Pea & Mint Pesto is an easy and delicious way to use the fresh peas of the season. So good on and with anything. Mix into hot pasta, gnocchi, spread on crusty bread for crostini, use as a dip for veggies or turn into a soup.

Using a knife to spread the pesto on a crusty piece of bread

I love fresh pea season! Whether you call them fresh, garden peas or English peas, I always have peas in my freezer.

Peas are one of my favorite vegetables and they’re so handy to have on hand to throw into a soup or to warm-up as a quick side dish. When pea season is here, I buy as many as I can and use them in so many things.

Pea & mint pesto in a jar with some on crostini in background

This pesto can be made in under 10 minutes. The fresh peas are boiled for 3 minutes, allowed to cool, then blended with fresh mint, parmesan salt, pepper and olive oil. Done!

Finding this recipe in a no-pea season? No problem! Just use defrosted frozen peas.

Pea & Mint Pesto Secret Ingredient

This pesto is a little different to the way pesto is usually prepared. Fresh garlic is typically used in pesto, but for this recipe, I didn’t want to overpower the sweetness of the peas and fresh mint so I substituted leek for extra flavor.  In addition, this is a nut free pesto because I want a nice smooth texture so I can use it for soup.

The pesto viewed from overhead on a round board with a knife and fresh mint leaves
Can you freeze pesto?

 This pesto also freezes well, just add to a freezable container and seal well. Defrost in the fridge overnight.

Pea and Mint Soup

An angled white bowl of pea soup with a sour cream swirl

If you’ve tried this Pea & Mint Pesto or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!

Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Pea & Mint Pesto

Spreading pea and mint pesto onto a crostini

Fresh peas, leek, mint and Parmesan cheese are blended to smooth perfection. Serve on crusty bread, use as a dip or turn into a soup.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 8 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (181 grams) fresh peas or frozen peas defrosted
  • 1/2 medium leek, chopped
  • Small handful of fresh mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup (45 grams) Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup (118 ml) olive oil

Instructions

  1. Bring a pan filled half-way with water to a boil and add the peas and leeks. Cook for 3 minutes, drain and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. If using frozen peas, skip this step.
  2. Add the cooled or defrosted peas, leek, mint, parmesan, salt & pepper to a food processor.
  3. Pulse 10 times until chopped, then with the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil until well blended.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1/4 cup

Amount Per Serving Calories 79Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 2mgSodium 381mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 4g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

 

A closeup showing the brown and crispy gnocchi and vibrant green asparagus and peas