Lemon Pesto Sauce

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Lemon pesto sauce combines the nutty, subtly spicy taste of homemade pesto with a hint of refreshing citrus. It makes for a bright and flavorful sauce on pastas, salads, and other favorites.

A jar of homemade lemon pesto sauce — Lemon Pesto Sauce

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Nothing tastes as bright and fresh to me as the combination of lemon and basil.

And that’s exactly what this homemade lemon pesto sauce is.

A bright variation of my basil pesto recipe with the added sunny flavors of lemon.

It’s amazing on pasta, tossed with baked gnocchi, or in place of pesto sauce in this Easy Pesto Caprese Salad.

Of course, you could just eat straight off the spoon too.

That’s a totally legitimate choice that I certainly wouldn’t judge you for with any homemade sauce!

Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies

Ingredients for Lemon Pesto Sauce: Basil, Walnuts, Parmesan Cheese, Olive Oil, Garlic, Lemon Juice, Salt and Pepper

Lemon pesto sauce uses simple, fresh ingredients that include:

Walnuts – While you definitely can use pine nuts, the way you would in a traditional pesto recipe, walnuts are less expensive and easier to find. You can use any cut that is least expensive though chopped or crushed do work particularly well. If you want, you could use pine nuts like in this Traditional Pesto Genovese Recipe
Fresh basil – A large bunch of basil. You can often get basil in the fresh produce section of the grocery store. Whatever you do, don’t substitute dried basil. The recipe will not work.
Fresh garlic – Garlic gives pesto sauce its spicy bite. Dried garlic powder doesn’t have the same effect.
Olive oil – Olive oil is a must. This isn’t a recipe that will taste its best if you sub a different oil.
Parmesan or romano cheese – You can use either parmesan or romano cheese. Of course, if you don’t want to limit yourself, use both!
Fresh Lemon Juice – Do yourself a favor and use the fresh stuff. It tastes so much better than bottled in this.
Salt and pepper – To taste

We use the following equipment when we make pestoa sauce with walnuts:

Food processor – A good food processor chops creates the lemon pesto sauce quickly by pulverizing the ingredients together.
High power blender – If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a high power blender to mix it altogether. Look for ones that have more than just a set of bottom blades.
Citrus press– It helps get the most fresh lemon juice out of the lemons.

How to Make Lemon Pesto Sauce

1. Food process the solid ingredients for the lemon pesto sauce.

Add all the ingredients for the lemon pesto recipe into the food processor except for olive oil and lemon juice.

Get out your food processor and put in all the ingredients except the olive oil and lemon juice into the container.

Pulse the ingredients together until a thicker paste starts to form.

2. Stream the olive oil and lemon juice into the pesto.

Pulse the lemon pesto ingredients together to form a paste

After you food process the basil, walnuts, cheese, and garlic to form the thick paste mixture, take the lid off the food processor and scrape the sides down.

Put the lid back on, and while pulsing the food processor, stream in the lemon juice followed by 3/4 of a cup to 1 cup of olive oil.

At this point, stop pulsing the pesto sauce and take the lid off the food processor.

Check the consistency of your pesto.

If the pesto is still very thick, put the lid back on your food processor and stream in the remaining olive oil until the pesto reaches a thinner consistency that doesn’t hold its shape on a spoon.

Serve and enjoy!

How to Serve Lemon Pesto

There are so many things you can do with this easy lemon pesto recipe!

Obviously tossing it with your favorite pasta is one! If you plan to serve it right away, you can immediately toss it with your favorite pasta fresh from the pot.

It’s also so good on different salads like:

Easy Pesto Caprese Salad
as a replacement for balsamic reduction on a Burrata Caprese Salad
a chilled Caprese Tortellini Pasta Salad

Oh! And don’t forget sandwiches! It makes a great spread!

It provides a bright replacement for the pesto on this caprese baguette sandwich and this Easy Caprese Panini Sandwich with Pesto and would be absolutely awesome on a Fried Mozzarella Grilled Cheese.

And let’s talk about things to drizzle it on or dip into it, like:

Elegant and Easy Prosciutto Caprese Skewers
Easy Tortellini Caprese Skewers
a beautiful hunk of crusty bread (I wonder if they call it hunk because it’s so pretty?)
fried mozzarella
grilled chicken

Storing Lemon Pesto Sauce

This lemon pesto recipe works as a fabulous make ahead sauce because it stores really well.

To store, pour the sauce into an air tight container (I like mason jars for this) but any sealable container will work.

Place the container in your fridge and store for up to a week before using.

Can I freeze this?

Yes!

You can also freeze lemon pesto sauce for up to 6 months in a freezer safe container.

To use, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge and then use with your favorite recipe or pasta.

FAQs

What is lemon pesto made of?

Lemon pesto recipes typically use freshly squeezed lemon juice, pine nuts, basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Sometimes you will also see versions with spinach or kale in addition to basil.

Our version sticks to the basic combination of lemon juice, fresh basil, garlic cloves and olive oil but subs walnuts for pine nuts because they are easier to find and less expensive.

What are the disadvantages of pesto?

Pesto sauce recipes use nuts, which means it is not a good choice for people with nut allergies. Pesto can also be a bit spicy for some people. If you do not make it at home, it is also one of the more expensive Italian sauces you can find in the grocery store.

Do you eat pesto warm or cold?

Both! You can add it to hot dishes, like pastas, but you can also serve it with chilled sandwiches and salads. One thing you should not do – unless using it in a baked recipe – is directly heat the sauce. Cooking the sauce or heating it up directly can cause it to seperate. Usually the ambiant heat from pasta is enough to warm the pesto sauce.

Will lemon prevent the pesto from turning brown?

Yes! Lemon juice has both asorbic and citric acid in it. These acids are the same acids that prevent apples and avocado from turning brown when you toss them with lemon juice. And fortunately it also helps keep the pesto a beautiful vibrant green color along with adding that yummy bright flavor.

Tips and tricks

Use chopped walnuts or pine nuts to speed up the process of mixing the lemon pesto sauce. You may find that rough chopping your nuts and garlic may help with getting consistent sized chunks in the sauce.
Before serving cold lemon pesto sauce with hot pasta, let the pesto come back up to room temperature. This will allow the hot pasta to warm the pesto sauce up as you toss it together.
Garlic adds some heat and spiciness to to the pesto sauce. If you like it less spicy, use a bit less garlic. For more heat, you can add more garlic or even mix in red pepper flakes.
If you notice your pesto sauce is too thick, you can add a little bit more olive oil. Add it a small amount at a time, remixing, and checking the consistency. Keep doing that until it reaches the consistency you like.
If your pesto sauce is too thin, you can add a bit more parmesan cheese or walnuts, a small amount at a time, mixing between adding more. Repeat adding more until it reaches the consistency you like.
Lemon juice adds some bright, citrus flavor. We find that using fresh lemons gives the best flavor, but you could use a store bought, bottled juice if you prefer or that’s what you have on hand.

Recipes to Use Lemon Pesto

A jar of lemon pesto sauce — Lemon Pesto Sauce

You can also use pesto sauce in other recipes, like:

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