This roasted pistachio pesto is truly quick and easy to put together, so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal! Simple, sophisticated, and takes less than 10 minutes to put together. Need I say more? 🙂

This roasted pistachio pesto is an incredibly easy weeknight meal that tastes like you slaved away in the kitchen for hours. It’s complex, it’s fresh, and nobody will ever guess that it took you less than 10 minutes to whip up…which I’m totally on board with!

General
Ingredients
Get the recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
How to store
Nutrition information

This pesto is a fun twist on a classic dish. It’s vegetarian and it’s gluten free, so it’s perfect for people with certain dietary restrictions. I love that it’s simple enough to make for a quick weeknight meal at home, but impressive enough to serve to your most favorite guests! This roasted pistachio pesto will make you never want to buy a jar at the store ever again.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that this roasted pistachio pesto is outta this world good. Trevor came home from work right after I finished shooting the final photos. He didn’t even ask what it was, and immediately dug in. I didn’t hear him breathe for the next 90 seconds while he slurrped down the entire bowl of pasta. Food. Rage. Blackout.

I can’t reeeeally blame him though, because the next day we had friends over for drinks and apps! We had some wine and I served just a simple plate of cheese and crackers. When they heard I had pesto in the fridge, however, they immediately wanted a taste! She said it was her absolute favorite, so I couldn’t say no! I didn’t have anything to serve with it, so I just let them dig in with wheat thins. 😉

Before I knew it, the whole bowl of pesto was gone! If THAT doesn’t make a cook happy, I’m not sure what does!

I was inspired to make this pistachio pesto recipe, because of good ol’ Food Network. I was running on the treadmill and one of my favorite shows comes on: Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives (Triple D) with Guy Fieri. That show is like the ultimate tease when you’re running, because all you’re looking at is gloriously greasy food, pastas, and all things carby related. This time, however, was a little different. Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives has gone international! He was in Italy and it was soooo cool.

Now, you might think watching Food Network while you run would be torture!

It’s not. I love it.

Honestly, half the reason I exercise is so I can watch TV guilt free. Trevor and I don’t have cable and I people give me strange looks when I sit on the treadmill watching TV. Why can’t that be an option? 😉

While watching Triple D, the dish that really stood out to me was bowtie pasta with a pistachio pesto. Holy yum it looked incredible and he made it look so easy!

Luckily for me and for you, this roasted pistachio pesto is just as easy to make as it looked!

Start by making the roasted pistachios. Shell pistachios and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pistachios on a rimmed cookie sheet – they should be in a single layer for even roasting – and roast for 6 – 8 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the pistachios are fragrant and lightly browned. Set these aside.

Now, place basil, garlic, and roasted pistachios into a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor.

Once smooth (there will still be some small chunks), slowly pour in the olive oil, lemon juice, and pecorino romano cheese while the food processor is running.Process until the mixture is smooth, again, you may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor.

Season with salt, and serve immediately! If you’re not serving it immediately, you may notice the oil separating. That’s ok, just give it a quick stir and you’re good to go!

I chose to serve this pesto over warm pasta and topped it with roasted cherry tomatoes for some punch and more roasted pistachios for some crunch! I also served it spread over a toasted baguette! Both are delicious and the possibilites are endless…this would make a great pizza sauce too, or check out this Food Network Article: 50 Things to Make with Pesto! I’m sure you’ve all had pesto before, it’s fresh and light, but I love the added roasted flavor that comes through from the pistachios, and I love the addition of the lemon juice to brighten it up!

– Jennifer

What’s your favorite way to use pesto? Over pasta? As pizza sauce? Show me the yummy!

Roasted Pistachio Pesto

5 from 6 votes

This roasted pistachio pesto is truly quick and easy to put together, so it's perfect for a weeknight meal! Simple, sophisticated, and takes less than 10 minutes to put together. Need I say more? 🙂

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 0

Yield: 16 tablespoons

Print Pin Rate Recipe

Equipment for this recipe

Food Processor Buy Now →

Baking Sheet Buy Now →

Silicone Mats Buy Now →

See all equipment See all equipment

(equipment shown are affiliate links)

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

▢ 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
▢ 2 cloves garlic
▢ ¼ cup roasted pistachios plus more for optional garnish
▢ ⅔ cup olive oil more to less for desired consistency
▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
▢ ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese shredded
▢ salt to taste

Instructions

Roasted Pistachios

Shell pistachios and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pistachios on a rimmed cookie sheet. They should be in a single layer for even roasting.
Roast for 6 - 8 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the pistachios are fragrant and lightly browned.

Pesto

Place basil, garlic, and roasted pistachios into a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor. Once smooth (there will still be some small chunks), slowly pour in the olive oil, lemon juice, and pecorino romano cheese while the food processor is running.
Process until the mixture is smooth, again, you may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
Season with salt, and serve immediately over pasta, toasted bread, use it as pizza sauce, etc!
Take 5 seconds to rate this recipe below. We greatly appreciate it!

STORING

Room Temp:N/A

Refrigerator:3-4 Days

Freezer:3 Months

Reheat:Thaw if frozen then heat in microwave or on stovetop

*Storage times may vary based on temperature and conditions

Notes

In the pasta photos above, I used spaghetti and roasted some cherry tomatoes to go along with the pesto. To roast tomatoes, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, drizzle with olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. Cook until the tomatoes get soft and wrinkly!

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Roasted Pistachio Pesto

Amount Per Serving (1 tablespoon)

Calories 104 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 3mg1%

Sodium 38mg2%

Potassium 31mg1%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 180IU4%

Vitamin C 1.2mg1%

Calcium 41mg4%

Iron 0.3mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.

Keywords: easy, fresh, pistachios

Roasted Pistachio Pesto