Want a quick and flavourful pesto recipe? Try our easy Coriander Pesto recipe – a delightful wonder sauce ready in just 5 minutes! Made with fresh coriander, jalapeño and nuts, this homemade pesto is delicious and versatile. Plus, it’s vegan, dairy-free, and keto-friendly, making it a perfect choice for a variety of dietary preferences.
Simple Coriander pesto – Green pesto sauce
You’ll need just 9 ingredients, including salt, water, and olive oil, and 5 minutes to whip up this easy pesto sauce. Simply add them all to a blender, blend until smooth, and serve. Nowadays, you’ll find a jar of Sacla Coriander Chilli pesto at the supermarket. But it’s simpler and budget-friendly to make at home.
A few years ago, my friends treated me to a Basil Coriander Pesto Sauce Pasta, and it was absolutely scrumptious, quite different from regular basil pesto.
Inspired by this, I tried making the same sauce at home. However, we found ourselves without basil, so we opted to create a fresh Coriander Pesto Sauce instead.
We all fell in love with it, and ever since then, this Green Pesto Sauce pasta has been a hot favourite in our household. Almost 15 years now! Plus, it’s vegan, dairy-free, and keto-friendly, making it an ideal choice for a variety of dietary preferences.
Why you’ll love this recipe?
- Quick and Easy: It’s a 5-minute wonder sauce, perfect for those busy days when you need a delicious meal in a hurry.
- Versatile: This coriander pesto sauce is incredibly adaptable. Stir it into pasta with some cheese for a simple yet satisfying meal, or use it as a flavourful filling for your favourite meats. You can even drizzle it over tacos for an extra burst of flavour or use it as a sandwich spread.
- Dietary needs: It’s a vegan recipe, making it suitable for those following a plant-based diet or looking to incorporate more vegan options into their meals.
- Customisable: If you enjoy the taste of onions, feel free to add them to your blender for an extra kick of flavour. Tailor the recipe to suit your taste preferences and dietary needs.
Ingredients
- Fresh coriander or cilantro: Every part of the cilantro, including the leaves and stalks, can be used. Finely chop the stalks.
- Chili or jalapenos: Both are excellent choices for this recipe. Options include serrano chili pepper, jalapenos, or bird’s eye chilli. If none are available, chilli flakes can be used as a substitute.
- Nuts (pine nuts, cashews, or almonds): Nuts add depth of flavor to the pesto. Pine nuts are traditional, but cashews or almonds can be used as substitutes. For a keto-friendly or paleo diet, silvered almonds are a good option.
- Garlic: This green pesto sauce tastes wonderful with garlic.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice adds brightness and acidity to the pesto, enhancing its flavour profile.
- Olive oil: High-quality olive oil binds the ingredients together and adds richness to the pesto. Choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best results
How to make Coriander Pesto?: Step by step
It is really simple and straightforward to make coriander pesto at home. Place all the ingredients into a blender jar or food processor. Process until smooth. If the sauce seems too thick, add 2-3 tablespoons of water and blend again.
Coriander Pesto Pasta
Toss cooked pasta with coriander pesto. If you like loosen it up with a bit of reserved pasta water. Serve topped with grated cheese, toasted pinenuts, chilli flakes and enjoy.
Uses of Coriander Pesto sauce
- Quick Pasta Dish: Mix with al dente pasta for a speedy and flavorful meal.
- Pesto Substitute: Use as a replacement for traditional pesto or pasta sauce in recipes.
- Cilantro Dressing: Blend with yogurt to create a simple and tasty cilantro dressing.
- Sandwich Spread: Enjoy as a spread for sandwiches, or mix with mayonnaise for added creaminess.
- Marinade: Use as a marinade for seafood and meats to infuse them with vibrant flavour.
Storing leftover Coriander pesto sauce
In the fridge: Transfer the homemade coriander pesto sauce to an airtight container .Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
In the freezer: Spoon the leftover coriander pesto sauce into ice cube trays or small freezer-safe containers. Cover and freeze until solid, then transfer to a labeled freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
FAQ’s
What does coriander pesto taste like?
Coriander pesto typically has a fresh, herbaceous flavour with a hint of citrus. It’s often described as bright, aromatic, and slightly peppery due to the coriander leaves. The addition of garlic, nuts (such as pine nuts and cashews), and olive oil adds depth and richness to the flavour profile.
Why is my coriander pesto bitter?
Coriander pesto can become bitter due to over use of coriander stems, old coriander or bleding the ingredients too long. Prolonged blending or processing of the ingredients can cause the coriander leaves to release more of their bitter compounds.
Can you freeze coriander pesto?
Yes, you can freeze coriander pesto. Transfer it into an airtight container or ice cube trays, ensuring there’s minimal air exposure. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
How to use coriander (cilantro)?
Coriander, also known as cilantro, is my favourite herb to elevate flavours in dishes. Right from jazzing the curries with fresh coriander leaves to using them in chutneys, pesto and more. All part of the coriander plant are edible – right from leaves, stalk and seeds.
Did you know you can make Ground coriander powder at home? Its simple and I have got you covered with my recipe. Want to know more about this herb, check out The Spruce Eats’ article on Coriander Vs Cilantro.
Easy Recipes with Coriander – Creamy Coriander sauce, Coriander Chutney for Street Food, Cilantro Lime Rice
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Quick and Easy Vegan Coriander pesto sauce recipe below
Equipment
- Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 100 g Coriander
- 2 Tbsp Pinenuts
- ¼ Cup Cashewnuts
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 Green Chilli Jalapeno
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- Salt to taste
- ½ Lemon Juice
- 3-6 Tbsp Water
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a blender jar along with 3 tbsp water and Process.
- Add a little more water if needed and process until you have thick sauce.
- Transfer the prepared sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
cookingwithpree says
coriander pesto is one of my favorites. Nice photography!
CookWith Manali says
Looks so good Sandhya! Glad to have found your blog, love the photography! 🙂
Angie Schneider says
Wonderful clicks, Sandhya. I love coriander dearly, and make green sauce with them quite often too. This pesto sauce looks beautiful and very tasty.
sushma Mallya says
Beautiful clicks Sandhya looks so good !
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
OMgosh! This looks amazing! I love your dish too – so cute (I want it!) and great photography! You're making me hungry with this! 🙂
Shweta Agrawal says
any kind of pesto is welcome at my place.
Coriander pesto is like having indian touch.
Lovely:)
Prash@YummilyYours says
Stumbled upon your blog from a friend’s blog. Nice work , beautiful photographs and delicious recipes 🙂
Easyfoodsmith says
The cilantro pesto sounds wonderful and gorgeous pics.
Easyfoodsmith says
Beautiful clicks and wonderful pesto.
Suchita says
Wow Sandhya ! Your earlier photos are good too but now you are really on a next level. All the best for your next adventure, whatever that might be. I am hoping to see your work in a lot of great publications. I appreciate you sharing your photographic journey here. You are such an inspiration to all the newbie photographers like me. And above all you are such a wonderful, honest and humble person. All the best and keep inspiring
Margaret Gallagher says
How easy is this ! It was Delicious and a tasty quick mid week treat for us all
Candice Hansen says
How much lemon juice?
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Juice of a half lemon.
Darel says
I always enjoy reading your content. This is so helpful and amazing recipe for pesto sauce. Thank you for sharing it.
Dani says
Wonderful recipe! Thank you so much Sandhya, I just finished making your recipe. I couldn’t get pine nuts at the store so landed up just using roasted cashews, I also mixed both red chilli with half a jalapeño (deseeded) and some juice and zest of a lime instead of lemon juice. I added a touch of parmesan at the end and more water to make more of a sauce then pesto. My family loves it! Thank yoooou. Do you perhaps know how well this freezes?
Sandhya's Kitchen says
So glad you love it Dani! Roasted Cashewnuts is a wonderful alternative for pinenuts and I also love using them in my coriander pesto when later is not there in my pantry. Somehow I have never tried to freeze this coriander pesto, as it is quick and easy. However, if I treat this Pesto sauce like any other Coriander Chutney, I make – I would simply place it in the freezer-safe container and freeze it and they are good.
Not sure about using Parmesan for freezing!
Grace Remedios says
This green chutney is a variation of a familiar Goan staple in our family recipe book. We add some cumin and a few more green chilies to kick it up a notch! It freezes very well in ice cube trays. I use it for summer chutney tea sandwiches, a pesto for baked fish and for a refreshing summer pasta sauce. I sometimes add mint leaves or use them as an alternative to coriander.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
So pleased to learn more about this pesto from you 🙂