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    Home » Recipes » Sauces

    Published: Aug 17, 2022 · Modified: Sep 23, 2022 by Claire · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases · Leave a Comment

    Lemon Balm Pesto

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This lemon balm pesto is fresh and bright, with a delightful citrus aroma and flavour. Made with minimal ingredients, it comes together in just ten minutes and is perfect for pesto pasta!

    lemon balm pesto in a glass jar with a bowl of pine nuts and garlic in the background.

    Pesto is such an easy way to add pops of flavour to your pasta, sandwiches and salads. Quick and easy, you may also like to see my Thai basil pesto and macadamia nut pesto for more twists on the traditional recipe!

    This lemon balm pesto recipe makes the most of fresh lemon balm leaves, with their deliciously distinctive citrus aroma and hint of lemony flavour. It's fresh and fragrant, and very quick to make.

    Perhaps you may like to use this pesto for my pesto chicken risotto recipe! And if this herb is your favourite, do check out my lemon balm chicken recipe!

    Jump to:
    • ⭐ Why this recipe is so good
    • 🥬 Ingredients
    • 📖 Swaps and variations
    • 🔪 Step by step instructions
    • 💭 Recipe tips and notes
    • 📋 Frequently asked questions
    • 🍽 How to serve pesto
    • 🥣 More tasty pesto recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    ⭐ Why this recipe is so good

    Full of flavour. As a twist to more traditional pesto using basil, this version packs in the flavour with a minty, citrus flavour.

    Quick and easy. It takes ten minutes (perhaps less!) for this pesto to come together.

    Versatile. Use for pasta, as a spread on sandwiches, or as a dip with crackers and crudites!

    🥬 Ingredients

    individually labelled ingredients to make lemon balm pesto including pine nuts, garlic and olive oil.

    All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.

    A few notes on some of them:

    • Lemon balm - you want to use fresh lemon leaves in this recipe, rather than dried.
    • Olive oil - I suggest using extra virgin olive oil for a better depth of flavour.
    • Pine nuts - you can either use as they are, or lightly toast to bring out their flavour.

    📖 Swaps and variations

    Swap pine nuts for pumpkin seeds. If you need to be nut free, then pumpkin seeds can be used instead of pine nuts. Pumpkin seeds also score as lower histamine than pine nuts for my readers with that dietary requirement.

    Swap apple cider vinegar for lemon juice. If it is suitable for you, then lemon juice can be used in this pesto.

    🔪 Step by step instructions

    A very simple recipe, this lemon balm pesto comes together in no time!

    diced lemon balm leaves on a wooden chopping board next to a knife.
    pine nuts in a light grey skillet.

    Step 1

    Remove the stems from the lemon balm leaves, and then roughly dice with a sharp knife (image 1).

    Step 2

    Tip the pine nuts into a skillet and lightly toast on a low heat without any oil, moving them around occasionally to prevent any burning (image 2).

    pesto ingredients in a blender cup.
    lemon balm pesto in a blender cup.

    Step 3

    Add all your ingredients to a blender (image 3).

    Step 4

    Blend the pesto to your preference. Some like it chunky, others more smooth so blend to get the consistency you like (image 4).

    💭 Recipe tips and notes

    • Toasting the pine nuts is optional, but does give a richer flavour.
    • If toasting the pine nuts, do so in a dry skillet without any oil.
    • Adjust the amount of garlic to preference.
    • The consistency of pesto is quite individual, so do a taste test and adjust with more lemon balm or pine nuts to preference.

    📋 Frequently asked questions

    Is this lemon balm pesto vegan?

    This recipe is vegan as we don't use any Parmesan cheese as is traditional in pesto.

    Can you skip toasting the pine nuts?

    You can skip this step, but I think they have a better flavour if you lightly toast them for a few minutes.

    What does lemon balm taste like?

    Lemon balm leaves have a fresh taste, with hints of mint and citrus. It's quite delicious!

    🍽 How to serve pesto

    This pesto can be used in so many ways. Of course, there is the always-delicious pesto pasta option, or you could use as the pesto for my pesto chicken traybake or baked cod recipe.

    It's also tasty as a spread in sandwiches or on rice cakes, or I like to include little spoonfuls in salads for summer.

    lemon balm pesto in a glass jar next to a bowl of pine nuts and fresh lemon balm leaves.

    🥣 More tasty pesto recipes

    I'm quite the fan of pesto, so if you are too then you will find lots of tasty recipes here on the site including my ricotta pesto pasta and my broccoli pesto pasta. Some reader favourites ideas to enjoy:

    • Pesto Chicken Risotto
    • Pesto Brussels Sprouts
    • Vegan Pistachio Pesto
    • Baked Cod with Pesto

    I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating if you have tried the recipe!

    📖 Recipe

    lemon balm pesto in a glass jar with a bowl of pine nuts and garlic in the background.

    Lemon Balm Pesto

    Claire
    Fresh and bright, this lemon balm pesto is perfect to make pesto pasta, or to serve with salads or sandwiches.
    5 from 4 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Sauces
    Cuisine American, British
    Servings 0.75 cup
    Calories 1113 kcal

    Equipment

    • Blender
    • Skillet

    Ingredients
      

    • 1.5 cups fresh lemon balm leaves diced
    • ⅓ cup pine nuts
    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 garlic clove more to preference
    • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • pinch salt

    Instructions
     

    • Remove the lemon balm leaves from the stem and roughly dice.
    • Tip the pine nuts into your skillet and lightly toast for 4-5 minutes on a low heat (without oil). Move around to prevent burning. Set aside to cool.
    • Add all the ingredients to your blender and blend to make your pesto. Taste test and adjust with more pine nuts or lemon balm to preference.

    Notes

    • It isn't absolutely necessary to toast the pine nuts, but it does bring out their flavour. If you choose to do so, dry toast them, so without any oil in the skillet.
    • I suggest using extra virgin olive oil for a better flavour.
    • Adjust the amount of garlic to preference. Add another clove or two for more heat!
    • Pesto is quite individual in terms of preference of taste and texture. Have a taste test and adjust with more pine nuts to thicken, or more lemon balm for a more fragrant flavour.
    • For a nut free version, you can swap pine nuts for pumpkin seeds.
    • Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
     
    Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) food compatibility list for histamine
    All ingredients score 0 on the SIGHI list, with the exception of:
    • lemon balm isn't rated, but is rated as low histamine on other lists.
    • pine nuts score 1, with a ? as a liberator.
    • garlic, which scores 1.
    • apple cider vinegar, which scores 1.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1113kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 12gFat: 114gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 28gMonounsaturated Fat: 64gSodium: 32mgPotassium: 902mgFiber: 10gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 3841IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 238mgIron: 8mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @lowhistaminekitchen or tag #lowhistaminekitchen!
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    Hi, I’m Claire. After a diagnosis of MCAS I began to follow a low histamine diet, which has helped me manage my symptoms. Here I hope to show that a restrictive diet can still be full of flavourful meals, and help you enjoy being creative in the kitchen.

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