An easy, homemade pesto sauce for kids and the whole family to enjoy. Serve it with pasta, add it to sandwiches or use it for dipping veggies and breadsticks.
Pesto is one of the easiest and quickest sauces you can make to serve with pasta. It takes just 10 minutes to prepare the ingredients and blend everything together, which means dinner can be on the table in under 30 minutes.
To make my pesto sauce more kid-friendly and suitable for babies under 12 months, I’ve swapped out some of the traditional pesto ingredients for gentler alternatives and with less sodium.
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👩🏻🍳 Why you should try my recipe
- When served with pasta, you get meal on the table in under 30 minutes.
- You can use the pesto with pasta for a full meal or as spread for bread and sandwiches.
- Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for another day.
- Great as a little treat after meal.
- Made with simple ingredients.
🥘 Ingredients
To make this kid-friendly pesto sauce, we are going to use basil and spinach leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh mozzarella cheese, ricotta and pine nuts.
- Greens: I like to use a mix of spinach and basil leaves for a milder flavor. Basil leaves are very aromatic but might have a strong flavor for little ones.
- Cheese: Instead of parmesan cheese that is high in sodium, I'm using mozzarella cheese and ricotta to get that cheesy flavor and creamy texture.
- Pine nuts: They’re optional, but they do add a lovely texture to the pesto. If your little one prefers smoother, creamier sauces and isn’t a fan of grainy textures, you can simply leave them out.
For full quantities and to print the recipe, see the recipe card below.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
So get your ingredients ready and let's get started!
01. I like to use a food processor to prepare the pesto sauce but you could also use a pestle and mortar. I add first the spinach and basil leaves and then the remaining ingredients on top.
02. I blend everything well until I have a creamy pesto sauce. If it's too coarse, you could a tablespoon of oil and blend again. When blended, I add a touch of black pepper and add more lemon juice if needed.
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Babies under 12 months: When serving little ones under 12 months, I like to make the pesto sauce without any salt and save some on a little jar. Then I add salt to the remaining for older kids and adults.
You could serve it with some short pasta or with some bread cut into finger sized pieces and some tomato slices.
Toddles & Older kids: For older kids and adults, you could add salt to your liking when blending the ingredients. Serve the pesto sauce with some pasta of your choice or add it to sandwiches with some tomato slices and chicken.
🧰 Storage
If you have any leftovers of the kid-friendly pesto sauce, store them in a lidded jar in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the sauce in an ice cube tray for up to 4 months.
❓ FAQ
If you’d like to replace the pine nuts in the pesto sauce, I recommend using cashews, as they have a mild flavor and a texture similar to pine nuts.
If you tried my pesto sauce for kids recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📋 Recipe
Easy Homemade Pesto For Kids
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup basil leaves (about a handful)
- 2 cups spinach leaves (about two handfuls)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- ½ garlic clove
- ⅓ cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese (shredded), about 55gr
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- salt (NOT for babies under 12 months)
Instructions
- In a food processor, add the spinach and basil leaves, followed by the oil, garlic clove, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Blend for a few seconds to reduce the volume if the processor is too full.
- Add the ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Blend until it's creamy.
- Add the black pepper and salt (if using any) and mix with a spoon.
- Serve with pasta, spread on bread or store in jar in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- You could use cashews instead of pine nuts.
- Serve it with your favorite pasta, spread it on bread for sandwiches, dip in veggie sticks or breadsticks.
Nutrition
🥣 More to try
If you liked my pesto sauce for kids recipe, you should try some of these recipes too:
Julia Droulia
Thank you for coming to the comment section. Here, you can leave me your feedback with a star rating; readers, like yourself can find comments helpful when they consider making one of my recipes. I hope you love this one as much as we do