Cilantro lovers get ready for the most amazing pesto! This cilantro and pumpkin seed pesto is every bit as good as it sounds!
It is easy to make, freezes beautifully and has so many uses!
Cilantro, pumpkin seeds, garlic, lemon juice, jalapeño pepper, olive oil and salt!
Cilantro. You either love it or hate it. If you love it, I am about to become your new best friend. What? You already have a best friend!
Well, did your current best friend share with you a cilantro pesto recipe that quite possibly is the best cilantro pesto recipe on the planet? See. I thought so.
So, new best bud, guess what I did this week? Yep. I cleaned out my vegetable crisper drawer. All I can say is thank goodness those plastic bags can safely hold liquid, which is what some of the veggies had become.
One of things I discovered besides liquefied dill, parsley, and lettuce were 3 bags of cilantro. Because apparently I have a terrible fear of being without cilantro (which is entirely understandable).
Luckily I remembered a cilantro pesto recipe that I had seen in the Herbfarm cookbook.
OMG. This was amazing. Seriously, seriously amazing.
Ingredients:
Pumpkin seeds - you want hulled seeds, unless you want to sit and shell them all and who has time for that?
Cilantro - use the leaves and tender sprigs.
Garlic - peeled cloves, you can coarsely chop them if you want, but not totally necessary.
Lemon juice - fresh squeezed, please!
Jalapeño pepper - seeded or not, depending on how hot you want it. I left the seeds in mine and it was perfect.
Salt and extra virgin olive oil.
Instructions:
Place the pumpkin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat. As soon as you hear the first seed pop, start shaking the pan (kind of like when you make popcorn.)
The pumpkin seeds will puff up and brown. When most of them are puffed up, shake them out on to a paper towel to cool.
Place the cooled pumpkin seeds, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, jalapeño pepper and salt into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
Then with the processor running, pour in the olive oil in a smooth stream until the pesto is creamy and somewhat smooth.
This homemade pesto will keep in the fridge for about a week, but it will keep in the freezer for about 6 months!
I put mine in cute little jars, with cute labels and froze them (be sure and leave a little headspace.)
I wish I could tell you how good this was. To tell you that you absolutely have to make this herb pesto now!
You could use this on anything, it could go on grilled fish, or chicken, or meat. It could be used as a salsa over nachos or tacos.
Stirred into pasta or to dress veggies. Or you could simply stand at your counter and just spoon it into your mouth, while you pretend that you are just tasting it to make sure it’s seasoned right.
More cilantro recipes:
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Recipe
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Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds hulled
- 2 cups cilantro leaves gently packed
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tbsp lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded or not
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place the pumpkin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat. After they start popping, shake the pan until most of them are puffed up and golden brown. Shake them out onto a paper towel to cool.
- Place the cooled pumpkin seeds, cilantro, garlic cloves, lemon juice, jalapeño pepper and salt into the bowl of food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
- With the motor running, slowly stream in the olive oil until creamy and as smooth as you would like it.
Margaret says
Yum. In my town I can buy a small local made dip similar to this recipe, but it's salty. I'm glad I found your simple, easy and delicious recipe (and I can control the salt).
Some asked if they could sub with parsley. I had a similar thought but might try a half and half parsley/cilantro version.
I swear cilantro tasted like soap when I was a young lady in the 70's. Now, I find it fresh and alive tasting.
Thank you to the person who suggested putting it on grilled tuna. I was just shoveling it in by the spoonful.
Great healthful recipe. Cilantro excellent source of antioxidants, vitamins K and A. Pumpkin seeds, more antioxidants, great source of fiber and magnesium.
It's health food 😉
Pam Greer says
So glad you like it!
Mel Gregory says
This sounds absolutely heavenly! I'd like to lower my oil. Is there anything I could substitute for the oil in this?
Pam Greer says
You could use less oil, it would not be as creamy, a little more chunky.
Kay says
This recipe was delicious and so easy to make! I personally found it slightly too salty for my taste, so I would recommend starting with 1/4 tsp and add to taste 🙂
Kiki says
I love experimenting with different pesto ingredients and wonder why I never thought of using cilantro! Sounds absolutely right up my alley and have bookmarked it to try 🙂
Alexandra says
This is such a creative pesto idea, and SO delicious! Yum! My new favourite 🙂
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
This Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto is absolutely perfect! I want to make my own of this. It will definitely be a great add ons to my dishes.
Emily Liao says
Loved the use of pumpkin seeds in this recipe 🙂
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
This pesto recipe is EVERYTHING. I love cilantro and pumpkin seeds, and it's as out-of-the-box as pesto can get! YUM.
Aimee Mars says
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with a fear of "being without cilantro" although mine extends to butter too. This sounds like an amazing take on cilantro and perfect for fall dishes. I can't wait to try it.
Anonymous says
Pam, this pesto recipe is heavenly! It has every ingredient that I enjoy – cilantro, pumpkin seeds, garlic, jalapenos.
I made it last Saturday afternoon and served it mixed with farfalle (that cute little bow tie pasta) and with a sprinkling of crumbled Gorgonzola on top. With a chilled glass of Moscato alongside, I experienced a different level of dining!
Incidentally, the jalapeno added an undertaste of mild heat that was out of this world!
theUngourmet says
Oh. Yum. I love pesto! I love your cilantro version. Must try!
Julie says
This sounds just super! I love the new header 🙂
Chris says
I'm a cilantro lover. Those other people are just wrong:)
grace says
all pesto should be made using cilantro. the end, and amen. 🙂
Joanne says
Cilantro is far and above my favorite herb...although I have to say it is usually the one that liquefies before parsley. Always.
I love finding new pesto combinations! Super yum. Also, that header. You like NICE girl!
Debinhawaii says
I have the book--how did I miss this recipe. Going to bookmark it now--yum!
Loving the header--I need to figure out how to do that one of these days. 😉
Antoinette says
Cilantro lover here! Somehow it brings me some inner comfort to know that you also find veggies in the bags in the crisper, more aqueous than they should be.
a good yarn says
One of those occasions when the *before* photo looks rather better than the *after* one. How pretty the ingredients look.
Cindy says
It's wicked good on grilled tuna!
Cinnamon-Girl says
You have a new best friend! I love cilantro and I always have pumpkin seeds in the house. I love this!
Mags says
I'm sitting here crying because I'm not your new best friend. Do you suppose I could substitute parsley for the dreaded cilantro?
LOVE the jars!
Betsy from Tennessee says
HI Pam, How is your summer so far???? Enjoying some time OFF???? (Dumb question!!! ha)
Love your header... You are getting more and more creative.
I like Cilantro---but the pesto with pumpkin seed also sounds terrific. Thanks!!!
Have a great 4th of July. God Bless America.
Hugs,
Betsy
All Our Fingers in the Pie says
I found a recipe similar to this and did not make it. I must try yours this week. Thanks.
Peet says
Yum, this looks so good!
Also, love your new header - looks great!
April in CT says
I'm a cilantro freak!! I can't wait to give this a try!
I'm sorry, but I had a right nice little giggle over Ty'sMommy's typo. LOL
merrilymarylee says
I love cilantro. At dinner with a group of four, two loved it, two hated it. You're right--there's no in-between. (Julia Child hated it. 🙁 )
As someone who is pretty sure she can go through her vegetable drawer and her freezer without coming up with 3 bags of cilantro (one, probably) and pumpkin seeds, I'll have to wait until fall to try this one.
Joy says
LOVE the pictures in your header! Great used for your excellent photos. Cilantro Pesto??? not so much. Although, I'm sure it's delicious if you like cilantro! The jars look beautiful!
JC says
I like your header photo ...
Amy says
*raises hand* I'm a cilantro hater, but I love love pesto and pumpkin seeds. So, how can I get around this? Parsley substitution, perhaps? Hm.
Joan's Good Life says
Awesome! Okay, so I made this but I put my mixture into heart shaped silicon ice trays. (That's what I do with all of my pesto recipe's and extra tomato pastes just because it is so much easier to just pick out a heart or two instead of waiting for the content of a jar to thaw out!) This stuff is YUM! Thanks Pam!
shabby girl says
New BFF!!! Oh my Lord, I love cilantro! Never enough cilantro!
Love your new header too! Great job!
Marjie says
And you're using those adorable little jars again! I'm so jealous!
Judi says
You new header looks great. Yea you! It is especially nice that these are your photos.
Once I'm settled in my new place and I've unpacked my new food processor, I'm definitely trying this pesto.
Kat says
How did you do that header? Nice addition. I love the jars of pesto.
Ty'sMommy says
Oh holy goodness.... I am LOVING this! I'm going to have to give it a shit the next time I find some gorgeous cilantro.
once in a blue moon... says
i am laughing at zurin saying pumpkin not so uppity! i am now looking for the perfect pumpkin to join in your merriment~
zurin says
You are my new best friend Pam! i am so making this because I have cilantro all the time (even teh liquid in plastic bag version)and pumpkin seeds aren't as uppity as pine nuts. Pine nuts would make me poor. They are quite expensive here. N if you say this is amazing Im believing you.
KarenV says
Oh yum! I love coriander 😉 and will definitely be having a go at this.
You just left me a comment about the yoyos I'm making - if you look at the previous post I wrote, there's a link to the Moda Bake Shop project just above the yoyo photo in that post (about half way down). Thanks for visiting!