Cilantro & basil pistachio pesto

Published: Jul 8, 2021 · Modified: Mar 25, 2024 by Cadry Nelson
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Cilantro & basil pistachio pesto is a bright & vibrant sauce, full of the flavors of summer.

Toss it with hot pasta, gnocchi, or rice. Or use it as a sandwich spread!

No matter the time of year, it always feels like summer when pesto is on the menu.

With the herbaceous scent of fresh basil, lemon, and garlic, it’s filled to the brim with garden goodness.

It’s also a terrific way to sneak in dark leafy greens outside of the usual kale and collards.

The word “pesto” comes from “pestare,” meaning “to crush.”

Pesto can be made by crushing the ingredients in a mortar & pestle. But I prefer the convenience of the food processor.

When making pesto, I like to include a healthy amount of cilantro in addition to basil.

It plays so nicely with the other components.

Pine nuts are the classic go-to in pesto. But I like to vary things whenever I make it.

Pistachios are one of my favorite nuts to include.

They have a great crunch and taste that balances the subtle grassiness of the bright green sauce.

In this post:

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Ingredients
Step by step instructions
Make it your own
Ways to use it
Reserve pasta water
What to serve with it
How to store pesto
📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

Basil: Fresh basil is a must. Look for vibrant green leaves that look hydrated. Avoid basil with dark spots or wilting.

Cilantro: Look for bright green bunches that aren’t wilted or yellowed.

If you don’t like cilantro, replace with an equal amount of basil, spinach, or kale.

Garlic: Fresh cloves are best. However, if you don’t like the pungency of raw garlic, replace with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.

Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed delivers the optimum flavor. It adds brightness and acid to the pesto.

Pistachios: Flavorful pistachios add nuttiness, salt, and richness.

They can be replaced with pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.

White miso paste: Miso is a fermented paste made from soybeans. Look for it in tubs near the tofu in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

Miso paste adds saltiness and umami that one would typically get from parmesan in a non-vegan pesto.

If you’d rather not use miso, you can simply omit it. Or replace it with your preferred amount of vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.

Extra virgin olive oil: It adds fat & body to the pesto.

If you’d prefer oil-free pesto, add jarred artichoke hearts for bulk & moisture instead.

Salt: A pinch of salt brings it all together.

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Overhead food processor with basil, pistachios, garlic, and miso paste.

Add the following to a food processor:

Basil
Cilantro
Garlic
Lemon juice
Pistachios
White miso paste
Pinch of salt

Cover & turn the food processor to low.

While it blends, add extra virgin olive oil through the food processor chute.

Stop and scrape down the sides, if necessary.

Taste & add more salt, if needed.

Make it your own

Ingredients for pistachio pesto on table.

Pesto is rife with variations.

You can change the ingredients & tweak the recipe, depending on your preferences & pantry ingredients.

If you’re not a fan of cilantro, use more basil instead. Or replace it with spinach, kale, or arugula.
Garlic can be swapped with garlic scape or ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Instead of pistachios, use the standard pine nuts. Or go with pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, almonds, cashews, or walnuts.
Include flavorful additions like sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, or olives.
For extra cheesiness, add a couple Tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes or vegan parmesan.
Go lighter or heavier on the oil, depending on what you prefer.
To go totally oil-free, I like to add water-packed artichoke hearts for extra bulk and moisture.

One word of caution: Don’t replace fresh basil with dried. Dried basil has its place in soups and sauces, but it just won’t work in pesto. Actual leafy greens are a must.

Ways to use it

There are so many ways to use pistachio pesto!

Have pesto pasta with roasted chickpeas
Stir it on roasted gnocchi
Make pesto rice
Spread it on sandwiches
Stir it into soups like corn chowder
Use it as a dipping sauce with vegan fried ravioli
Stir it into air fryer spaghetti squash
Toss it with roasted, steamed, or grilled vegetables like broccoli, baby potatoes, or green beans
Spoon it onto pizza

If you have it on pizza, it can be a replacement for the typical marinara.

Or have it in addition to marinara by adding generous dollops of pesto all around the pie.

Reserve pasta water

If you’re planning on making pasta with pesto, remember to reserve some of the water that the noodles are cooking in.

Drain the pasta, and put it in a large bowl or pot.

Then add your desired amount of pesto.

Add a splash of the reserved water to thin the sauce, allowing it to spread through the noodles.

Also, that water has starch in it, which helps give the sauce body & cling to the pasta.

(Don’t go overboard with the water, though. You don’t want watery pasta.)

What to serve with it

Pesto pasta goes well with any of the following:

How to store pesto

Keep any leftover pistachio pesto in an air tight covered container in the refrigerator.

It will keep for about a week.

If you’re concerned about it oxidizing and losing its bright green color, cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil to minimize its contact with air.

Pesto also freezes beautifully.

Simply move it to a small freezer safe jar, container, or bag.

It can be frozen for 9 to 12 months.

Another popular option is freezing pesto in an ice cube tray.

Once solid you can pop out the cubes and keep them in a freezer bag.

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About Cadry Nelson

Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen. She's also the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd edition. Cadry loves sharing vegan comfort food classics that come together quickly. Her work has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Yahoo, Buzzfeed, Parade, Huffington Post, VegNews, and Vegan Food & Living.

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