Mint Pesto

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This bright, zesty mint pesto is loaded up with delicious fresh flavors. It’s easy to make in the food processor, and great to use up lots of mint leaves.

It’s also freezable in small convenient portions, perfect to toss it, scoop it, drizzle it, stir it into salads, soups, roasted veggies, potatoes and more!

I think that this easy pesto with mint deserves a place in every pesto repertoire! And if you think that mint is overpowering or too punchy for a pesto recipe, it’s not.

Surprisingly, the intense flavor of mint blends perfectly with the other ingredients making a pesto that’s quite delicate, fresh and balanced.

Although many pesto recipes call for pine nuts or almonds, I make my own mint pesto with cashews. These lovely nuts add body and flavor, they lend to a deliciously smooth texture and make the mint mellow.

And, as with any pesto recipe, this one is quite forgiving, quick to make in the food processor or blender, and it can be used in countless dishes.

It also happens to be healthy, vegan, and gluten-free too!

List of the ingredients

• Fresh mint leaves
• Cashews or almonds
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Garlic
• Lemon
• Salt & pepper

And a food processor…

How to make mint pesto

(Note: this is a quick description with step-by-step photos, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)

• Remove the mint leaves from the stems.
• Wash and drain the mint leaves. I use a convenient salad spinner!

• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and whizz until smooth.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
• Transfer the pesto to a glass bowl or a glass jar.

Recipe notes

Mint pesto ingredients

Fresh mint leaves: to measure these, lightly pack them down into a measuring cup or use a kitchen scale if you wish. However, the recipe is very forgiving.

Cashews: they add body and flavor making the pesto thick and spreadable. However, feel free to change up the nuts: almonds or pine nuts work just fine.

Extra virgin olive oil: it’s absolutely the best with its rich, fruity flavor. Don’t be tempted to replace extra virgin olive oil with water, it won’t be the same.

Lemon: both zest and the juice work so well with mint!

Garlic: it’s a must, but don’t overdo it. A small garlic clove adds flavor without being overpowering. I used half of the large garlic clove you see in the picture.

Salt & pepper: be sure to taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

How to store mint pesto

Fridge: it keeps well for 3 days in a glass jar or in a glass bowl, possibly covered with a layer of clingfilm pressed to the surface.

Freezer: it’s also freezable, small convenient portions can be frozen in an ice cube tray as I do here with my parsley pesto.

More recipes with mint?

Here are a few delicious recipes to use up your fresh mint, plus a handful roundup of 15 refreshing mint recipes to try this summer!

• Salad with mint
• Mint syrup
• Yogurt mint sauce
• Pea soup with mint
• Crostini with ricotta, pea and mint
• Fava bean salad with feta and mint

And if you love pesto recipes…

Here are a few of my easy pesto and sauce recipes made with a handful of ingredients and a food processor!

• Spinach pesto
• Parsley pesto
• Sun dried tomato pesto
• Walnut sauce
• Arugula pesto
• Penne with basil pesto
• Sun dried tomato paste

If you make this mint pesto, or if you have any questions, let me know! Leave a comment or rate it. I would love to hear from you! 

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