EASY CILANTRO PESTO — This cilantro pesto takes minutes to make and can easily be adapted to use almost any herb in your garden.
I’m not a great gardener, but I always manage to grow and abundance of fresh herbs, and this Easy Cilantro Pesto was my answer to a bumper crop of fresh cilantro this summer.
The great thing about this recipe (like any pesto recipe, really) is that it can easily be adapted to use almost any herb, from parsley to basil, and even mint.
Other than the fresh herbs, the rest of the ingredients pretty much always remain the same, although you can also switch up the kind of nuts you use. I most often have almonds on hand and use those, but walnuts, pine nuts, and even cashews work too.
Homemade pesto also freezes well, so it’s a great way to preserve fresh herbs to use all year round. I simply fill small Mason jars and freeze those. But almost any container you can put in the freezer will work, including zip top bags, and ice cube trays.
This cilantro pesto goes great with so many things. I like to stir it into pasta and soups, and it’s also great on fish, chicken, or even in tacos!
If you really want to step up the flavor, try toasting your nuts before adding them to the pesto. And since it’s such a major ingredient, I recommend using a high quality olive oil in this recipe.
No matter what herbs you’re using, making pesto is so easy. It’s become my go-to method for preserving the over-abundance of fresh herbs I always seem to have in my garden every summer.
And it’s always fun to share a jar of fresh, homemade pesto with your neighbors. They’ll be so impressed, and they don’t even need to know how easy it is to make.
Be sure to save this Easy Cilantro Pesto recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Easy Cilantro Pesto
- Produce: fresh cilantro, garlic
- Almonds
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Easy Cilantro Pesto
Ingredients
- 5 cups cilantro leaves
- 1 cup almonds
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 - 1 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place cilantro, almonds and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 20-30 seconds, until finely chopped.
- Continue to process while slowly pouring in the olive oil. Continue to process until the mixture is well blended but still has some texture. You may not use all the olive oil.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese and lemon juice and process for another 10-15 seconds, until well blended.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Store in airtight containers and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze for up to three months.
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If you love this recipe, you might also like:
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
Almond Basil Pesto
Tomato Basil Vinaigrette
Who Dished It Up First: This is an original recipe.
2 comments
Carissa Nelson | Spoonful of Easy
Hi Danelle,
I am also not a great gardener — I’ve joked that the outside of our house looks abandoned because I don’t even try to grow anything anymore! I should definitely give herbs a try! I just bought a batch of mini mason jars at Target, but I didn’t know you could freeze stuff in them — great tip and excited to try this!
Danelle
Thanks Carissa! I am really terrible with my garden. Haha! And yes, I freeze stuff in mason jars all the time. Apparently some are better for it than others, but I definitely use the mini ones most often and have never had a problem.