This creamy parsley pesto is ready in five minutes & great on pasta, seafood, or sandwiches if you don't have basil. Pine nuts are ground to keep it creamy, lemon juice brightens everything, and garlic powder keeps it leaning savory.
This is the Pesto I Spread on Everything
I love this homemade pesto's bright, zingy flavor that goes well with so many different dishes, including my chicken and rice casserole. And it's just as good as a dip with vegetables for a quick app, or a spread on toast for a midday sandwich.
While traditional Italian pesto is made from basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, grated hard cheese, and pine nuts, I veered away from tradition on this one in favor of a slightly more peppery pesto. It's still just as creamy & herb-forward, but great for when you don't have basil on hand. Either flat leaf parsley (for a milder flavor) and curly leaf parsley (slightly stronger & bitter) work here, along with the garlic powder that adds a less-pungent flavor than raw garlic.
To avoid making bitter parsley, I learned a few tricks in recipe testing. First, separate the leaves from the thick stems as much as possible, since the stems are more bitter than the leaves. Second, blend all the herbs, spices, and pine nuts first, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil, since blending the oil too much can make it taste bitter. Finally, if your pesto needs fixing, add a pinch of salt, which helps cut down on any unwanted bitter flavors that are too strong.
Let's Make Pesto with Parsley!
Step 1: Blend everything (except the olive oil) in a food process or blender.
Step 2: Scrape down the sides, add the olive oil, and blend until it's creamy.
Tips from My Kitchen
- Garlic: You can add whole garlic cloves to the blender, instead of garlic powder. But the more garlic is broken down, the more it might burn when you taste it. I personally prefer the milder and sweeter flavor of garlic powder in this pesto.
- Parsley: Flat leaf parsley (also called Italian parsley) has a milder flavor, while curly parsley (also called French parsley) has a slightly more bitter, stronger flavor. Both work in this recipe, depending on your preference. Or use a blend of both!
Parsley Pesto
developed & tested by:
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 2 cups parsley (flat leaf or curly parsley both work)
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend on high speed until it is creamy.
- Add the olive oil and blend on low-speed until it's well-combined. Scrape down the sides as needed, to ensure everything is evenly blended.
Notes
- Pine Nuts: You can substitute walnuts or cashews in place of the pine nuts.
- Storing: Store parsley pesto in a glass jar with a lid in the fridge for up to 1 week. I like to pour a thin layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto to prevent it from oxidizing.
- Freezing: Store extra pesto in an ice cube tray in the freezer for up to 6 months. Then you can pop out a small amount of pesto at a time to add to pasta, soups, or other recipes.
I'm eggcited to hear from you :)