Cilantro Pesto

Cilantro. There, I’ve said it. Now I’ll just sit back and wait for the two opposing sides to battle it out.

I get it, if you’re one of those people genetically hardwired to not like cilantro, it tastes like soap to you. This is probably not the recipe for you.

But to me? Cilantro is fresh and peppery and has an unidentifiable… something, that makes it irresistible.

This pesto is a fresh take on an old classic and I love the way the toasted almonds and pepitas pair with the cilantro to create a super fresh, yet nutty and cheesy tasting pesto. Serve it as a dip, toss it through zoodles or eat it out of the jar with a spoon.

Step-by-step

1. Toast the almonds in a dry fry pan until just browned and fragrant.

   

2. Place almonds into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until broken up.

   

3. Add cilantro, garlic, pepitas and lime juice and pulse until well combined.

   

4. Add parmesan and pulse again until mixed through. With the motor running, drizzle the olive oil into the mixture ...

   ... until it is combined.

   

5. Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze in ice cube trays to add to dishes.

   

Recipe

Cilantro Pesto

★★★★☆4.2 (21 ratings)

This pesto is a fresh take on an old classic with toasted almonds and pepitas paired with cilantro to create a ...

Hands on

15m

Overall

15m

Servings

29

0.5 g

Net carbs

1.5 g

Protein

6 g

Fat

62

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings29 servings58 servings87 servings116 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes ~ 1 ³/₄ cups

• large bunch of fresh cilantro, tops not stem (125 grams/ 4.5 oz)
• 1 clove garlic
• juice from lime (3 tbsp/ 45 ml)
• ¹/₂ cup slivered almonds (54 g/ 1.9 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup pumpkin seeds/ pepitas (65 g/ 2.3 oz)
• 6 tbsp grated Parmesan (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup extra virgin olive oil (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• Optional: salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Toast the almonds in a dry fry pan until just browned and fragrant.

2. Place almonds into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until broken up.

3. Add cilantro, garlic, pepitas and lime juice and pulse until well combined.

4. Add parmesan and pulse again until mixed through. With the motor running, drizzle the olive oil into the mixture ...

   ... until it is combined.

5. Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze in ice cube trays to add to dishes.

Nutrition per tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz

Carbs 3%Protein 10%Fat 87% of calories

Net carbs

0.5 g

Total carbs

1 g

Fiber

0.5 g

Sugars

0.2 g

Protein

1.5 g

Fat

6 g

Saturated fat

0.9 g

Calories

62 kcal

Sodium

19 mg · 0.82% RDA

Magnesium

20 mg · 4.98% RDA

Potassium

57 mg · 2.86% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Coriander (cilantro), fresh	0 g	0.1 g	0 g	1
Garlic, fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Lime juice, fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0
Almonds, nuts (whole, unblanched)	0.2 g	0.4 g	0.9 g	11
Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)	0.1 g	0.7 g	1.1 g	12
Parmesan cheese	0 g	0.4 g	0.3 g	4
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	3.7 g	33
Total	0.5 g	1.5 g	6 g	62

Serving size tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian