Cilantro Pesto
This Cilantro Pesto recipe is made with fresh organic cilantro, Parmesan cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and pepitas. Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto sauce is great to slather on sandwiches and burgers, dip with warm crusty bread or flour tortillas, toss with pasta, swirl into soups and stews and to add to salad dressings!
Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto is a great alternative to basil pesto. From slathering on sandwiches and burgers to swirling into soups, it’s one of the easiest ways to brighten a dish.
This cilantro pesto sauce is also great to add by the spoonfuls to my soups (it’s especially awesome stirred into lentil soup), and it goes great with grilled chicken and fish.
Cilantro Pesto Recipe
This cilantro pumpkin seed pesto recipe calls for just 5 ingredients.
- Cilantro. This gives the pesto a nice flavor.
- Parmesan cheese. We use Parmesan cheese for this recipe, but you could also use a Mexican cheese like cojita.
- Extra-virgin olive oil. Olive oil adds a depth of flavor and a rich and creamy texture.
- Garlic. Garlic adds so much flavor to pesto.
- Green Onion. We add just a little green onion to add to the flavor.
- Lime Juice. A little lime juice adds a pop of freshness to our pesto.
- Pepitas. Roasted pepitas add a delicious nutty flavor to the mix.
How To Make Cilantro Pesto
This cilantro pesto sauce recipe comes together in about 5 minutes start-to-finish.
- Toast Pepitas. Place the pepitas in a skillet over medium-high heat and pan-roast for a 2-3 minutes until you can smell the roasted aroma.
- Chop Garlic. Peel and chop 2 cloves garli
- c and the green onion (light green and green parts).
- Grate Cheese. Finely grate the Parmesan cheese. I use a fine grater typically used for Parmesan cheese, rather than a box grater, so there are no larger pieces of cheese that might remain in the pesto.
- Prep Cilantro. Rinse the cilantro under water to remove any dirt and debris. Dry with paper towels, or spin in a salad spinner. Pick through the cilantro and discard any wilted or brown pieces. Add the cilantro, garlic and pepitas to a food processor (or blender if you don’t have a processor) and process until finely chopped.
- Add Olive Oil and Cheese. While processor is still running, pour olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Turn the processor off and remove the lid to add your cheese. Pulse a few times to incorporate the cheese into the pesto.
How to Store It
It can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It helps to drizzle about 1-1/2 teaspoons of olive oil on the top of the pesto to prevent it from browning.
Can You Freeze It?
Yes! I love to freeze pesto and it’s so easy to do!
- Make pesto according to recipe
- Spoon the pesto sauce into ice cube trays
- Place the ice cube trays freezer for 3-4 hours or until frozen solid.
- Remove the frozen basil pesto cubes from the trays and place in a plastic freezer bag.
- Place the bag in the freezer.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Serve It
I love to keep a batch of homemade pesto on hand, because there are so many ways to use it to brighten up any dish.
- Use it as a dip for warm crusty bread
- Serve it as a side with grilled chicken or fish
- Swirl into eggs (fried or scrambled)
- Slather on bread as a sandwich spread (great for paninis and grilled cheese sandwiches)
- Swirl into soups like this French Potage and this Soupe au Pistou
- Add to basic vinaigrette for a delicious salad dressing like this Lemon Basil Vinaigrette and Basil Pesto Chicken Salad
- Toss with cauliflower rice to make this amazing Pesto Cauliflower Rice
- Drizzle into soups like this French Potage and this Soupe au Pistou
- Swirl into mashed potatoes like this Basil Mashed Potatoes
- Drizzle on roasted vegetables like this Basil Pesto Broccoli
- Add pesto to potato salad instead of mayo like this Arugula Pesto Potato Sala
Looking For More Pesto Recipes?
Cilantro Pesto
This Cilantro Pesto recipe is made with fresh organic cilantro, Parmesan cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and pepitas. Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto sauce is great to slather on sandwiches and burgers, dip with warm crusty bread or flour tortillas, toss with pasta, swirl into soups and stews and to add to salad dressings!
Ingredients
- 2-1/4 cups fresh cilantro
- 3/4 cups toasted pepita seeds
- 1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
- 1 green onion, light green and green parts chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the pepitas in a skillet over medium-high heat and pan-roast for a 2-3 minutes until you can smell the roasted aroma.
- Peel and chop 2 cloves garlic and the green onion (light green and green parts).
- Finely grate the Parmesan cheese. I use a fine grater typically used for Parmesan cheese, rather than a box grater, so there are no larger pieces of cheese that might remain in the pesto.
- Rinse the cilantro under water to remove any dirt and debris. Dry with paper towels, or spin in a salad spinner. Pick through the cilantro and discard any wilted or brown pieces. Add the cilantro, garlic and pepitas to a food processor (or blender if you don’t have a processor) and process until finely chopped.
- While processor is still running, pour olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Turn the processor off and remove the lid to add your cheese. Pulse a few times to incorporate the cheese into the pesto.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It helps to drizzle about 1-1/2 teaspoons of olive oil over the top of the pesto to prevent it from browning.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 199Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 244mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 3g
theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.
