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Skinny Pesto

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This Skinny Pesto tastes just as good as the traditional version but with half the calories and fat. Use it in all your favorite pesto dishes without sacrificing any flavor. It's ready in 10 minutes and only uses 6 basic ingredients!

62 CAL 2g CARBS 6g FAT 2g PROTEIN 2
15 Comments
A slice of whole grain bread topped with green basil pesto, pine nuts, and fresh basil leaves, beside a bowl of pine nuts.
Skinny Pesto Recipe

I love classic pesto but not all the calories that come with it, which is why I created this Skinny Pesto recipe! It's packed with fresh herbs, cheese, and garlic but with much less oil and more lemon juice to reduce the calories.

It's perfect for using in your favorite dishes like pasta, Pesto Chicken, Pesto Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles, as a marinade, pizza sauce, or even in your morning eggs! It's freezer-friendly, too, so you can make a double or triple batch and stock up whenever you need it.

An arrangement of ingredients for pesto: fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, and sliced bread.

Flavor Swap Ideas for Skinny Pesto

Need to change things up? Here are some simple swaps that won't mess up the flavor!

  • Greens: Use spinach, arugula, kale (you'll need to blanch it first), cilantro, parsley, or mint for a lighter twist.
  • Nuts or seeds: Swapping nuts for walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, or sunflower seeds for a nut-free option.
  • Cheese: Try Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, or nutritional yeast for a vegan version.
  • Citrus or acid: Replace lemon with lime juice or white wine vinegar, or omit for a more classic, savory pesto.
  • Garlic: Use roasted garlic, garlic confit, or garlic powder.
  • Oils: Swap olive oil for avocado oil or walnut oil, or skip oil entirely and add extra water, nuts, or avocado for creaminess.
  • Heat: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.

Ways to Use Pesto

Here are some more delicious pesto recipes to try!

What's the best way to make pesto?

Pesto is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle, but most people use a food processor or blender now for convenience.

A slice of crusty bread topped with creamy green pesto, pine nuts, and fresh basil on a white plate, set against a light background.

Keeping Skinny Pesto Fresh Is So Easy

Here's how to keep pesto fresh for months:

  • Fridge: Store in a jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
  • Freezer: Dollop the pesto into ice cube trays and pop one out whenever you need it for a recipe! No need to thaw beforehand. It'll stay good for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about making pesto:

Pesto traditionally has about 120 calories and 12 grams of fat for every two tablespoons. This lightened-up skinny pesto has just 60 calories and 6 grams of fat since it uses less olive oil and cheese.

 

 Oxidation causes browning. Minimize this by storing it with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface, topping it with a bit of oil, or adding more lemon juice.

 

A spoonful of vibrant green pesto hovers over a glass jar filled with the sauce, surrounded by pine nuts and basil leaves.

More Homemade Sauce Ideas

Looking for more easy homemade sauces and condiments? Try these next.

The Recipe
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Skinny Pesto

62 CAL 2g CARBS 6g FAT 2g PROTEIN 2
PREP TIME: 5 Min
COOK TIME: 5 Min
TOTAL TIME: 10 Min
Condiment
15 Comments
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Ingredients

US METRICS
  • 2 cups basil leaves, packed
  • 6 tbsp. water
  • 4 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

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1

Add everything to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

2

Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks or freeze.

Equipment

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Diets:
Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 2 tbsp.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 62
Calories from Fat 50
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6g
9%
Saturated Fat 1g
5%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 2mg
1%
Sodium 132mg
6%
Total Carbohydrate 2g
1%
Dietary Fiber 0g
2%
Sugars 0g
Protein 2g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.

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About the author Meet Kristen McCaffrey
Hi, I’m the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food enthusiast behind Slender Kitchen. I am obsessed with making healthy food that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Meal planning is my secret weapon and I hope I can make meal time easier for you with our tried and tested recipes and foolproof meal plans. Learn More
15 Comments
On Skinny Pesto
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Teri
March 23, 2025 - 15:48
Add a Rating:
5
I just made the pesto. It is absolutely delicious! It was a tad runny and I want to use it to make turkey pesto wraps, so I added about 1/4 tsp of Xantham Gum. That thickened it up perfectly. I will absolutely make this recipe again! Thank you.
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Janine Frogge
October 12, 2023 - 15:35
Add a Rating:
5
5 STARS. This recipe works well for Weight Watchers. I added shrimp and served it over whole wheat thin pasta. I substituted walnuts for the pine nuts. Even my picky non-dieter husband ate every last bite!
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Cheryl Selk
August 1, 2023 - 08:05
Can I use sunflower seeds or pepitos in this pesto
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Kit
September 15, 2022 - 17:06
Add a Rating:
5
So super easy and wholesomely delicious. I was worried that it seemed a bit runny but it doesn't matter. The flavor is all there. I could DRINK good olive oil, so can stand to lose a few and this could help. All the flavor, so many fewer calories.

I think garlic can be tricky if not in grams or oz in the recipe -- there's so much variations in size and even strength. I used a little less than the recipe called for and it is mega garlicky. Which is not a terrible thing. I do wish "tsp' versus "tbsp" was a little more obvious -- I just figured out why my pesto was runny! I used tsps instead of Tbsps. And it STILL didn't ruin it :)

I needed to bring more pesto pasta than I made to a family birthday, so I added a bunch of cut, blanched asparagus and used this cool, weird, wholewheat pasta called Gigli.

Phenomenal.
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Ervin
August 31, 2021 - 17:03
Help me with the math here, please. This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of olive oil, which is typically 120 calories, but this pesto is noted as 62 calories per 2 tablespoons.

What olive oil are you using that is only 31 calories per tablespoon???
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Kristen McCaffrey
September 1, 2021 - 11:22
The whole recipe only uses one tablespoon of olive oil and it makes a full cup of pesto. There are 8 servings of 2 tbsp each. Does that make sense? So there is actually only 1/8 tbsp of olive oil in each serving. Hope that helps!
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Mary
August 30, 2021 - 18:56
Add a Rating:
5
Love this recipe! Yes, pine nuts are $20/lb, I almost fainted! Next time I will try almonds. This was delish in my turkey burger! Thank you, I can't wait to try more Skinny recipes!
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Rosa Romero
August 30, 2018 - 04:22
This looks great but with can I use in place of the pine nuts?
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Elle
August 17, 2022 - 10:02
Walnuts are also nice I sometimes sub half the pine nuts for walnuts and toast some extra off in a pan with some diced pancetta to add a salty crunchy topping to each serving and a little fresh Parmesan :)
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Eve
May 6, 2020 - 00:39
I would recommend something aromatic. If you add a less flavorful nut I would consider adding a pinch of cilantro into the mix :)
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Una
July 2, 2020 - 14:46
What is cilantro? Never heard of it!
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Karen Crossley
January 26, 2021 - 12:45
In the uk we call cilantro fresh coriander leaves. Available in all super markets but if you go to arabic grocers you’ll be able to buy it in a huge bunch for a £1 or £2 compared to about 20grm bags for nearly a£1 which is nothing when cooking Morrican/Algerian soups & stews which are some of y favourite food after working with a group of Muslim women and celebrating Ramadan with them. I learnt some amazing recipes and love coriander in salads, as a type of pesto marinade, tons in soups & tanjines etc. x my mouth is watering xx
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Kristen McCaffrey
August 30, 2018 - 09:39
Any nuts will work. You can use almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds. You can also leave the nuts out.
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Lou
June 21, 2022 - 11:01
Sliced almonds worked great
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MRB
September 14, 2020 - 09:41
I just used sunflower seeds. Delicious!
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Kristen McCaffrey Founder of Slender Kitchen

I’m Kristen, I blog about food.

I believe you can make great food that's also good for you. Here you will find healthy, easy to make, delicious recipes and meal plans.

Kristen

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