Fresh and Easy Cilantro Pesto

Cilantro Pesto looks as vibrant and fresh as it tastes. If you're a cilantro lover, you're going to fall in love with this easy sauce!

*Disclaimer - This recipe was originally published in 2013. I'm working hard to update all my older recipes with recipe cards, new photos, and additional recipe information. But, getting to all of them will take time. Please bear with me. In the meantime let me assure you that this recipe is still a winner and one I'm sure you'll be well pleased with when you make it at home.

Having an abundance of brilliant green cilantro in my garden this year, I've decided to make some pesto. The smell is intoxicating and I can hardly wait to use it on chicken, fish, and maybe even some flank steak.

CILANTRO PESTO        {PRINT THIS RECIPE}


3 bunches of cilantro, washed and dried
4-5 cloves peeled garlic
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅛ cup grapeseed oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

-Add all the cilantro into the food processor along with the olive oil.
-Pulse until it becomes a firm, broken-down paste.
-Add the garlic cloves, salt and pepper, and enough of the grapeseed oil and pulse to get a pesto with a loose (but not runny) consistency. You may or may not use the entire ⅛ cup of grapeseed oil.  It depends on your personal preference for consistency. I like mine to have a mayonnaise thickness.
-Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Without having a firm plan in mind of how I'm going to use this pesto, I kept the ingredient list pretty simple. If you like, I think it would also be a great idea to add in some lemon and/or lime zest to really play up the citrus flavors of the cilantro itself.

I know that there are two camps out there in the world ~ cilantro lovers and cilantro haters. I happen to be a cilantro lover and I'm here to spread the cilantro love, people...on fish, chicken, beef, and whatever else I can think of.