Fabulous Cilantro Pesto Recipe

This may be deserving of a five, but only after some changes are made....what's up w/ the vinegar, walnuts, and cayenne?! Hubby loves cilantro, and so I remade it and I chose to change the recipe. I used 2 cups cilantro, 1/4 cup of roasted pinenuts, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, 2 tsp of salt, 2 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp minced garlic, and 6 Tbsp olive oil. All I can say is wow...what a kick!!! Much better!!

Like others, I changed a few things. I didn't add cheese, or pasta. I used 1/2 TBSP vinegar and 1/2 TBSP white wine. I used shelled seeds from a few butternut squashes I've used in recent weeks and saved up instead of walnuts or pecans. I also added a pinch of black pepper and used sea salt (just a pinch). I stored the finished product in an ice cube tray for individual servings/storage. My gosh this stuff's good. I've been eating it lightly spread on unbreaded chicken burgers with grilled vegetables, and it's truly a wonderful pesto. The cayenne's lovely in the mix. I can't wait to try other applications with the pesto, thanks for the recipe!

made this with almost all substitutes since it was what i had on hand and it was great! almonds instead of walnuts, feta instead of parm, balsamic instead of white wine, and spaghetti. also skipped the cayenne and salt. it was basically the cheapest pesto you can make, the cilantro at my local store is a buck or less and everything else are pantry staples. thanks for the recipe!

Thank you! Made half recipe as written, EXCEPT subbed nutritional yeast for parm cheese for my vegan grandson. I used pecans... SUPER YUM! OMG! This will be great on pasta, stirred into soup or potatoes, to season rice! Even as base for salad dressing! The vinegar and cayenne give it additional brightness and that slight heat! Yaaaaaassss....

I made this once following the recipe exactly (even bought walnuts just for this!). I would give it a 3 as written. I made it a second time using lemon juice instead of the vinegar, a touch of brown sugar (we're talking 1/8 tsp at most here), and subbed cashews for the walnuts. I pulsed the cashews first with a bit of water until it was almost cashew cream as well, added the rest of the ingredients and processed well, then simmered the mixture for a few minutes to take the raw edge off the garlic. My changes make it not really a pesto but still delicious!

I used lime juice instead of vinegar and pine nuts instead of walnuts (since that's what I had on hand). This was a big hit at my house! I have a ton of fresh cilantro in our garden so I was trying to find different uses for it. My 12 y.o. has already asked me to make it again! We like angel hair so I tossed it with a pound of that! Delish!!!!

I think there is too much garlic. I decided to chop the ingredients (not use food processor) and not warm the pesto. Was pretty delicious!

This is an awesome recipe except for two things. DO NOT use the vinegar...made it taste a little odd. And 5 cloves of garlic is way too much....I used 3 cloves and it was a little overpowering. And I didn't have the walnuts or pecans and this tasted just as good.

This came out really well though i have to say, i couldn't tell that there was cilantro in it [instead of the usual basil]. I did change it a bit. I didn't have any white wine vinegar so i used red and added a couple of squirts of lemon juice. The large [more than normal] amount of garlic made it delightfully spicy. Also, when i mixed the pesto with the pasta, i added one finely chopped tomato and 1/4 of a bell pepper and it gave the final dish a little more texture and freshness.

I'd give this 10 stars! I didn't make the pasta. Only made the pesto and left out the nuts. Then I mixed the pesto with some ricotta cheese and used to make crostini. Just spread some olive oil on some slices of French bread, toast under the broiler, top with slices of tomato, then ricotta and cilantro pesto mixture, then sprinkle parmesean cheese over all and broil for 1 minute. Yum!

This was good. I wasn't sure what to expect since cilantro has such a strong flavor, but I liked it and would make it again. I used lime juice (not vinegar or lemon juice) and liked what it added to the flavor. I did not warm it up in a saucepan; rather I just tossed it raw into the pasta.

Just made this recipe and can’t wait to use it! I’m going to let the flavors mingle for a few days and then use it!

Even my picky cousin approved.

Delicious! (Used pecans for the nut ingredient) There were so many suggestions for vinegar alternates....I went with lemon juice. I also tossed in some green onions because it seemed like that would fit. Thank you!!

Delicious! Love it! Question: why are we directed to cook the pesto?

I make this all the time! When we run out my wife complains until I make more. I use 7 or 8 bundles of cilantro at a time. I use almonds and vary the amount of chili powder depending on if we will be feeding it to guests. We like it with a good kick! Thank you Gena Urias!!!

I agree with those who say this recipe is strong on the garlic, but I loved that! Great for use on pasta, baked potatoes, toast. Thank you very much!

Thank goodness for a recipe which uses a lot of cilantro! My garden is overflowing, and I want to save the summer flavors. So I made this and am canning it. Thanks!

Loved it more than basil Pesto! And what a great way to use up the cilantro in the garden :) I did make a small tweak.... I sub'd lemon juice for the vinegar - it's what I had on hand.

I did this recipe twice and I thought it was good. When I did the second time I was making chicken and decided to add some citus. I added zest of a half lemon and juice of a half lemon. I believe it enhance the flavors. Was a hit with the family.