Almond Free Cilantro, Mint & Pistachio Pesto
This vibrant, herb-forward pesto is a bold departure from the classic Italian version, swapping basil and pine nuts for fresh cilantro, mint, and buttery pistachios. The result is something bright, a little earthy, and deeply aromatic — with lime juice and zest cutting through the richness of the olive oil in the best possible way. A whisper of cumin and optional red pepper flakes give it just enough complexity to make you want to put it on everything. Because the whole thing comes together in a food processor in just a few pulses, it's one of those sauces that feels far more impressive than the effort involved. For anyone navigating tree nut concerns specifically around almonds, pistachios are the star here and no almond-derived ingredients appear anywhere in the recipe — just clean, whole-food components you can feel confident about. Slather it on grilled flatbread, toss it with pasta, spoon it over roasted vegetables, or use it as a dipping sauce — it's genuinely hard to find a wrong answer. Store it in a sealed jar in the fridge and it'll keep your meals interesting all week long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, loosely packed
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
- ½ cup dry-roasted pistachios, unsalted
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 1 tsp lime zest
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Add the pistachios and garlic to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 8–10 times until the pistachios are coarsely broken down and the garlic is finely chopped.
- 2
Add the cilantro, mint, lime juice, lime zest, cumin, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using. Pulse another 8–10 times until the herbs are finely chopped and the mixture looks uniformly crumbly.
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