5-Minute Pistachio Pesto

Pistachio pesto is a take on the classic basil pesto, made with pistachios, basil, pecorino, parmesan, garlic and olive oil! It only takes 5 minutes to make, and is perfect on pasta, crostini, and so many other things!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 5

Servings cup

Calories 1859kcal

Author Pina Bresciani

Ingredients

1 cup shelled, unsalted raw pistachios not roasted
¼ cup fresh basil
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup grated pecorino romano
¼ clove garlic
½ or ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Instructions

Add pistachios, basil, permesan, pecorino, garlic, and half the olive oil to a food processor.
Process in the food processor until ingredients start to blend together, about 1 minute.
Add the rest of the olive oil, salt to taste, and continue processing until a smooth consistency is reached. Your pistachio pesto is ready! Use on crostini, your favorite pasta, or anywhere you use pesto!

Video

Notes

Judge how much oil to add based on how you like your pesto. If you like it more chunky, only add ½ cup. If you like it more smooth, add ¾ cups
If you don't have both parmigiano and pecorino available, you can use only one. Pecorino has a stronger flavor than parmigiano so keep that in mind when adding the grated cheese to the pesto
Optional: you can remove the peel of the pistachios by letting water come to a boil in a sauce pan, adding the pistachios in, and letting them boil for 5 minutes. Remove from water, and now they will be easy to peel. Remove the peel from the pistachios by squeezing them between your fingers, and follow the recipe from here.
This recipe only calls for a ¼ clove of garlic so that it won't overpower the pesto, but if you'd like to add more you definitely can.

Nutrition