Mint pesto is a fresh take on the classic. Mint leaves, peanuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and lemon are blitzed in a food processor. It’s great on lamb, chicken, salmon, and pasta.
Adapted from Simmone Logue | In the Kitchen | Murdoch Books, 2017
Mint pesto. It’s a truly unexpected but not unwelcome combo of mint, Parmesan, and peanuts (yes, peanuts) that works so dang well, you’ll wonder why you never thought to try it before. Dollop it atop lamb or fish, schmear it on naan, or eat it straight from the spoon. We won’t judge.–Angie Zoobkoff
HOW LONG DOES PESTO LAST?
The flavors of this mint pesto will meld together after a little rest of a few hours, and maybe even a day or so, if you’re not the impatient type. After that, it will be good for up to 1 month. Each time you use the mint pesto, always top it with fresh olive oil to cover the pesto. Refrigerate and let come to room temperature before use.
☞ Contents
Mint Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 bunches (5 1/2 oz) mint
- 5 1/2 ounces unsalted roasted peanuts
- 2 3/4 ounces Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon about 1 tablespoon zest and 3 tablespoons juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup olive oil plus extra for covering the pesto
Directions
- In a medium bowl filled with cold water, submerge the mint and give it a good wash. Blot the mint dry and pick off the leaves, discarding the woody stalks.
- Toss the mint leaves in a food processor along with the peanuts, Parmesan, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil, blending or, if you prefer a coarser consistency, pulsing until the pesto comes together but is still a bit chunky and not too smooth, 1 to 3 minutes. Taste and, if desired, adjust the salt and/or other ingredients accordingly.
- Using a spatula, scrape down the bowl and then spoon the pesto into a sterilized jar. Pour a little more olive oil over the top to help preserve it. Screw on the lid and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
What a tremendous surprise this mint pesto was! The ingredients fooled me. When I read mint, peanuts, and cheese, I didn’t think it would work. But it does! The ingredients came together to form a pesto that’s hard to describe but yummy to eat.
It’s mighty tasty on naan bread and we look forward to eating it with some grilled lamb. It took minutes to make and most of that was picking mint leaves off the woody stems.
This mint pesto is a versatile recipe that will take your standard backyard bbq dishes to a whole new level.
The first time I made this, I spread the pesto on top of grilled chicken and it was lovely. The second time I paired the pesto on top of a burger with a brioche bun and it was twice as lovely. How I liked it best, though, was by the spoonful directly into my mouth. The ingredients meld so well together one would find it tricky to decipher the mint from the peanuts from the Parmesan from the lemon.
I plan to serve the remainder with crackers as an hors d’oeuvre dip or as a topping for a baked potato. I might also try a baked salmon dish with the mint pesto on the side. The recipe didn’t mention a toasting method for the peanuts but I recommend toasting the peanuts for 8 minutes at 350°F while you pluck the leaves from the mint, which happens to be the most time-consuming part of the recipe. Everything about this recipe is foolproof and I will be adding this to my recipe repertoire.
This is a simple pesto and was delicious with grilled lamb chops. I would never think of using ALL mint but it balanced out so well with the lamb. I substituted toasted walnuts for the peanuts. The pesto was perfect with lamb and I’ll look forward to making more when the mint is in abundant supply!
Pesto at this time of year is such a staple for us and we love this fresh and zippy mint version. All together it took 7 minutes and it was done.
We used mint from the garden with macadamia nuts instead of peanuts. We served the mint pesto with filet mignon from the grill, white rice, and sautéed vegetables and we sat outside for a perfect summer evening meal.
I’ve made pesto with various combinations of greenery and nuts (and I mean those terms really loosely construed) but had never made it using either peanuts or mint before. It turned out well and I wouldn’t have known there were peanuts in it.
This mint pesto really requires refrigeration for at least several hours after making to get the flavors to meld. There was a distinctive difference in taste between the pesto right when it had been made and when I served it about half a dozen hours later. Once the pesto had chilled for about 6 hours, the garlic became stronger but in a good way. The flavors of the pesto really melded over time.
With the mint and the kick of garlic, this produces an excellent pesto for serving with lamb. It has a bit of acidity from the lemon, but far less than a traditional vinegar-based mint sauce, and a rustic texture. This was also wonderful paired with small Armenian cumin lamb meatballs, served at room temperature. It struck me as something that would be good on a holiday buffet, served with toothpicks for dipping little meatballs into pesto.
The peanuts I had were unsalted and had been roasted in the shell but didn’t have a strong roasted flavor. So I shelled and skinned them and toasted 10 minutes in a 375°F oven, which brought out some of their oil and gave them a deeper flavor. It wasn’t exactly chunky but wasn’t smooth, either. The texture was coarse and sort of grainy.
This mint pesto was a nice variation on traditional basil pesto. The mint had a brightness that basil pesto sometimes lacks. I liked that I could taste the cheese more than I usually can in basil pesto.
The pesto added a fresh, green note and some richness to the tilapia we served it with. I can also imagine stirring it into pasta for a lighter tasting alternative to traditional basil pesto.
I didn’t have any peanuts so I took the author’s suggestion to substitute another nut and used almonds. The almonds were a neutral flavor that didn’t compete with the delicate flavor of the mint. I would also recommend using a small clove of garlic, or only part of one, if you don’t like a strong garlic flavor, or if you want the mint to really stand out.
I tried spreading fish with some of the pesto before baking. The cooked pesto had a more muted flavor and a darker color. We preferred the raw pesto. I made a half recipe, and I’m glad I did. A little of the pesto goes a long way. I ground my pesto more finely than the picture—it was uniformly light green with no puddles of olive oil.
I used this mint pesto on a lamb burger and it was absolutely delicious. Added feta cheese to the burger as well.
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Megan S.
Wow! This mint pesto was surprisingly delicious. The flavors mix well together and it isn’t overwhelmingly mint-y or peanut-y.
The first night I served it on grilled salmon and steamed potatoes. The second night I had it over corn and zucchini fritters. It would be good over most vegetables, in pasta, fish, meat, as a sandwich spread, and with fresh tomatoes.
I used my Vitamix to make the pesto as I don’t own a food processor. It took a little over a minute to blend the pesto to the correct consistency. As I enthusiastically started eating the pesto right away I didn’t measure the final amount. After dinner and multiple samples, I poured it into a pint jar that was completely filled to the top.