This simple cilantro pesto is bright, bold, and packed with flavor. Made with fresh cilantro, almonds and garlic, it’s the perfect way to use up extra herbs and add a punch of freshness to your pasta.
Why I love this cilantro pesto
My mom came home with two bunches the other day for $2 and after cleaning and removing the stems, we had 8 cups of cilantro. 8 cups. What in the world is anyone supposed to do with 8 cups of cilantro?
Make pesto, of course. I divided up the cilantro and made 2 batches of this cilantro pesto and another 2 batches of my cilantro peanut pesto.
More dairy free pesto recipes: roasted red pepper pesto / pistachio pesto / sun dried tomato pesto / spinach basil pesto
Ingredient notes:
- Cilantro – The only thing I don’t like about pesto is the cost of making it. I mean, unless you have a bountiful garden full of basil, you are going to spend some big bucks on basil and pine nuts. But guess what isn’t expensive. Cilantro. It’s always under a dollar and the bunches are huge. Go to a farmers’ market and it’s even cheaper.
- Almonds – For this recipe I opted for almonds over pine nuts for the nutty flavor.
- Olive oil – Use a good quality olive oil, it helps prevent bitterness.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s Tips & tricks
- Removing the stems: I suggest removing the larger, thick stems from the cilantro, but other than that, I don’t really bother. The stems have tons of flavor, so just toss them in!
- Use a lighter flavored olive oil to avoid bitterness in your pesto sauce.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto sauce, which I think is more than enough for 1 pound of pasta, or any other recipe you might need it for. It should stay fresh in the fridge for about a week.
If you don’t use all of your pesto right away, or if you feel like making a couple batches at once, you can definitely freeze it for later. I like to freeze mine in 1/2 cup containers (leftover from making baby food) so I never have to thaw too much out. If I need a whole cup, I’ll just thaw two containers.
Ways to use this pesto sauce:
- Toss it with some al dente pasta for a quick dinner.
- Add pesto to a vinaigrette for a fresh salad dressing.
- Use it as a marinade from grilled shrimp or chicken.
- Stir some into mayonnaise for a flavorful sandwich spread.
Searching for more easy sauce recipes? These are some of my favorite sauce recipes: Easy chimichurri sauce recipe / Dairy free alfredo sauce / Easy marinara sauce / Easy stir fry sauce recipe
Cilantro Pesto
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, or 2/3 cup whole almonds
- 2 cups fresh cilantro, large stems removed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
Instructions
- To make the pesto: Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping sides as needed, until the pesto is a consistent, bright green color. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper, to taste.
- To use as pasta sauce: Cook 1 pound of pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. Toss pasta with about 1 cup of pesto sauce and add 1 – 2 tablespoons pasta water at a time until sauce reaches desired consistency.
- Storage instructions: Transfer pesto sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. Sauce can be stored for up to 5 days in the fridge, or frozen for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I wonder if you could combine cilantro pesto and home made tomato sauce: equal portions?
I live in a sleepy fishing village in Ecuador, and mistakenly ask for$1 of cilantro…oops, the shop keeper came back with a bag full! We use cilantro frequently down here but it would have spoiled before using all of the cilantro. Happily came across your recipe, simple, well rounded , the outcome of a well balanced recipe. Muchas gracias. Jody
This recipe was perfect! I slathered it on a fillet of pan fried Atlantic Salmon. It was divine! Only change I made was using walnut oil in place of olive oil. It’ll be my go to recipe for Coriander Pesto. Thank you from Australia!
what an easy recipe and inexpensive. Thank you for sharing your recipes
Thanks so much for posting this recipe! Usually, I throw away any cilantro I hadn’t used and it’s just a waste. This tasted delicious. I would make this again many times over. Oh, and it’s vegan, which is great. 🙂