Carrageenan Free Garlic Ginger Fresh Herb Pesto
Bright, herby, and layered with warmth, this pesto brings together fresh basil, flat-leaf parsley, garlic, and a hit of ginger for a sauce that feels both familiar and genuinely exciting. Sunflower seeds stand in for the more traditional pine nuts, adding a subtle nuttiness and creamy body without overwhelming the herbs. Fresh ricotta rounds everything out with a mild richness that makes the texture luxuriously smooth while keeping the flavor light and clean. For anyone navigating carrageenan in their diet, store-bought pestos and dairy-based sauces can be a minefield — thickeners and stabilizers have a way of sneaking into even the most innocent-looking jars. This recipe sidesteps all of that by relying entirely on whole, recognizable ingredients straight from the produce aisle and dairy case. The ricotta here is the real star of that workaround: it delivers creaminess the natural way, no additives required. The food processor does most of the heavy lifting, so you get a beautifully cohesive sauce in just a few minutes. Toss it with pasta, spread it on crusty bread, or spoon it over roasted vegetables — it's the kind of versatile condiment that earns a permanent spot in your weekly rotation. Make a batch, freeze it in small portions, and you'll always have something vibrant and satisfying ready to go.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup fresh ricotta
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
Instructions
- 1
Add the basil, parsley, garlic, and ginger to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the herbs are roughly broken down and the garlic and ginger are finely chopped.
- 2
Add the sunflower seeds and fresh ricotta. Pulse another 6–8 times until the seeds are coarsely ground and the mixture looks evenly combined but still has some texture.
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