Store-bought pesto just can’t compare! This Homemade Pesto with Spinach gets a nutritional upgrade with extra greens!
One reason I adore pesto: F-L-A-V-O-R. A small amount of pesto adds a huge punch of flavor to whatever it is you are making. And you can use pesto in so many ways.
Of course, you can always add it to pasta. Pesto pasta is such a quick and flavorful dinner. But don’t stop there. Pesto and eggs is fabulous. Pesto on sandwiches is amazing. And don’t even get me started on pesto on pizza. Make up a batch and you have instant flavor for your food all week.
Traditional pesto is made with fresh basil, pine nuts, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, and salt. The great thing is, you can take the basic idea of pesto and play with it, creating slightly different flavor profiles. You can switch out the basil for a different herb. You can substitute the pine nuts for a different nut. Or switch out both like I did with this cilantro pesto.
Today’s pesto is a spinach-basil pesto. Why? Because I had a whole lot of fresh spinach that came from my CSA box. I’ve been putting spinach in everything. Why not add some extra nutrition to my pesto? Homemade pesto with spinach is nutritious and delicious. The best combo. 🙂
I also used almonds instead of pine nuts. Pine nuts are so expensive and I rarely keep them on hand, even though I love them. Almonds work beautifully in pesto, so don’t worry about not using pine nuts.
Are you ready to get started? Let’s make some pesto!
How to Make Homemade Pesto with Spinach
Spinach-Basil Pesto
This pesto is made with ingredients you probably have on hand and is given an healthy boost with added spinach!
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 1 recipe 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 cups loosely packed chopped spinach
- 3/4 cup basil leaves
- 1/4 cup whole almonds
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (freshly grated is best if you have it)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/8–1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients except the olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food process. Pulse until the ingredients are broken down and mostly incorporated. I like the ingredients in my pesto to be distinguishable, so I don’t over process. You can process to the consistency you like.
- With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil until the pesto is as oily as you like it, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. I usually add about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few good turns of pepper
Notes
This is the food processor I am currently using and recommending: Breville “The Sous Chef” Peel and Dice
(affiliate link)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: whole recipe
- Calories: 607
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 387mg
- Fat: 57g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Protein: 19g
Keywords: homemade pesto with spinach
Another tasty homemade pesto recipe is this Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto recipe!
This post was originally published in 2014. Photos were updated and a video added in 2019.
How to Philosophize with Cake says
May 29, 2014 at 8:00 amWhat a great idea! I’ve never added any other greens to my pesto but I shall try it next time. 🙂
Maryea says
May 30, 2014 at 7:18 amDefinitely do it! 🙂
Kristin says
May 29, 2014 at 6:32 pmI make this same pesto, but with walnuts. I love it and put it on pizza, pasta, and quinoa!
Maryea says
May 30, 2014 at 7:12 amI love walnuts! I’ll have to use those next time. 🙂
Heather @ fit mama real good says
May 29, 2014 at 11:50 pmOh this looks so great!! Awesome way to add in extra spinach. I love making big batches of pesto and popping it in the freezer.
Maryea says
May 30, 2014 at 7:11 amWhy haven’t I tried freezing it? That’s a great idea!
Kellie says
May 30, 2014 at 12:02 amDo you have any recipes for pesto without cheese? Just wondering about a dairy-free option.
Maryea says
May 30, 2014 at 7:10 amYou can sub nutritional yeast for the parmesan cheese. I have done it and it’s not exactly the same, but a close comparison!
Kellie says
May 30, 2014 at 8:38 amOk I’ll have to try that! Thanks!
Alexis @ Hummusapien says
May 31, 2014 at 10:51 amI love adding spinach to pesto!! One time I made a big batch and then drizzled it all over homemade burritos that I froze for later. You can NEVER go wrong with pesto 🙂
Maryea says
June 2, 2014 at 4:09 pmOhhh on top of burritos–great idea!
Beth -Slice of Southern says
July 22, 2016 at 10:15 amI absolutely LOVE this recipe. Can’t wait to make it!
Maryea says
July 26, 2016 at 12:26 pmThis is one of my favorites! 🙂
SpinachHater says
July 30, 2018 at 6:43 pmThis seems like a silly question, but can you taste the spinach? I’m a picky eater and I dont like spinach but I try to mix it into things I do like that will disguise the flavor so I still eat healthy.
★★★★★
Maryea says
March 27, 2019 at 9:46 amNope! You can’t taste the spinach. 🙂