My 1-Ingredient Upgrade for Better Pesto

I love cooking with pesto because it's so versatile. It's an easy way to elevate a Caprese sandwich or weeknight pasta. I even use a dollop of basil pesto on my homemade pizza (along with red sauce, of course).

Before cooking with pesto, though, I always add one secret ingredient: lemon.

I learned this while developing a recipe for pesto alla Trapenese. Pesto with a splash of fresh lemon tastes saltier, fresher, and more balanced.

This won’t come as a shock to those of you who already put lemon in your pesto (I know there are quite a few who do), but if you’ve never done it, take this as your sign to start.

How To Add Lemon to Any Pesto

This one-ingredient upgrade is straightforward and works for both store-bought and homemade pesto. If you're adding fresh lemon zest to pesto, wash your lemon and pat the skin dry. Use a rasp grater, like a Microplane, to zest the lemon, aiming for about 1 teaspoon of zest per quarter cup of pesto.

To add fresh lemon juice, firmly roll the lemon back and forth on your kitchen counter a few times; this helps the fruit release more juice. Slice the lemon in half and juice, making sure to remove and discard any seeds. Add about 1 tablespoon of juice per cup of pesto.

For a more pronounced lemon flavor, add both lemon zest and juice. Start with 1 teaspoon of each per quarter cup, tasting and adjusting as you like.

If your pesto already tastes quite salty on its own, I recommend only adding lemon zest and skipping the juice. Acid tends to enhance our perception of salt in food and can quickly tip the scales into too-salty territory. Taste as you go to keep your pesto perfectly balanced.