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Simple, easy and delicious Pistachio Pesto made with fresh basil, garlic, pecorino cheese and of course, pistachios. This pesto is so quick and easy to make (5 mins) and can be used in so many ways from pizza to pasta.
If you’re a fan of Pesto alla Genovese (basil pesto) then you’re sure to love this Sicilian twist using beautifully nutty and delicious pistachio nuts.
Sicily is famous for its Bronte Pistachios so they are used in both sweet and savoury Sicilian dishes such as Pistachio gelato, Pistachio cream (used for cakes etc) and Pistachio Pesto.
This pesto can be used in so many ways. One of the most famous food combinations using pistachios is with mortadella. This could be on a sandwich (usually focaccia) or on pizza sometimes paired with mozzarella or burrata cheese.
You can also use this pesto as a pasta sauce just use a little reserved pasta water to loosen it and dinner is served.
See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos, tips and variations. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below
Ingredients
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Pin ItIngredient notes and substitutions
- Pistachios – when choosing pistachios make sure they are unsalted.
- Pecorino Romano – if you can’t find this you could use Parmigiano Reggiano (or even a combination of both).
- Garlic – fresh garlic is a must (as always).
- Olive oil – we always use extra virgin olive oil.
Step by step photos and instructions
Put all ingredients and half of the olive oil in a bowl. Blitz using an immersion blender until the pesto has the texture of a thick sauce with some pieces of pistachios throughout.
Add more oil as needed then season with a small amount of salt and pepper. (photos 1 and 2).
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Variations to try – to add freshness you could use a mix of fresh basil and mint leaves and/or some lemon zest.
- What pistachios to use – make sure to buy unroasted and unsalted pistachios. Sicilian Bronte pistachios will taste the best but are hard to find outside of Italy (and very expensive) so use what’s available to you.
- To get a bright green coloured pesto – If you want your pesto to have a bright green colour you will need to remove the skins by blanching them first (see our pistachio cream recipe for how to do it) but you don’t need to. Keeping the skins on will give you a darker pesto and slightly rougher texture (just like our photos).
- Blender vs mortar and pestle – there are a few different ways to make the pesto, using a mortar and pestle (more elbow grease needed), immersion blender (our preferred method) or food processor.
Once made the pistachio pesto will keep well for up to 3 days in the fridge (it will oxidise and darken in colour).
Serving suggestions
Serve with pasta – cook your pasta until it’s al dente (we like to use short pasta shapes for this). Drain the pasta making sure to reserve some pasta sauce and add your pasta back to the empty pot. Add dollops of pistachio pesto and a splash of pasta water to coat your pasta in a beautiful pistachio sauce.
Serve on sandwiches – this pesto is absolutely delicious added to sandwiches (we love using our focaccia for this). Spread it on a top with mortadella or grilled vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant or peppers.
Serve on pizza – another famous way to use pistachio pesto is on pizza. Bake your pizza with just mozzarella on the base then remove from the oven and top with slices of mortadella, drizzle with pesto, dollops of burrata cheese and sprinkle over more crushed pistachios – delicious!
Serve on crostini – spread on chargrilled crostini and top with burrata.
More pesto recipes to try
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Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Pistachio Pesto
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted pistachios, (70g)
- 1 cup fresh basil, (10g)
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ cup Pecorino Romano, (30g)
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil , (70-90ml)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients and half of the olive oil in a bowl. Blitz using an immersion blender until the pesto has a texture of a thick sauce with some pieces of pistachios throughout. Add more oil as needed.
- Taste for seasoning and add a small amount of salt and pepper as needed.
- The pesto can be stored (covered) in the fridge for up to 3 days but is at its best on the same day it’s made.
Notes
- Variations to try – to add freshness you could use a mix of fresh basil and mint leaves and/or some lemon zest.
- To get a bright green coloured pesto – If you want your pesto to have a bright green colour you will need to remove the skins by blanching them first (see our pistachio cream recipe for how to do it) but you don’t need to. Keeping the skins on will give you a darker pesto (just like our photos).
- What pistachios to use – make sure to buy unroasted and unsalted pistachios. Sicilian Bronte pistachios will taste the best but are extremely hard to find outside of Sicily so use what’s available to you.
- Blender vs mortar and pestle – there are a few different ways to make the pesto, using a mortar and pestle (more elbow grease needed), immersion blender (our preferred method) or food processor.
- Nutritional information is for the full amount of pesto and not divided into servings.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
