Basil Lemon Pesto recipe is an easy and delicious, light pasta sauce recipe that's perfect when you want something easy but also healthy with minimal ingredients. Made with fresh basil, cilantro, olive oil, lemon, shallots, and parmesan, this is one pasta sauce recipe you'll be making on repeat.
Basil Lemon Pesto easy homemade pesto recipe is a vibrant pasta dish that's sure to brighten up any season! This pasta recipe is perfect for winter and spring when you want something light and healthy but still tasty. This recipe is also perfect for celebrating St. Patrick's Day since it has green pasta sauce!
We LOVE pasta around here. Check out my delicious Creamy Lemon Pasta with Chicken which is a super easy one pot pasta recipe. Want something light with cheese? Make my Mizithra Cheese Browned Butter Pasta | Old Spaghetti Factory Recipe for a twist on traditional spaghetti. Bacon Penne Pasta is always a crowd-pleaser and is a twist on the classic BLT sandwich. Want something Italian and heartier? Meat Sauce Stuffed Shells is comfort food at it's finest, and it freezes well! Dutch Oven Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon | One Pot is a fan favorite too! You must try the Basil Lemon Pesto pasta for a delightful change. Or want something full of protein? Try my epic Smashed Burger Tacos Recipe | Best Easy Viral TikTok Recipe these are so good!
Jump to:
- 🌿 Ingredients for Basil Pesto with Lemon
- What you need for Lemon Basil Pesto to make the best Basil Lemon Pesto
- 🌿 Steps for Making Basil Pesto with Lemon
- Helpful Hint for How to Freeze Pesto
- How to use your Pesto
- Related Recipes
- More Dinner Ideas
- Follow Us
- Pin or send this recipe to a friend!
- 📖 Recipe
- How to use your Pesto
- 💬 Comments
🌿 Ingredients for Basil Pesto with Lemon
What you need for Lemon Basil Pesto to make the best Basil Lemon Pesto
- Fresh basil or lemon basil
- Fresh Cilantro
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Shallot (chopped)
- Fresh Garlic (diced)
- Lemon Juice and lemon zest
- Parmesan
- Food Processor
These fresh ingredients are simple ingredients, and that makes a very flavorful pasta sauce.
See recipe card below for quantities
🌿 Steps for Making Basil Pesto with Lemon
- Step 1: Cut the parmesan into chunks and add them to the food processor on the low setting and process until the parmesan is finely ground. This helps integrate the basil lemon pesto flavors well.
- Step 2: Next, add the chopped shallots and garlic to the finely ground parmesan and process on the low setting until combined.
- Step 3: Add the fresh cilantro and fresh basil to the parmesan mixture and pulse on the medium setting in the food processor.
- Step 4: Add the fresh lemon zest and lemon juice to the basil lemon pesto in the food processor and mix on the medium setting until well combined. This will give your basil lemon pesto its signature flavor.
- Step 5: Add the olive oil to the lemon basil pesto sauce in the food processor and process until all of the EVOO has combined into the pesto sauce.
- Step 6: Boil some water, make any pasta you want, and cook until al-dente. Top with this gorgeous fresh basil lemon pesto pasta sauce and enjoy!
Helpful Hint for How to Freeze Pesto
Tips for Freezing Basil Pesto with Lemon
- Make a big batch of my basil lemon pesto sauce and freeze to use throughout the week. Pesto freezes well if done properly. It's super easy too! Simply spoon the prepared pesto sauce into ice cube trays and pop them into the freezer and freeze until solid, then transfer the pesto cubes to a freezer bag for storage; this allows you to easily portion out small amounts as needed when thawing. This also helps the pesto last FOREVER and can be used multiple times.
How to use your Pesto
- There are so many ways you can use homemade pesto, but my favorites are as a pasta sauce, on top of garlic bread with this bright pesto, or use it on crackers with some cheese as a yummy appetizer. You can top fresh veggies like broccoli or squash with easy pesto for the best flavor. Basil lemon pesto chicken is always a crowd-please or even on steak for a easy recipe. You can also top the pesto with pine nuts if that's your jam.
"Pesto" refers to a generic Italian sauce made with herbs, nuts, cheese, and olive oil, while "pesto genovese" specifically refers to the traditional pesto originating from Genoa, Italy, which uses a very specific combination of ingredients like fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
Basil lemon pesto is delicious pizza, as a salad dressing, for marinating meats, as a dip for vegetables, stirred into soups, on grilled cheese, as a spread on sandwiches, mixed with grains like rice or quinoa, or even as a topping for roasted vegetables or grilled chicken.
Related Recipes
Looking for more pasta recipes? Try these!
More Dinner Ideas
Need more dinner inspo? I've got you covered.
Follow Us
If you make this recipe, please leave a star ⭐ recipe rating at the bottom of the page on the recipe card. This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers and cooks! If you want more delicious, made-from-scratch, wholesome, and healthy recipes, you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on my adventures on Instagram where I'm convinced I'm a comedian 😂 Check out our Pinterest for even more recipe inspiration and Facebook for the recipe of the day!
Be sure and follow, like, and share Fitty Foodlicious with your friends and family!
About Genevieve
Thank you for stopping by Fitty Foodlicious, a website dedicated to sharing lasting, family recipes, anxiety tips and tricks, and healthy spirited mental wellness. Genevieve's recipes have been featured on MSN.com, NewsBreak, Food Talk Daily, Food Gawker, Trivet Recipes, Bartender.com, Health Magazine, Kitchen Aid AU NZ, and has a published Cookbook titled The 5-Ingredient Paleo Cookbook which can be purchased at all major bookstores and on Amazon.
Pin or send this recipe to a friend!
Share Fitty Foodlicious recipes with your friends and family! We won't mind. 😉
📖 Recipe
Basil Lemon Pesto | Easy 5-minute Pasta Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup cubed parmesan
- 1 chopped shallot
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
- 1 bunch chopped cilantro (fresh herbs)
- 1 bunch chopped fresh basil (fresh herbs)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 box pasta of choice
Instructions
- Cut the parmesan into chunks and add them to the food processor on the low setting and process until the parmesan is finely ground.
- Next, add the chopped shallots and garlic to the finely ground parmesan and process on the low setting until combined.
- Add the fresh cilantro and fresh basil to the parmesan mixture and pulse on the medium setting in the food processor.
- Add the fresh lemon zest and lemon juice to the basil lemon pesto in the food processor and mix on the medium setting until well combined. This will give your basil lemon pesto its signature flavor.
- Add the olive oil to the lemon basil pesto sauce in the food processor and process until all of the EVOO has combined into the pesto sauce.
- Boil some water, make any pasta you want, and cook until al-dente. Top with this gorgeous fresh basil lemon pesto pasta sauce and enjoy!
Notes
How to use your Pesto
- There are so many ways you can use homemade pesto, but my favorites are as a pasta sauce, on top of garlic bread with this bright pesto, or use it on crackers with some cheese as a yummy appetizer. You can top fresh veggies like broccoli or squash with easy pesto for the best flavor. Basil lemon pesto chicken is always a crowd-please or even on steak for a easy recipe. You can also top the pesto with pine nuts if that's your jam.
Liz
So easy and delicious!!! Makes for a tasty dinner tossed with pasta!
Lathiya
I loved this basil lemon pesto. It was helpful in the busy mornings to pack my kids lunch.
Criss
I tried this basil lemon pesto, and it’s such a game-changer! It’s zesty, fresh, and comes together so quickly—perfect for tossing with pasta or using as a dip.