5 Minute Pea Pesto

Name: 5 Minute Pea Pesto
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup peas; 2 cups fresh pea shoots; 1-2 small garlic cloves, peeled; salt and pepper to taste; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (you may not need it all)

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This green pea pesto recipe features fresh pea shoots (also called pea tendrils) and spring peas. Ready in five minutes with a food processor!

Green pesto in a small glass bowl with a white ceramic spoon sticking out of it.

Vegan • Vegetarian • Gluten-Free • Nut-Free

I reach for this easy pea pesto sauce every spring. It has a bright, delicate flavor thanks to fresh pea shoots, fresh (or frozen!) peas, and a dash of lemon juice.

This easy sauce is a quick alternative to traditional pesto recipes, and it pairs well with everything from fish to chicken to pasta salads. It's ready in minutes with just a few ingredients: Just blend, serve, and enjoy!

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Ingredients overview
Variations and substitutions
Instructions
Storage and freezing
How to use pea pesto
FAQs
🎥 Step by Step Video
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments & Reviews

Ingredients overview

Pesto ingredients, organized into individual bowls.

For a full list of ingredients with exact quantities, scroll to the recipe card below.

What are pea shoots?

Fresh pea shoots (also called pea tendrils) are the curly, tender leaves of a pea plant. They're harvested early in the season, while the plant is still young and growing. Like microgreens, pea tendrils have small, delicate leaves and soft stems.

In this recipe, pea shoots give our pesto a delicate flavor with just a hint of earthiness. You can typically find them at the farmers market, as well as many grocery stores in late spring and early summer. Learn more: How to use Pea Shoots.

Garlic adds a bit of bite to this pesto. If you're not a raw garlic clove fan, skip it or use roasted garlic here instead!
Peas. Use fresh spring peas if you can find them, or defrost some frozen peas to save time. (If you want an even more delicate flavor, you can replace the peas with additional pea tendrils!)
Lemon juice adds brightness and acidity. Fresh squeezed or bottled lemon juice both work here!

Variations and substitutions

Add nuts. This pesto is great with up to ½ cup of walnuts, cashews, almonds, or pine nuts.
Add herbs. Fresh mint leaves, chives, basil, or parsley are delicious additions to this pesto.
Flavor boosters. Add shredded parmesan cheese, fresh lemon zest, a pinch of red pepper flakes, or a dash of anchovy paste to give this pesto more depth.
Add protein and fiber by blending some canned cannellini beans or butter beans into this pesto (drain and rinse them first!)

Instructions

Peas, pea shoots, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.

Bright green pesto in the bowl of a food processor.

Add pea shoots, peas, garlic, and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor with a generous pinch of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Pulse a few times to lightly chop the peas and pea tendrils.

With the food processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil until the pesto reaches your desired consistency. You may not need all of the oil here!

Storage and freezing

Store blended pea pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to 6 months.

How to freeze pea pesto

To freeze individual portions, pour pesto into ice cube trays and freeze. Once solid, pop out the pesto cubes and transfer to an airtight container (we love using a silicone Stasher Bag!)
To freeze a full batch of pesto, transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Defrost frozen pea pesto overnight in the fridge when you're ready to use it.

White ceramic spoon lifting a scoop of pesto out of a small glass bowl.

How to use pea pesto

Make a quick pea pesto pasta! Toss this green pea pesto with your favorite pesto tortellini pasta salad or add it to our creamy pesto gnocchi recipe.
Use it as the base for green pea pizza with prosciutto (or on these portobello mushroom pizzas!)
Mix up a simple pesto vinaigrette.
Breakfast toast! Spread a layer of pea pesto over toasted sourdough, then top with a runny egg and garnish with more pea shoots.
Make these easy pesto chicken slow cooker sandwiches.
Spread it on some crostini with a whipped goat cheese spread, or serve it as a dip with veggies and crackers alongside a perfect cheese plate!
Drizzle over salmon, shrimp, or other seafood recipes.
Add it to some pesto smashed potatoes.

PS - For more inspo, check our our favorite ways to use pea shoots!

FAQs

How long does pea pesto last in the fridge?

This pesto stays fresh in the fridge for up to a week. If you'd like to store it longer, we recommend freezing it: It will keep up to 6 months in the freezer (past that, it can start to dry out or lose some of its brightness).

What if I can't find pea shoots?

If you don't have (or can't find) pea shoots, replace them with basil, kale, spinach, or arugula - but the light, delicate flavor of pea shoots really does make this pea pesto stand out!

You might also enjoy:
Garlic Scape Pesto
Arugula Pesto
Cilantro Pesto

How thick should my pea pesto be?

You can make this pesto any consistency you like! I typically keep it fairly thick, because I'll often use it as a spread on toast and sandwiches. But you can make it as thick or thin as you like!

For a more drizzle-able consistency, add extra olive oil when you blend the pesto (if you want to cut down on oil, you can also add a splash of ice water to this pesto to thin it out).

It's very easy to thin out this pesto as needed: If I'm adding thick pesto to a pasta recipe (like this creamy pesto tortellini), I'll typically add a splash of starchy pasta water. If I'm using the pesto in a salad dressing, I usually add some extra oil and lemon juice à la our pesto salad dressing recipe.

🎥 Step by Step Video

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it turned out!

📖 Recipe

5 Minute Pea Pesto

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews

Author: Jessie
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: Makes about 1 ½ cups 1x
Category: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan

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Description

This easy green pea pesto is ready in just five minutes.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup peas
2 cups fresh pea shoots
1-2 small garlic cloves, peeled
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil (you may not need it all)

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Instructions

Place peas, pea shoots, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until everything is coarsely chopped.
While the food processor is running, slowly stream in olive oil and blend until everything is incorporated into a smooth pesto (you may not need all of the olive oil). Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a spatula and pulse once more to incorporate.
Serve immediately or store pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. This pesto also freezes beautifully if you want to keep it longer!

Notes

Frozen peas are fine - just defrost them before you blend them into the pesto!

If you can't find pea shoots, you can substitute fresh spinach, kale, arugula, or basil leaves.

Feel free to add to this pesto recipe to make it your own. Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts are all tasty additions.

Use this pesto as a sauce for pasta or pesto gnocchi, chicken, fish, you name it! This pesto is also delicious spread on a piece of crostini with a bit of goat cheese.