I don’t know about you, but every time I make a recipe that calls for cilantro (salsa, guacamole, fish tacos) I have to buy way more cilantro than the recipe calls for. Which means I end up with a bunch of left over cilantro and every time I tell myself I will find a use for it. Then a few days go by and next thing I know I have a bunch of wilted, decaying cilantro that needs to go in the trash. It’s a disappointing and wasteful cycle.
Back in July, I was making a batch of my fish tacos and of course had leftover cilantro. This time I was determined to break the cycle. No more wasted cilantro. However, I wasn’t sure how to use a large amount of cilantro all at once. As luck would have it the next night, I was out to dinner at a Greek restaurant in DC and one of their entrees used cilantro pesto. It was a meat dish, so I didn’t order it, but it seemed like an interesting idea and a perfect use for extra cilantro.
Of course, the next day I had to look online and I quickly realized this was not a new idea and it did not originate with my local Greek restaurant. Apparently, many people had already discovered the joys of cilantro made into pesto. I started tinkering with the recipe myself and came up with a version of cilantro pesto that I really like. It is a fun, fresh take on pesto and my recipe is dairy free making it a great pesto for vegans or those who are dairy intolerant. I love it with salmon and Andrey says it is great with chicken. It also sparks up an egg wrap, makes steamed veggies into an impressive side dish, and works as a salad dressing. Basically, it should be your go to sauce for summer!
Back in July, I was making a batch of my fish tacos and of course had leftover cilantro. This time I was determined to break the cycle. No more wasted cilantro. However, I wasn’t sure how to use a large amount of cilantro all at once. As luck would have it the next night, I was out to dinner at a Greek restaurant in DC and one of their entrees used cilantro pesto. It was a meat dish, so I didn’t order it, but it seemed like an interesting idea and a perfect use for extra cilantro.
Of course, the next day I had to look online and I quickly realized this was not a new idea and it did not originate with my local Greek restaurant. Apparently, many people had already discovered the joys of cilantro made into pesto. I started tinkering with the recipe myself and came up with a version of cilantro pesto that I really like. It is a fun, fresh take on pesto and my recipe is dairy free making it a great pesto for vegans or those who are dairy intolerant. I love it with salmon and Andrey says it is great with chicken. It also sparks up an egg wrap, makes steamed veggies into an impressive side dish, and works as a salad dressing. Basically, it should be your go to sauce for summer!
Homemade Cilantro Pesto
Makes about ½ cup of pesto
Ingredients:
1 large bunch of cilantro
¼ c. toasted almond slivers
¼ c. olive oil
1 lime juiced
1 clove garlic
¼ tsp. salt
Directions:
1. Wash and pat dry the cilantro. Remove the leaves from the stems.
2. Put the almond slivers and olive oil in the food processor and pulse a few times. The almond slivers should be mostly ground down now. Scrape down the sides of the food processor.
3. Use a garlic press to crush the garlic clove into the food processor. Pulse a few times until blended and scrape down the sides.
4. Add the limejuice, salt and cilantro leaves to the food processor. Run the food processor for about 30-60 seconds until everything is blended.
5. Scrape down the sides and run the food processor for another 30 seconds.
6. Remove the pesto from the food processor and use immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week.
Please let me know in the comments below if you enjoy the recipe or make any additions. You can follow me on instagram to see when I post new recipes and don't forget to pin this recipe for later! Thanks for reading!
Makes about ½ cup of pesto
Ingredients:
1 large bunch of cilantro
¼ c. toasted almond slivers
¼ c. olive oil
1 lime juiced
1 clove garlic
¼ tsp. salt
Directions:
1. Wash and pat dry the cilantro. Remove the leaves from the stems.
2. Put the almond slivers and olive oil in the food processor and pulse a few times. The almond slivers should be mostly ground down now. Scrape down the sides of the food processor.
3. Use a garlic press to crush the garlic clove into the food processor. Pulse a few times until blended and scrape down the sides.
4. Add the limejuice, salt and cilantro leaves to the food processor. Run the food processor for about 30-60 seconds until everything is blended.
5. Scrape down the sides and run the food processor for another 30 seconds.
6. Remove the pesto from the food processor and use immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week.
Please let me know in the comments below if you enjoy the recipe or make any additions. You can follow me on instagram to see when I post new recipes and don't forget to pin this recipe for later! Thanks for reading!
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