I have spent years developing tons of classic Italian pasta sauces, including pesto sauces like this traditional pesto with basil and pine nuts. It’s one that I make every summer when basil is prolific and simple recipes are on demand.
Lemon pesto sauce swaps out fresh basil for a lot of equally fresh lemon zest to make a bright yellow, tart pesto that might become your favorite pesto sauce ever.
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Why lemons work in pesto
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Lemon and basil are obviously unique, but actually share some common flavor notes especially when it comes to acidity. Basil has a very earthy, peppery flavor with a hint of herbal acidity while lemon has a much strong citric acid flavor.
Where to use lemon pesto pasta sauce
Brush pan seared chicken breasts with lemon pesto and toss with pasta. Serve alongside grilled bread on a charcuterie board. Or toss with sautéed broccolini for a vegetable side with some zip.
Ingredient spotlight: lemons
When shopping for lemons for pesto (and pasta sauces and salad dressings), there are a few things you want to look for:
- Weight. Choose lemons that are heavy. Heavy lemons yield more juice.
- Color. Look for bright yellow color without a tinge of green (too young) or dark gold (too old) for the ultimate ripeness.
- Texture. A smooth rind without presence of ashy or black spots.
How to make lemon pesto pasta sauce
A food processor or high speed blender are great tools for making lemon pesto, the former being what I use. Check out these alternative homemade pesto methods.
Pro tip
Do not use a grater for zesting citrus. You risk getting the bitter white pith instead of the zest which is what contains all the citrus oils and flavor.
Testing notes
You can make a creamy lemon pesto without adding cream thanks to these tested techniques. And they work:
Use pasta water. Reserve some of the hot starchy pasta cooking water and add it to the sauce to extend the pesto, creating creamy texture.
Add high quality, unsalted butter. Muddle in some butter right before tossing with pasta and pasta water for a touch of sweet flavor and texture.
Pulse the processor or blender in short bursts. Running the processor continually could heat the cheese creating stringy clumps.
Best kind of pasta for lemon pesto sauce
My favorite types of pasta for lemon pesto are:
- Trofie. The quintessential noodle for pesto, trofie pasta has a chewy, twisted texture.
- Gnocchi. Even though it doesn’t have curves, potato gnocchi partners well with pesto thanks to its thick bite.
- Cavatappi. Curvy and twisty, cavatappi holds lemon pesto beautifully.
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No Cook Simple Lemon Pesto Sauce for Pasta
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Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup lemon zest, from 5-6 lemons; see notes
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons pine nuts , I buy them toasted from Trader Joe's
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 2-3 T softened butter
Instructions
- Zest the lemons using a lemon zester that removes only the zest and not the pith. Don't grate the lemon or you risk getting the bitter pith (white part).½ cup lemon zest
- Place the lemon, salt, pepper, whole cloves of garlic and pine nuts in the medium sized bowl of a food processor or mini prep. Pulse about 3-5 times to blend the lemon and garlic. Then, turn the machine on and pour the oil in slowly through the feed tube at the top. Stop when you have a thick sauce, about 10 seconds or so.1 teaspoons kosher salt, 1-2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 3 Tablespoons pine nuts , ½ cup olive oil
- Remove the pesto to a medium bowl and add in butter and parmesan cheese. Use a bar muddler to press the cheese(s) and butter into the pesto. This should be really easy especially if the butter is softened as noted above.2-3 T softened butter, ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- Toss with hot pasta. Add pasta water as needed to make a thinner sauce as desired. Serve with parmesan.
Notes
- Refrigerate in an airtight container with a lid for up to 4 days.
- Freeze small portions in ice cube trays (Souper Cubes are awesome too!) so you can have pesto all year long.
- Defrost in the fridge or at room temperature and stir to blend before using.
This was the perfect side to accompany my Easter ham for my pasta loving guests. It was so different and vibrant! I love the lemony flavor. I didn’t know you can make pesto without greens (HA). I’ll definitely be making this on repeat! In fact, I did make it again using Farro instead of pasta and added in some grilled asparagus. Soooooo good! Thank you for such a unique recipe!
Right, Tracey?! I love this lemon pesto so much too and it’s perfect all year round. Thank you so much for trying it!
Absolutely superb. It is so impressive that I have invited a chef from the number one Italian restaurant where I am to come to my house so I can make him a dish with this pesto recipe.
Peter, I am blushing! Thank you so much for trying my lemon pesto – and now I’m somewhat nervous (but excited!) for your friend to try it. I hope he enjoys it and I so appreciate your taking the time to share 😊