If you have lots of sage growing in your garden, then I wholeheartedly recommend making this Sage Pesto. It's super herby, savory, garlicky, and is so good in pasta, grilled chicken sandwiches, and in so many other recipes. Give it a try!
This easy condiment takes just 5 minutes to make and brightens up so many dishes. I always have some kind of pesto in my fridge, and I experiment with many pesto ingredients, including sorrel pesto and garlic mustard pesto.
This sage pesto is a great way to use up fresh sage. It's delicious and super versatile. Just read below to see all the different ways you can use it!
How to use sage pesto
- Toss with pasta or pasta with grilled chicken.
- Use as a spread for grilled chicken sandwiches or roasted turkey breast sandwiches.
- Stir a few tablespoons together with mayo or a mayo + plain Greek yogurt combo to make a creamy herby spread.
- Stir into roasted vegetables or roasted young potatoes right after they come out of the oven.
- Add a few dollops to homemade goat cheese pizza or fig and goat cheese flatbread.
- Open face mozzarella sandwich: spread on a soft baguette or some toasted ciabatta or focaccia, add a thick slice of fresh mozzarella, and drizzle with balsamic glaze (the thick syrupy stuff, not the vinegar).
- Add dollops to cottage cheese toast or burrata toast. Make mini toasts for a Thanksgiving appetizer!
- It's especially good with roasted or pan-fried butternut squash or savory pumpkin recipes (try stirring it into a pumpkin potato soup before blending for an instant herby flavor boost).
- Simply spread on toast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh sage leaves (discard all stems)
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves (discard all stems)
- 2 cloves garlic, or to taste
- 1 ounce Parmesan block (about ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan or 3 ½-inch cubes)
- ¼ cup pine nuts or blanched almonds (or other nuts of your choice - I love pistachio pesto and pepitas in pesto for a budget-friendly pine nut substitute)
- ⅓ - ½ cup olive oil, to taste (use more for a runnier saucy pesto, use less for a spreadable pesto)
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (from ~½ lemon)
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, or more to taste
Equipment
- Small food processor
- Measuring cups and spoons
Instructions
Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process until desired smoothness (I like to leave the pesto a little coarse). You might need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. Give the pesto a taste and adjust the flavor as needed with salt, pepper, or more garlic. If the sage flavor is too strong, add more parsley leaves and blend. If you want a thinner sauce, blend in more olive oil. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for up to a week.
Recipe tips
I recommend using 50/50 sage/parsley just because sage can have a strong flavor. If you love sage, feel free to use more sage and less parsley. Spinach or basil would be good substitutes for parsley to mellow out the sage flavor. But try to get 2 cups of herbs for this pesto recipe, otherwise reduce the other ingredients a little.
Make this pesto more Thanksgiving-y by adding a little fresh rosemary leaves and thyme leaves (discard the stems from both).
To free sage pesto, portion it out into an ice cube tray, freeze, then transfer the pesto cubes to a freezer-safe bag. Alternatively, add 1 cup pesto to a quart-size freezer-safe, remove all air, and lay flat to freeze. Once frozen, it can be broken into smaller pieces so you can take what you need. Thawed pesto is best used for cooking instead of for fresh foods such as sandwiches.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Sage Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh sage leaves - (discard all stems)
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves - (discard all stems)
- 2 cloves garlic - or to taste
- 1 ounce Parmesan - (about ¼ cup freshly grated or 3 ½-inch cubes)
- ¼ cup pine nuts - or blanched almonds
- ⅓ - ½ cup olive oil - to taste
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest - (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - (from ~½ lemon)
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper - or more to taste
Special equipment
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process until desired smoothness (I like to leave the pesto a little coarse). You might need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.
- Taste and adjust the flavor as needed with salt, pepper, lemon juice, or more garlic. If the sage flavor is too strong, add more parsley leaves and blend. If you want a thinner sauce, blend in more olive oil. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Kate
Wednesday 10th of September 2025
I hope you love the fresh sage flavor in this pesto as much as we did!