip it!
  • Fresh basil: Fresh is non-negotiable! Luckily, this recipe won’t use your entire supply.
  • Parmesan cheese: This adds just the right savory depth. For vegan, try my vegan pesto but with pistachios.
  • Extra virgin olive oil: This is the key to a great pesto! Adjust the quantity based on the texture you’d like.
How to make Pistachio Pesto

How to Make Pistachio Pesto

Making pistachio pesto uses the same technique as my basil pesto: just slightly different ingredients. Here’s the breakdown:

  1. Pulse the pistachios and garlic first. A few pulses until they’re crumbly.
  2. Add the basil. Pulse a few times to incorporate. Try not to overprocess.
  3. Add parmesan, then stream in the oil. With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil slowly. This emulsifies everything together, adding more oil if you’d like a thinner consistency.

Keep in mind: The color is a little more brown than the standard basil pesto: but that’s ok! It’s worth it for the flavor. You can add the higher end of basil quantity if you want it to be more green.

How to make pistachio pesto

Ways to Use It

I’ve already mentioned that I absolutely love this in my skillet pesto salmon recipe: here are a few more ideas:

For more ideas see my 20 best recipes with pesto!

Storage Instructions

Transfer pesto to a small jar and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Pistachio pesto freezes well, too. Spoon it into an ice cube tray, freeze until solid, then transfer the cubes to a zip-top bag where it stores for 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or you can also drop a cube directly into hot pasta.

Dietary Notes

This pistachio pesto is vegetarian and gluten-free. For a dairy-free version, go to my vegan pesto.

Print

Pistachio Pesto

Pistachio pesto
Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

This pistachio pesto comes together in 5 minutes flat and delivers a buttery, herby twist on the classic. One food processor, 5 ingredients: inspired by my parents trip to Sicily!

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: ½ cup (doubles easily) 1x
  • Category: Appetizer, Condiment
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean
  • Diet: Gluten-Free, Mediterranean Diet, Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • ½ cup roasted salted pistachios (essential for flavor; see Notes below)
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 1 to 2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, pulse the pistachios and garlic until crumbly.
  2. Add the basil and pulse a few times to incorporate.
  3. Add the parmesan, turn on the food processor, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube, adding up to 1 tablespoon more olive and scraping the sides as necessary until the desired texture is reached.  Taste and add a pinch or two of salt if desired to make the flavor pop. 

Notes

  • Quantities: It’s easy to make a double batch here; leftovers store refrigerated for a few weeks. 
  • Pistachios: Roasted, salted pistachios are essential for the flavor here. 

Did you love this recipe?

Get our free newsletter with all of our best recipes!

More Pesto Recipes to Try



from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/Yzm32nG
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Boil Beets

By chef Henry
Here’s a step by step tutorial on how to boil beets on the stovetop until they’re perfectly tender! This easy method is perfect for adding this root vegetable to salads, side dishes, soups, and more. Looking to cook up some beets? I’m a big fan of this nutritious pink root vegetable (after years of avoiding it!). I love it in anything from a beet salad to soup to beet hummus . There are several ways to cook beets: you can roast them or pressure cook them . But one of the quickest ways is to boil them on the stovetop! Boiling beets is simple and quick: it’s my favorite method when I’m in a hurry. How long to boil beets? Boiling beets is a fast and easy method: small beets boil in about 20 minutes, medium beets in 30 minutes, and large beets in 40 minutes. Compared to about 1 hour to roast beets, it’s a big time savings! Making oven roasted beets does accentuate their sweet flavor a bit more, so that’s my preferred method. But if you’re in a hurry, boiling beets is th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

By chef Henry
This Mediterranean quinoa salad is loaded with crisp vegetables, salty feta, and a bright lemon-Dijon dressing! It tastes better the longer it sits: perfect as a meal prep lunch or easy side dish. Here’s a delicious meal-prep friendly salad that you need in your life: my Mediterranean quinoa salad! Readers loved this Mediterranean chickpea salad so much that I had to do a spin on it with one of my favorite whole grains. This recipe takes inspiration from the flavors of the region: crunchy veggies, green olives, lemon zest, and crumbled that work together to make a true personality . Plus, it holds up over time so it tastes great for 5 days of the week. I love it as a lunch salad or with air fryer chicken or air fryer salmon bites as a simple dinner! Why You’ll Love This Recipe Packed with plant protein from chickpeas and quinoa Bright, bold flavor from lemon zest, fresh parsley, and briny olives Full of healthy ingredients : it’s gluten-free, vegetarian, and Mediter...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Season Quinoa

By chef Henry
My go-to quinoa seasoning turns the classic whole grain into an irresistible, flavorful side. It’s made with a few pantry staples and is endlessly versatile! If you’ve ever thought quinoa was bland, think again! This is my go-to way to season it, and it’s absolutely irresistible when it comes to flavor. It’s the recipe that convinced my family to fall in love with quinoa!   With just a few simple ingredients, you can turn this humble grain into something crave-worthy. I’ll walk you through my classic seasoning method first, and then share some fun flavor variations you can try for other quinoa-based dishes . My Favorite Seasoning Option  This whole grain has a naturally bitter and nutty flavor. With the right ingredients, though, you can easily flavor quinoa so that these bitter and nutty notes aren’t overpowering your palate.  Here’s what I use in my classic seasoning to make quinoa taste delicious:  Butter : The light sweetness and richness ...
Post a Comment
Read more