Pesto substitutes
Out of pesto? Here are the best substitutes — what to reach for, why it works, and how much to use. Chimichurri is the top pick.
- 01Chimichurribest pick
The same herb-and-oil sauce idea, brighter and sharpened with vinegar.
1:1
- 02Sun-dried tomato pesto
Same texture and role on pasta or sandwiches, deeper and sweeter.
1:1
- 03Basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese and garlic, blended
Pesto is these four plus nuts — blending them is the real thing.
makes 1:1
- 04Salsa verde
The Italian herb, oil, and caper sauce — briny where pesto is nutty.
1:1
- 05Tapenade
Olive paste with the same spoonable richness for pasta and crostini.
1:1
Cooking with pesto?
Paste your recipe into Mise — we'll find every ingredient as a real product you can buy, and swap the ones you can't, like pesto, for the closest match in stock.
Turn a recipe into a basket →How we choose these
These are tested kitchen substitutes, chosen for matching flavor, texture, and role — with ratios so the swap actually works. Taste as you go; substitutes shift intensity, not just flavor.
Flavor data: Epicure (Radzikowski & Chen, 2026), arXiv:2605.22391, CC-BY-4.0.
© 2026 MyBranz, Inc. · Mise is a product of MyBranz, Inc.