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This easy beet pesto is made with fresh simple ingredients and is vegan and gluten free. Enjoy it on your favorite pasta or pizza, on crostini or as a dip.
This beautiful beet pesto recipe combines healthy roasted beets, garlic, lemon juice, pistachios, fresh basil and a nice helping of olive oil. All blended into this surprising yet incredibly tasty pesto with beets that will be your new favorite for everything. I was so surprised at how amazing this homemade pesto turned out and equally surprised at how quickly it came together.
Not into beets, try this traditional basil pesto.
My son asked, “ Is beet pesto a thing?”. Yes, it is and for a good reason. It’s heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory, packed with vitamins and minerals and crazy good! My kind of sauce! Plus, the color is just so beautiful that it would look great on any charcuterie board.
Beets are such a versatile and nutritious ingredient. Check out these crispy baked beet chips or this beet and squash salad!
Why You’ll Love This Beet Pesto Recipe
- Vibrant color – Roasted beets give it a gorgeous pink hue that brightens any dish.
- Nutrient-packed – Loaded with fiber, folate, and antioxidants for a healthy boost.
- Creamy & dairy-free – Nuts and olive oil make it rich without cheese.
- Versatile flavor – Earthy, slightly sweet, and delicious on pasta, veggies, or toast.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need to make this vibrant beet pesto. I also included some ingredient substitutiions.
- Beets – we used fresh beets that we roasted for the best flavor but you could also use store-bought roasted beets as a shortcut.
- Pistachios – shelled pistachios, walnuts or almonds.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic adds so much flavor to this pesto recipe. You could also use garlic paste.
- Lemon juice – fresh lemon juice is best but store-bought lemon juice also works.
- Fresh basil – any good pesto sauce needs fresh basil for that herby vibrant flavor we all love!
- Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil is essential in this recipe for that fruity, smooth taste and texture.
- Salt and pepper – are used to enhance the flavours of all of the other ingredients.
That’s it! Oh and something delicious to add it to like pasta or even pizza!
Get the complete list of recipe ingredients and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make homemade beet pesto
Roast the beets – Place whole, peeled beets in some foil with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Wrap it up and bake at 425° F for 30 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Roughly chop the beets, place them into the bowl of a food processor or blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend well until a smooth, slightly chunky, pesto-like, beautiful sauce forms.
So simple, so easy but soooooo amazingly fantastic and delicious!
Expert Tips For The Best Results
- Roast the beets well – Roast until fork-tender to bring out their natural sweetness and reduce any earthy flavor.
- Balance the flavors – Add lemon juice or vinegar for brightness and a pinch of salt to enhance depth.
- Use quality nuts – Pistachios, walnuts or almonds give the best creamy texture; toast them lightly for extra flavor.
- Blend slowly – Add olive oil gradually while blending until smooth and creamy, adjusting consistency as needed.
- Top for extra flavor and presentation– add a drizzle of olive oil and some sea salt for a beautiful shine on the pesto.
How To Store Homemade Pesto
- Refrigerate – homemade beet pesto stores great in an airtight jar or container for up to 5–7 days.
- Freeze – You can freeze pesto by portioning it into small containers or ice cube trays and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Prevent browning – Drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on top before sealing to keep the color vibrant.
- Thaw properly – Let it defrost in the fridge overnight and stir before using.
Ways to serve beet pesto sauce?
Beet pesto goes with so many things.
- Mix it in with pasta
- Use it as a sauce on pizza
- Use it as a topping on grilled crostini (shown below)
- Spread it on a sandwich
- Serve it as a dip
More Delicious Sauces To Try
Check out all of my easy sauce recipes on PMG!
Did you try this homemade beet pesto recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out!
Print
Easy Beet Pesto
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Easy roasted beet pesto that goes with so many things, is vegan, healthy, and can be made in minutes. Add it to pasta, as a topping on pizza, spread it on sandwiches, or serve it up as a dip at parties. It’s definitely a surprising and incredible sauce that will become your new favorite!
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized beets
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt and black pepper – to taste
- ¼ cup shelled pistachios
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves of garlic – peeled and minced
- 4 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Roast the beets: Preheat the oven to 425° F, and lay a piece of foil onto a sheet pan. Place the whole, peeled, raw beets onto the foil, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil up around the beets and place the pan with the foil-covered beets into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until the beets are fork-tender. Remove and let cool.
- Make the pesto: Roughly chop the beets and add them to the bowl of a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until a slightly chunky, but smooth pesto forms, scraping down the sides if needed. Add a little water if the pesto looks too chunky.
- Store in a jar or airtight container for up to a week. Add to pasta, topping on pizza, spread on sandwiches, or serve as a dip.
Notes
- Use good quality ingredients for the best flavor.
- Roast the beets until tender, allow to cool and blend.
- Storage: This pesto stores great in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container. Freeze it by portioning it into ice cube trays, freeze, then place the frozen cubes of pesto into a freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Healthy Dressings and Sauces
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
We were lucky enough to try this beet pesto at Amy’s Sunday Family Dinner this past week. She had it or squiggly pasta and I couldn’t believe it was beets. You have to try it to believe it!!
Has anyone tried freezing this? I’m thinking large batches and freezer prep from our garden. We do regular cashew pesto normally but adding our beets in with our basil sounds awesome!
Hi Jecca, I have not tried freezing this beet pesto, but I have frozen regular basil pesto in ice cube trays, then in a freezer-friendly ziplock bag. I bet that the same method would work with this recipe.
I freeze beet pesto in mason jars all the time!!! It’s fantastic!!!
Hi Donna! I love that idea.
So good! I had a little bit more basil because I love the taste, but this is so versatile!