Seed Oil Free Mint & Herb Pesto
Most store-bought pestos sneak in refined vegetable or seed oils that you never asked for, so making your own is the only way to truly know what's in the jar. This version keeps things clean and bright, built entirely on extra-virgin olive oil ā a single-ingredient fat with nothing processed or hidden inside. Three fresh herbs come together here in a way that's more complex than classic basil-only pesto: the mint lifts everything with a cool, almost floral note, the parsley adds a grassy depth, and the basil holds it all together. A hit of lemon zest and fresh lemon juice keeps the flavor sharp and vibrant rather than heavy. The food processor does the heavy lifting in under a minute, and what you end up with is a coarse, spoonable paste that's intensely aromatic and endlessly versatile. Stir it into pasta, spoon it over grilled vegetables, swirl it into soup, or spread it on toast ā it earns its place at every meal. Store it with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface and it stays gorgeous for days.
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Learn more āIngredients
6 servings
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, packed
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- Ā½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Ā½ tsp fine sea salt
- Ā½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Add the mint, basil, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8ā10 times until the herbs are coarsely chopped and the garlic is broken down.
- 2
With the processor running, pour the olive oil through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream until the pesto comes together into a coarse, spoonable paste ā about 20ā30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, then pulse once or twice more to incorporate any remaining herb pieces.
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