Peanut Free Garlic Ginger Fresh Herb Pesto
Classic pesto gets a genuinely exciting makeover here, swapping pine nuts for raw sunflower seeds and folding in fresh ricotta for a sauce that's creamy, bright, and completely safe for anyone avoiding peanuts. The combination of basil and flat-leaf parsley gives it a layered herbal depth, while fresh ginger adds a subtle warmth that makes the whole thing feel a little unexpected in the best way. Sunflower seeds are a brilliant stand-in — they bring a mild nuttiness and just enough body to hold the sauce together without any of the cross-contamination concerns that can come with tree nut or peanut-adjacent products. Everything comes together in a food processor in just a few pulses, so you get a textured, restaurant-worthy pesto without a lot of effort. The ricotta keeps it luxuriously smooth and a touch lighter than a traditional oil-heavy version, making it just as good stirred into pasta as it is spread on crusty bread or spooned over roasted vegetables. Store it with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to keep it vivid and fresh, or freeze it in small portions so you always have some on hand.
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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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