Spicy Jalapeno Pesto
This jalapeno pesto is the perfect condiment to give your sandwiches, pasta, and pizzas a little kick! You can even serve this spicy pesto as part of a Mediterranean charcuterie board.
This spicy pesto sauce is ideal for serving with fresh veggies, meat, seafood, pasta, flatbreads, and more! I like to enjoy jalapeno pesto on sandwiches or even just with some sliced heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.
The word “pesto” comes from the Italian word, “pestare”, which means “to grind” or “to crush”. It’s a common misconception that it is called “pesto” because it is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle, although, technically, they are all derived from the Latin word for “pound”, which is “pistare”. Alright, language lesson’s over! Let’s make some pesto!
🥄 Why This Recipe Works
- You only need a few simple ingredients to make a deliciously spicy pesto!
- Pesto is gluten-free, and can easily be made vegan by omitting the cheese.
- Jalapeno pesto is a versatile condiment that can enhance a wide variety of dishes!
🛒 What You Need To Make Jalapeno Pesto
📝 Recipe Modifications And Substitutions
- Fresh herbs: Fresh basil leaves are a must, oregano is optional! You can easily omit it or substitute it and make a delicious cilantro jalapeño pesto for more of a South American-inspired flavor.
- Cheese: I just use freshly grated parmesan cheese, but for a more authentic pesto you can use a combination of pecorino and parmigiano-reggiano cheese. If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can omit it or use nutritional yeast instead.
- Walnuts: Pine nuts are more traditional, but walnuts make the perfect substitute and tend to be a little cheaper.
- Jalapeño peppers: I use 2, but you can adjust to your preferred level of spice.
- Lime: Lime juice beautifully compliments the jalapenos, but you can also use lemon juice. A little bit of zest also doesn’t hurt!
- Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is what I’d recommend, but you can also use avocado oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, or sunflower seed oil.
- Garlic: I recommend starting with 1-2 garlic cloves, then adding more to taste if desired. I wouldn’t recommend garlic powder for this recipe, but minced garlic can be used.
- Salt & pepper: I recommend using sea salt, kosher salt, or Himalayan pink salt and a little black pepper.
🥣 What Equipment Do I Need?
You will need either a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle.
🌶️ How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Add walnuts to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
Step 2: Add basil, oregano leaves, sliced jalapenos, garlic cloves, freshly grated parmesan cheese, lime juice, salt, and pepper to the food processor and blend until everything is coarsley chopped. You may need to scrape edges down with a rubber spatula once or twice.
Pro Tip: Pesto may appear chunky until we add the olive oil, so if you feel like it isn’t as smooth as you want it, wait until after step 3 to decide if it still needs to be blended longer/at a higher speed. You may also want to thin it with additional olive oil.
Step 3: When the desired texture is achieved, slowly drizzle in the olive oil while blending on the lowest setting.
Step 4: Store spicy pesto in a mason jar or other airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Pro Tip: You can drizzle a little extra olive oil over the top to preserve the vibrant green color of the pesto and prevent browning.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- My favorite way to enjoy spicy pesto is on a grilled chicken sandwich or club sandwich!
- You can also use it as a sauce for pizzas and flatbreads.
- Add it to a bowl of spaghetti noodles, or your favorite cooked pasta. Oh, and if you like the sound of a spicy pasta dish, try my creamy gochujang pasta recipe.
- This spicy jalapeno pesto also makes a great salad dressing!
- Include it as part of a charcuterie board!
- Serve drizzled over chicken, blackened steak, fish, and more!
- Enjoy it with roasted vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini, and more!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
If your pesto is tasting too bitter, it may need to be balanced out by adding more citrus juice or vinegar, more parmesan, or more nuts.
Pesto shouldn’t be cooked, as it is the freshness of the ingredients that gives it its bold flavor and bright color. Pesto is ideal when served at room temperature, but it can also be eaten cold or served on top of something warm like grilled bread or pasta.
Pesto does have a pepperiness to it which can usually be attributed to the addition of black pepper, olive oil, and fresh garlic, however, it is not typically spicy the way you would say hot sauce is spicy. If you want some added heat, you can add in jalapenos, serranos, or other hot peppers.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- You can use either a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle to make this recipe.
- For an even deeper flavor, you can lightly toast the garlic and nuts in a pan before blending.
- Jalapenos make a great addition to pesto, but why stop there? You can make a spicy pesto with many peppers like serranos, habaneros, and more!
- The level of heat will vary, depending on the jalapenos you have, so if you’re worried about it being too hot, start with 1 and go from there. If you think 2 won’t be enough heat, grab a couple extra peppers just in case!
- Pesto will keep in the fridge for one week, or in the freezer for 3 months.
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Spicy Jalapeno Pesto
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
- 2 fresh jalapenos
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 large lime (juiced)
- sea salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add walnuts to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
- Add basil, oregano leaves, sliced jalapenos, garlic cloves, freshly grated parmesan cheese, lime juice, salt, and pepper to the food processor and blend until everything is coarsley chopped. You may need to scrape edges down with a rubber spatula once or twice.
- When the desired texture is achieved, slowly drizzle in the olive oil while blending on the lowest setting.
- Store spicy pesto in a mason jar or other airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Pesto may appear chunky until we add the olive oil, so if you feel like it isn’t as smooth as you want it, wait until after step 3 to decide if it still needs to be blended longer/at a higher speed. You may also want to thin it with additional olive oil.
- You can drizzle a little extra olive oil over the top to preserve the vibrant green color of the pesto and prevent browning.
- You can use either a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle to make this recipe.
- For an even deeper flavor, you can lightly toast the garlic and nuts in a pan before blending.
- Jalapenos make a great addition to pesto, but why stop there? You can make a spicy pesto with many peppers like serranos, habaneros, and more!
- The level of heat will vary, depending on the jalapenos you have, so if you’re worried about it being too hot, start with 1 and go from there. If you think 2 won’t be enough heat, grab a couple extra peppers just in case!
- Pesto will keep in the fridge for one week, or in the freezer for 3 months.
So good! Thanks for another great recipe!
Glad you liked it!
Delicious! What a great addition to a charcuterie board!
Thanks!