Pesto Vinaigrette Recipe

Learn how to make pesto vinaigrette recipe to use in salads, sandwiches, and more. Made with everyday ingredients, this basil salad dressing is easy and quick to make.

Course Salad Dressing

Cuisine American/Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 254kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Ingredients

1 ½ cups of fresh basil leaves loosely packed
⅓ cup pine nuts or sliced almonds
2 small cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon kosher salt*
¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Place fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 4-5 times to give them a rough chop.
Turn the machine on and while it is running drizzle the olive oil through the tube. Stop and scrape once or twice and continue running the machine until the salad dressing is creamy, 45 seconds or so.
Taste for seasoning and add in if necessary. Give it one more pulse and serve.

Notes

This recipe yields 2/3 cup pesto salad dressing.
This is one of those recipes that you want to taste as you go. I listed 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, but please give it a taste before serving to make sure that it is properly seasoned to your taste.
Make it a 3-ingredient pesto vinaigrette: You can make this pesto vinaigrette with store-bought pesto. For measurements, I recommend mixing ½ cup prepared pesto with ¼ cup vinegar and ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
Pesto Vinaigrette Sweetgreen Recipe: For a version similar to Sweetgreen's pesto vinaigrette recipe, use red wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar and add a teaspoon of dijon mustard.
Storage: To store lemon pesto vinaigrette, place it in an airtight container (like a mason jar) in the fridge. Your dressing will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Freeze: You can freeze this vinaigrette for up to 2 months in an airtight container.
Thaw: To thaw your pesto dressing, let it sit on the counter for 2 hours before using.

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