Parsley-Dill Pesto comes together in minutes and is so delicious it just might replace basil pesto in some of your favorite recipes! Vegan and gluten-free with an oil-free option, you'll want to slather this healthy pesto on crackers and veggies, spread it on flatbreads and sandwiches, and use it as a sauce for pasta.
Flavorful and Nutritious Fresh Herbs
I've been on a bit of a dill kick lately. First, there was the Chickpea Salad recipe, followed by Jackfruit, Mango and Dill Salad. But of the three, this simple and delicious pesto recipe is quite possibly my favorite. Seriously, you won't believe how good it is until you try it!
The parsley to dill ratio is just right, and the bright and fresh lemon flavor is balanced by the richness of walnuts and pumpkin seeds. It's just SO good.... and versatile, too!
Feel free to adjust the water and/or olive oil amounts to achieve the perfect consistency, depending on how you plan to use it. This pesto can be eaten cold, room temperature, or used in hot dishes.
How To Make It
Made from only 8 ingredients (plus water and salt):
- Parsley (1 cup)
- Dill (½ cup)
- Walnuts (½ cup)
- Pumpkin seeds (½ cup)
- Nutritional yeast (2 Tbsp)
- Lemon juice (2 Tbsp)
- Garlic (2 cloves)
- Salt (½ tsp)
- Water and/or olive oil (up to ¼ cup)
In a food processor combine the dry ingredients, parsley through salt, and process until finely chopped and incorporated. Then drizzle in the oil, if using, and add up to a few tablespoons of water until the pesto is as thin as you like. Taste and adjust salt and lemon.
It's as simple as that! Serve immediately, or store Parsley-Dill Pesto until ready to use.
How to Store Pesto
The best way to keep pesto fresh is to pour a thin layer of olive oil on top, cover the container, and store it in the refrigerator. Personally, I haven't tried storing this particular pesto for more than about 36 hours because we can't keep our hands off it! 😀 But protected from oxygen, you should be able to store it up to a week at least, similar to basil pesto.
And if you opt for olive oil instead of water, you can also freeze Parsley-Dill Pesto just as you would homemade basil pesto.
You know I devoured that tasty crisp bread cracker right after taking the photo. Scrumptious!!
I hope you love this Parsley-Dill Pesto as much as we do! Leave your feedback below, and as always, you can tag a photo @myquietkitchen on insta to let me know how you're using this bright and fresh pesto. Enjoy!
More ways to use fresh herbs:
Zhoug Sauce (non-traditional, oil-free version)
Spicy Parsley Pesto
Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
Tabbouleh-Inspired Bean Burgers
Crostini With Herbed Almond Ricotta
Easy Vegan Pesto
25 Vegan Recipes To Make With Fresh Herbs!
And here's a party-ready pasta salad recipe made with this parsley-dill pesto!
Parsley-Dill Pesto
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley (45 g)
- ½ cup chopped fresh dill (20 g)
- ½ cup raw walnuts
- ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 to 3 Tbsp olive oil, optional
- 1 to 3 Tbsp water, as a replacement for oil or in addition to achieve desired consistency
Instructions
- In a food processor combine the parsley, dill, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, and salt, and process until finely chopped and incorporated.
- With the machine running, drizzle in the oil, if using, and add up to a few tablespoons of water, until the pesto is as thin as you like. Taste and adjust salt and lemon as desired.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.
Jean
Oh num! Made this today and I understand Amanda saying it was hard to not just spoon it up right there! Love the ingredient list. Feel very good about eating this. I used several tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. I also roasted my pumpkin seeds and walnuts for a few minutes just because I love that flavor. I took some advice from someone, somewhere to use the stems of the dill and that was a good choice.
I think it's fabulous.
My plan is to use this with edamame pasta and grilled salmon. Looking forward to dinner! Hopefully there will be some leftover, too, for toast or roasted veggies.
Amanda
This pesto is amazing! I made a double batch and it was seriously hard to stop myself from standing over the counter and eating all of it with a spoon.
Lori
Yes! I feel the same way. It’s irresistible!So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂