Lemon Verbena Pesto recipe, a twist on traditional pesto, is packed with fresh and delicious flavors. The texture is smooth and creamy, and the fragrance is unbelievably divine! Lemon verbena recipes are hard to come by, and this one is a keeper for sure! 
What is pesto?
- Pesto is a thick Italian sauce, made with crushed basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
- Pesto sauce is typically served with pasta, but these days we see it in sandwiches, on pizzas, in soups, and the list goes on.
- Pesto usually involves no cooking and is best when eaten freshly made with a mortar and pestle.
There are a lot of unique pesto recipes out there because over the years people have been experimenting with all sorts of other fresh green herbs, as well as leafy greens, like kale and spinach.
Enter Basil Lemon Verbena Pesto Recipe!
The same sweet 12-year old who grew the tomatoes in my Avocado Soft Boiled Egg Toast Recipe, is responsible for this gorgeous basil and lemon verbena.
These herbs are so pretty and their scent is over-the-top wonderful.
My son is the reason we have an herb and vegetable garden. It was all his idea and it’s so awesome!
I find myself running out to grab a bundle of herbs almost every day.
What is Lemon Verbena?
- Lemon Verbena is a South American shrub, with lemon-scented leaves.
- The leaves are most commonly used for flavoring tea, but can also be used in all sorts of lemon verbena recipes.
Lemon verbena is so incredibly aromatic! If you gently rub the leaves, you will release the most lovely scent imaginable! The fragrance is captivating, relaxing and simply beautiful!
And how beautiful are these basil varieties?
I love the purple and pink flowers in the Thai basil. It’s like a painting.
What is Lemon Verbena Pesto, and what are the ingredients?
Lemon Verbena Pesto is simply a twist on traditional basil pesto. With the addition of lemon verbena leaves, the pesto has a lovely, bright, lemony flavor. The ingredients are:
- basil
- lemon verbena
- pine nuts
- Parmesan cheese
- garlic
- salt, pepper, sugar
- olive oil
This pesto is super delicious on everything from fish and poultry to fruit and toast!
My gardener (reminder: sweet 12-year-old son), even dips chips into it!
A few more lemon verbena recipes:
- Lemon Herb Chicken Under a Brick
- Mango-Avocado Pesto Stack
- Lemon Verbena Cookies
A few more unique pesto recipes:
Enjoy!
This pesto is packed with fresh, intense and delicious flavors. The texture is smooth and creamy, and the fragrance is unbelievably divine!
*Makes approximately 3/4 cup
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 5 cups loosely packed basil leaves, washed and dried (see notes)
- approximately 2 dozen lemon verbena leaves, washed and dried
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 3 small garlic cloves, peeled, with root end trimmed off
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Add the pine nuts to a small sauté pan and place it over medium-low heat. Moving the pan around often, heat just until they're golden, aromatic and shiny, about 3 minutes. They will be shiny from the oils coming to the surface. (Be careful, as they can go from just right to too dark in seconds.) Set aside to cool.
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Add the basil and lemon verbena to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and blend until they're finely chopped.
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Add the toasted pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and sugar and blend until everything is mixed.
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Then add the extra virgin olive oil and blend until it's a smooth mixture.
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Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)
You can use any variety of basil you like. I used a combination of Thai Basil and Pesto Perpetuo Basil.
The pesto can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about a week.
Platter Talk says
September 8, 2016 at 10:56 amBeautifully done. I love pesto in soups, on bread, in pasta but mostly in my mouth! Thanks.
valentina says
September 8, 2016 at 11:35 amLove that! Mouth! 😀
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
September 8, 2016 at 11:23 amWhat a lovely, fragrant twist on the classic pesto. I want a bowl right now with some fresh pasta to showcase it
valentina says
September 8, 2016 at 11:36 amMe too! 😉 Thanks!
Linda @ Your Daily Food Choices says
September 8, 2016 at 11:52 amGreat looking pesto recipe. Can’t wait to try with the lemon verbena leaves.
valentina says
September 8, 2016 at 2:22 pmthank you! 🙂
Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery says
September 8, 2016 at 12:08 pmGreat flavor variety. I love thai basil, but I’ve never made pesto with it.
valentina says
September 8, 2016 at 2:22 pmThank you! The Thai basil is so pretty!
Kylee from Kylee Cooks says
September 8, 2016 at 2:36 pmOh WOW, that sounds so amazingly delicious. I’ve not seen lemon verbena leaves around – must track some down!
valentina says
September 8, 2016 at 6:57 pmFarmers Market might be best bet. Hope you find it! 🙂
Boastful Food says
September 9, 2016 at 10:14 amI love that your kiddo is into food as much as you are, Valentina! Great new way to do pesto. I bet this is delicious and so fragrant. I’d want to eat and bathe in it:)
valentina says
September 9, 2016 at 11:14 amThank you! It took a while, but they are really into cooking now. 🙂
derek says
September 9, 2016 at 9:05 pmIt looks great. Been a while, good to see you’re kicking butt 😉
valentina says
September 9, 2016 at 10:30 pmawww, thank you, Derek! 🙂
David says
September 11, 2016 at 7:20 amIsn’t lemon verbena the best? I love it in cakes and under the skin of a roasted chicken… And, now, in pesto!
valentina says
September 11, 2016 at 11:42 pmNow I want lemon verbena cake! I might just give that a go. Thank you! 🙂
sippitysup says
September 20, 2016 at 11:41 amMy lemon verbena is huuuuge! and I have been thinking about doing something similar for years. I’m so thrilled you did it. GREG
valentina says
September 20, 2016 at 12:52 pmThanks so much, Greg! Don’t you just adore the fragrance!! I’ve been rubbing it on my hands in the mornings.:-)
Kavita Favelle says
July 9, 2018 at 12:52 amI adore lemon verbena, love the addition of this herb to the basil for your pesto! We used to grow it but sadly the plant died, time to get another.
valentina says
July 9, 2018 at 10:56 amYes, get another! If for nothing else, the aroma is so lovely! 🙂 Thanks!
Kristi says
July 9, 2018 at 2:28 amYou mentioned putting it on fish, I bet that is delicious grilled. Add some fresh veggies from the garden and a perfect summer meal out on the deck.
valentina says
July 9, 2018 at 10:56 amYes! That sound fabulous. Wishing I was on the deck now. 🙂
danielle wolter says
July 9, 2018 at 3:41 amI love the smell of lemon verbena, but never thought to use it to cook. This is such a wonderful recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
valentina says
July 9, 2018 at 10:57 amI hope you do and love it. Thank you! 🙂
Liz says
July 9, 2018 at 4:32 amWe have so much basil in our garden right now, I love the sound of this pesto! Plus I’m glad I can put the basil to good use!
valentina says
July 9, 2018 at 10:57 amWin-win! Thanks so much, Liz. 🙂