Pistachio Pesto

A white ceramic bowl filled with a coarsely puréed green and yellow pesto on a light gray shadowy background.

5 from 3 votes

No bells and whistles here! Nutty, toasted pistachios, fresh basil and mint, a bit of pecorino cheese and garlic blended together with olive oil to make the perfect pistachio pesto.

Prep Time15

Course: sauces

Cuisine: Italian, Sicilian

Servings:

Calories: 397kcal

Author: Leigh Anderson

Ingredients

1 cup shelled pistachios toasted and unsalted
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions

First, toast the pistachios. Preheat your oven to 350F. Place the pistachios on a baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool completely.
Place the toasted pistachios in a food processor or blender. Pulse until coarsely ground–about 5-6 pulses. Next, add in the rest of the ingredients; basil, mint, cheese, garlic and olive oil. Pulse until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula and pulse 1-2 more times to ensure everything is evenly combined.
Transfer the pesto to a bowl and season with salt and pepper as needed. Use or store right away.

Notes

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

Pistachios: It’s really important to use unsalted pistachios, the salted variety will make your pesto way too salty.

Basil and Mint: I like the combination of basil and mint together in this pesto, that being said you can absolutely use either all basil or even all mint.
Pecorino: Parmesan or grana padano will work too. Ideally not the pre-grated stuff.

Storing and Freezing Leftovers:

Leftover pesto can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing Instructions: Spoon the prepared pesto into an ice cube tray. Place the ice cube tray into the freezer for 3-4 hours or until frozen solid. Remove the frozen pesto cubes from the tray and place them in a ziplock freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition