In this post, you will get a recipe not only for an unbelievably tasty low-carb pesto, but also a delicious recipe HOW to use that pesto! The beautiful, spring-colored Pesto Deviled Eggs are just perfect for Easter.
I tested and improved the pesto recipe over 10 times, so you can trust it is the BEST one! (And the lowest in carbs!) I’ve seen lots of effort to get the authentic taste with as few carbs as possible and the perfect texture — not too thin but on the other hand not too thick either. And the best: a secret ingredient makes this pesto not only genuinely flavorful, but also really low in carbs. Read on to find out what it is!
Tips for making the Pesto
If you have a high-speed blender, this pesto is a cinch to make. But, if you don’t have a high-speed blender, it’s still a cinch to make! A regular food processor does the job well, though you might get a coarser result than with a high-speed blender. Also, the blending time affects: the longer you blend, the smoother the pesto.
And how to make this easy peasy keto pesto? Just put all ingredients in the blender and blend. That’s it!
If you are a visual person and prefer pictures, these are just for you:
So, take that high-speed blender and place the ingredients to the jar. I love my Blendtec and the Twister Jar. So, here is the basil:
…and here comes the Parmesan cheese…
…now add the toasted (or roasted or whatever) salted macadamias…
…extra virgin olive oil…
…garlic as much as you like (for me 2 medium cloves is just enough)…
…unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt if you prefer and if the salt in the macadamias is not enough…
…also some freshly ground black pepper if you prefer though it’s not a must.
Then close the lid tightly.
Choose an appropriate program if you can. If not, just blend until you’ve got the desired result.
Aaaand let’s take a look. Perfect! (And smells awesomely delicious!)
Here is the recipe, enjoy!
Best-o Keto Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup = 240 ml tightly packed basil leaves
- 1/3 cup = 80 ml freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup = 80 ml dry-roasted, salted macadamia nuts
- 1/3 cup = 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium garlic cloves (or to taste)
- (Optional: unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender with a suitable jar.
- Blend until preferred consistency. (The longer you blend, the smoother it gets.)
- Enjoy!
| Nutrition information | Protein | Fat | Net carbs | kcal |
| In total: | 14.1 g | 121.5 g | 4.4 g | 1168 kcal |
| Per tablespoon: | 1.2 g | 10.1 g | 0.4 g | 97 kcal |
My keto pesto and deviled eggs eggsperiments
First, I thought I won’t bore you with my musings about developing these recipes, but then I thought you can simply skip them if you are not interested. So, how did I come up with the idea to develop a pesto recipe? Umm, that’s a good question. I think it has been on my list very long. Pesto is something simple, yet it often contains over five ingredients, so it has been my goal to simplify it, naturally, without sacrificing the taste.
I wanted to make quite a basic pesto version. In one of my cookbooks, I have a recipe for Arugula Pesto, but the flavor is dominant and you either love it or hate it. Regular pesto with basil goes with almost anything. Personally, I love to eat it with cheese. A slice of cheese with pesto is indescribably delicious.
For my first experiment, I used 1 cup (240 ml) tightly packed basil leaves. I bought only one bunch of basil, and it was just enough to make 1 cup (240 ml) tightly packed basil leaves.
Pesto naturally needs Parmesan — if you are not making a dairy-free or vegan version. Freshly grated Parmesan is a must. The piece of Parmesan cheese in my fridge was covered with a thick coat of bluish mold, so I had to throw it away. Sigh. I hate to waste food. So, I had to buy new cheese and this time use it before spoiling. For my first experiment, I used just 1/4 cup (60 ml). Later, I doubled the amount.
Pine nuts are one of the traditional pesto ingredients, but as they are on the carby side (though not high in carbs), I wanted to choose a lower-carb option. I thought about different nuts and decided to try almonds. Well, as I was running out of almonds but had almond flour, it was good enough for my first experiment. I added 1/4 cup (60 ml) almond flour to my pesto.
And the result? Meh. Too bland. Almond was not the best option for a low-carb pesto. What could be another low-carb nut option? Pecans (no!), hazelnuts (absolutely no!), Brazil nuts (doesn’t sound too good either)… hmmm… macadamias! Yes, that’s perfect. Roasted, salted macadamias sounded perfect. They are rich and creamy, and roasting gives a wonderful flavor, enhancing the nutty notes. If macadamias are salted (with sea salt, NOT with unhealthy table salt) you don’t even have to add salt to the pesto unless you like salt. (I adore salt, so I added more unrefined sea salt to my pesto later.) For my next experiment, I added 1/3 cup (80 ml) roasted, salted macadamias. I didn’t have ready roasted and salted macadamias at hand, so I roasted the nuts myself using a hot and dry skillet, as well as added some sea salt.
Pesto also needs garlic. For my first pesto experiment, I started with two cloves to see if they gave enough taste. Well, the other clove was huuuuge, so the pesto was icky-garlicky (can you say even it like that? Well, obviously, I just did). In my next experiment, I noticed that two medium-sized garlic cloves did a perfect job. You could taste the garlic, but it was not overpowering. This was supposed to be basil pesto, not garlic pesto.
I also needed extra virgin olive oil. EVOO, so to say. I used it liberally – it’s healthy fat, anyway. For my first experiment, I used 1/2 cup (120 ml). And guess what? Instead of thick paste, my pesto was more sauce-like. Like an oily smoothie. Do you like oily smoothies? Me neither. So, I had to reduce the amount drastically. I also increased the Parmesan to get thicker pesto, and to be honest, I wanted more of a Parmesan taste to the pesto.
My last pesto experiment was finally ultimately satisfying. I simply scooped it and ate with a spoon straight from the jar! The roasted macadamias were not only low in carbs (compared to the traditional pine nuts), but they gave an unbelievably delicious taste. Soooo yum!
Pesto Deviled Eggs
And the pesto deviled eggs? I made two experiments: one without mayo, and one with mayo. Personally, I prefer to add a little mayo. It binds the filling well, gives a scrumptious taste and makes the perfect, light green color. A real winner, so to say!
Here is the recipe for the pesto deviled eggs. I’m sorry the plugin I use for the recipes here doesn’t allow two recipes on the same post so here is the old boring table-formatted recipe:
|
| Nutrition information | Protein | Fat | Net carbs | kcal |
| In total: | 72.0 g | 169.8 g | 4.4 g | 1834 kcal |
| Per serving if 8 servings in total: | 9.0 g | 21.2 g | 0.5 g | 229 kcal |
Made this to go with tofu tonight, using ⅔ parsley and ⅓ cilantro in place of the basil. Unfortunately I forgot the garlic, which I’m sure would have made it better – it tasted a bit flat. Garlic would definitely have fixed that. I’m considering changing my herb ratio to 50/50. But I am also realizing that I just might like this with basil – perhaps combined with parsley. I froze the part I didn’t use and hope it freezes well. I would add some garlic powder to it before using it, and would probably use garlic powder in place of raw garlic because it is easier to digest. I can see that if I were to do it right, this is a great recipe.
Thank you for trying the recipe! Yes, garlic is quite a must ingredient in pesto and also in this recipe. I hope garlic powder lends enough flavor as it’s milder than raw garlic, which is certainly pungent. Please let me know how it turns out with garlic powder if you try it out!