Fresh, bright and incredibly satisfying – you won’t be missing the garlic in this low FODMAP pesto recipe thanks to the fresh chives!
Original recipe shared on October 2, 2015 – updated August 12, 2024 with improved photos, recipe, tips and ingredient explanations.
⭐Low FODMAP Pesto⭐
- Garlic Free: Instead of garlic cloves, this recipe uses fresh chives to infuse a subtle fodmap-friendly garlic flavor. It’s simple, convenient and super effective.
- Vegan Option: Use nutritional yeast in place of parmesan cheese to impart a savory, cheesy flavor.
- Versatile Use: Spruce up your favorite dishes with a dollop of pesto. Mix into gluten-free pasta, soups, salads, on pizzas in sandwiches and more!
Pesto Ingredients
This recipe follows the general formula of a classic basil pesto with fodmap friendly ingredients: fresh herbs, nuts, citrus, salt and oil. The main standout is the addition of fresh chives and the omission of garlic.
- Basil & Chives – Use both fresh basil and chives. You’ll need about 1 cup chopped chives and 1/2 cup of fresh basil.
- Pine Nuts – Use about 1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted or un-
- toasted. You can also swap pine nuts out for other fodmap friendly nuts and seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, etc).
- Nutritional Yeast or Parmesan – Use nutritional yeast for a vegan option. If you want this vegetarian friendly but not dairy free, make sure to choose a vegetarian friendly parmesan (technically parmesan is not vegetarian).
- Lemon Juice & Salt – Use fresh lemon juice and flaky sea salt or kosher salt if possible.
- Olive Oil – Choose a quality extra virgin olive oil for best results.
More FODMAP Friendly Essentials
Recipe Steps
- Add everything except for the oil to food process or blender.
- Pulse ingredients together until a chunky paste forms. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides of the bowl or blender as needed.
- Drizzle the oil into the pesto while the motor is running in a steady stream. Working the oil in gradually with the blender on will help it mix into the sauce to create a emulsion (meaning it’s less likely to separate later).
- Taste and season as you see fit.
Serving Suggestions
- Mix into pasta for a quick and easy dinner.
- Spread over chicken or fish for a healthy meal.
- Dolloped over pizzas and flatbread for an extra boost of flavor.
- As a cracker or veggie dip
More Delicious Low FODMAP Recipes
- One Pot Low FODMAP Chicken And Rice (Khichdi Inspired)
- Ricotta Zucchini Fritters & Tomato Caper Salsa
- Peanut Cucumber Chicken Salad
- Chopped Chicken & Raspberry Salad
- Low FODMAP Chili With Pumpkin & Sausage
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this low fodmap friendly pesto recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Recipe
Low FODMAP Pesto
Yield:
a little over 1 cup
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Total Time:
10 minutes
A bright, savory and herby garlic-free pesto - suitable for those needing to stick to a low fodmap diet!
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh chives (50g)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil (25g)
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (35g)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast or grated parmesan (30g)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juices (30ml)
- 3/4 tsp salt + more to taste
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (120ml)
Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.
Instructions
- Add fresh herbs, pine nuts, nutritional yeast or parmesan, lemon juice and salt to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend or pulse until the ingredients are all finely chopped and well combined. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the blender running on a medium speed, pour the the olive oil into the blender in a slow and steady stream.
- Blend until you reach your desired consistency. If desired, add an addition 1-3 tablespoons oil for a thinner pesto sauce.
- Taste and season with more salt as needed. Use fresh pesto as desired or transfer to an airtight container for later.
Notes
- Store it: Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge up to 1 week.
- Freeze it: pour leftover sauce into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Once frozen, pop out of the tray and transfer to a freezer safe storage bag or container and keep frozen up to 3 months.
- Garlic-Infused Oil: For a stronger garlic flavor you can use garlic-flavored oil. Just make sure the oil is entirely free of garlic pieces.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 10
Serving Size:
2 tablespoons Calories: 147Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 201mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 2gThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Louise says
I love this recipe
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Louise – so glad you’ve enjoyed it 🙂
Susan Flannery says
Most people who have garlic intolerance have it with all items in the allium family which includes garlic, onions, leeks AND chives. I was sad that this is one more recipe for pesto that I will need to pass.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Susan! Sorry to hear that you’re sensitive to chives as well! According to Monash University (the researchers who developed and continue to set guidelines for the low FODMAP diet) chives are considered low fodmap/safe for a low fodmap diet.
Gut issues can be tricky in that way since we all have different intolerances. When my husband was going through the low FODMAP diet to sort out his gut problems he couldn’t have any tomatoes at all even though they are fodmap friendly.
Meghan says
I have a significant allium sensitivity and I can handle the “green parts” of foods like leeks, green onions, chives. It’s the lighter or whiter part of the food that carries the allergen.
Diane says
I made this with garlic infused oil and nutritional yeast. I had it with pasta. It was absolutely delicious!
Sarah Nevins says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Diane! 🙂
Dhwani says
Never had tasted or made pesto, glad I followed this recipe! So damn GOOD 🙂
Thanks a ton 😀
How much of this can I have in one serving ????
Sarah Nevins says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you thought! Serving size is two tablespoons
Becca says
I made this pesto sauce today and loved it! It was a great substitute for pesto with garlic and also was better for my GERD. I served it over Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. I will definitely be using this again!
Sarah Nevins says
So happy to hear you enjoyed the pesto! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you thought!
sococo says
Just wanted to thank you—I love garlic and garlicky foods but my family can’t eat ‘em. This pesto was DELICIOUS, and the recipe was so easy! I added a very small dash of mellow balsamic vinegar, and used walnuts to keep things cheap—and despite the improvisations of my low-cost and very average cooking, the sauce still came out so so well. Thanks again. It’s, like, empowering when a recipe is simple enough for me to understand, yet fabulous. Like a Lichtenstein!
Sarah Nevins says
That makes me so happy to hear – I’m so glad you enjoy it! Those improvisations sound lovely by the way!
Jade says
I made this pesto sauce today!
I omitted the chives and substituted pine nuts for macadamia nuts and olive oil for avocado oil for I am sensitive to all three ingredients.
Strangely, I never make any sauces while back in the United States.
My family and I shopped at ten different places for only 9 ounces of fresh basil leaves, 9 fluid ounces of avocado oil, one can of macadamia nuts, and several yellow lemons, for here in Asia, it is very difficult to get these!
Living with mixed irritable bowel syndrome and numerous food- beverage allergies results in me unable to integrate with local culture and enjoy their foods when I do travel, therefore forcing me to, in a way, live in a bubble!
…
Living abroad really makes me appreciate the things I take for granted back home.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Jade! That sounds tough! I kind of know what you mean about living with food intolerances/allergies in foreign countries. Travelling with my husband can be tricky when most food is off the table (no pun intended). It really does make you appreciated what you have! I hope you enjoyed the pesto!