Does Pesto Contain Gluten? – Our Guide!

Pesto is a staple cupboard ingredient to have in the house, whether you want to add it into sauces, stuff chicken with it or makes pasta, this herby basil mix can suit a variety of meal, but is it gluten free?

 Pesto typically is gluten free, but ingredients can differ according to the brand, the main ingredients in pesto are; basil, oil, cheese and pine nuts.

We’ve made a small informational guide below which will discuss if pesto is healthy if pesto is dairy free and our own gluten free pesto recipe for peace of mind.

Is Pesto Healthy? 

Pesto can be very high in calories, having around 250 calories for just a quarter cup, but that being said, when made with natural ingredients and not too much sodium, pesto is very healthy, with most of the fats coming from olive oil. 

Some packaged pesto from grocery stores can be very high in fat and sodium, so we would suggest having it in moderation when cooking. 

Is Pesto Dairy Free? 

Basil pesto is not dairy free, this is because pesto sauce typically contains Grana Padano Cheese which has dairy inside, that being said you can find vegan versions of pesto mixture which do not include cheese.

Our Gluten Free Pesto Recipe 

Basil pesto is gluten free, but it’s not always easy knowing what goes into pre-package pesto, so to be on the safe side, why not make your basil pesto at home which is gluten free? 

We’ve also listed a vegan basil pesto recipe below for people who are dairy free.

Ingredients 

• Four ounces of fresh basil leaves. 
• One cup of olive oil. 
• One ounce of pine nuts. 
• Two ounces of grated Parmesan cheese.
• Two garlic cloves crushed.
• Salt.

Method

1. Begin by putting the basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil into a food processor and give it a whiz, move to a bowl with the Parmesan cheese to make the pesto sauce and season well.
2. Use the pesto in creamy chicken pesto pasta, salads or even on omelettes to add flavour, you can freeze it down before adding the Parmesan cheese. 

Vegan Basil Pesto Recipe

Ingredients 

• Two packs of fresh basil. 
• Two spoons of lemon juice. 
• Three cloves garlic. 
• Three spoons of nutritional yeast. 
• Tsp of sea salt. 
• Three spoons of pine nuts. 
• Three spoons of water. 
• Three tbsp of olive oil.

Method

1. Take a blender and process the pine nuts, lemon juice, salt, nutritional yeast and garlic so that the ingredients start to form a paste.
2. Add the olive oil a little at a time then water slowly, you want to have the consistency of a thick sauce that can still be poured. 
3. Taste and adjust the seasoning then put it in the fridge, this can be stored for around one week or frozen for one month or more. 
4. Enjoy on salads, pasta or as a snack with some tomatoes and mozzarella.

Final Words

Overall, pesto is gluten free, with its traditional ingredients being cheese, basil, olive oil and garlic, all of which is gluten friendly, however, pesto is not dairy free due to the cheese. 

Pesto can be made gluten and dairy free easily with our recipes above and only takes around 5 minutes.