Spinach Pesto
on Mar 24, 2023, Updated Apr 23, 2025
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If I had to pick one sauce that makes me feel like I have it together—even on those “what’s for dinner?” nights—it’s this spinach pesto. It takes just minutes to throw together, yet feels like something you could serve to guests (or at least your pickiest kid).
Unlike traditional basil pesto, which can be pricey or hard to find fresh year-round, spinach is affordable, available, and surprisingly delicious in pesto form. Add in lemon juice, garlic, Parmesan, and olive oil, and you’ve got a flavorful green sauce that tastes like it came from a restaurant. It’s a great way to get more spinach into your kids!
Why Spinach Pesto is Great for Toddlers
Fast & Easy – Toss everything in a blender or food processor and it’s ready in under 5 minutes.
Budget-Friendly – Spinach is often cheaper and easier to find than fresh basil, and you probably already have the other ingredients on hand.
Versatile – Perfect on pasta, sandwiches, wraps, pizza, or drizzled over roasted veggies. It also makes a great dip for crackers or pita chips. Great for basically anything you can put pesto on!
Freezer-Friendly – Make a big batch and freeze extras in small containers or ice cube trays for easy defrost-and-go sauces.
What You Will Need
- 3 cups spinach
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
1. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed—add more lemon for brightness or Parmesan for richness.
4. Add Spinach Pesto sauce onto cooked pasta or anything else you’d like to use this pesto for!
Storage
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. It thaws beautifully and still tastes fresh.
Spinach Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 cups spinach
- 1/2 cup parmesan
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend until it becomes a pesto!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love the recipe but is the spinach cooked or raw?
Thank you! It’s raw.
Literally so delicious and easy – My daughter loved it and My husband and I prefer this to regular pesto! I used green lentil pasta and it tasted great on that as well. 🙂
Yay I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it! My family loves that one too 🙂
We LOVE this pesto! I live in Italy and everyone I’ve made this for has raved about it. I started using this instead of store-bought in my pesto/Parmesan pinwheels and they’re one of my daughter’s favorite things.
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear!
Hi, how much pasta for this? Thanks!
Hi! This is more a recipe for how to make the spinach pesto. If you were adding it to pasta I would say about 2 cups.
This was SO easy to do in a pinch for my 1 year old. I am so glad I stumbled upon your instagram page– we’ve already used so many of your recipes! It feels good to know that there is a one-stop-shop for easy and, most importantly, healthy recipes for babies and toddlers out there.