15 Easy Pesto Appetizers You Can Make Right At Home

Here are 15 easy pesto appetizers that can be made right at home, which can look and taste as if they come out of a professional kitchen! 

Sauces can elevate any dish and play a vital role in maximizing flavors, adding juiciness, and improving mouthfeel. 

They meld together ingredients that provide a harmonious taste with enticing aromatics that people want to get their appetites going. 

And if we’re talking about sauces that make anything taste better, pesto is a wonderful sauce on a tier all on its own. 

With a flavor that’s described as bright and pungent, this herbaceous green sauce has a heavy foundation of basil and garlic, suspended with delicate olive oil.

Pesto is enriched with pine nuts and made even more pleasant with Italian cheeses. 

A thick, rich pesto should be garlicky and herby, with a pleasant brininess and grassiness acquired from its luscious ingredients. 

Pesto is versatile, with the sauce being a highlight of many pizza and pasta recipes. 

It can also be a great partner to starters and appetizers, with its light quality providing a treat for the appetite without being all too filling. 

Pesto appetizers are also ideal for quick last-minute requirements, with recipes that are easy to make, as long as you already have pesto prepared beforehand. 

Here are some pesto appetizer options that can be made right at home, which can look and taste as if they come out of a professional kitchen! 

The #12 Pesto Shrimp Skewers are a succulent option that combines all the flavors you want in an easy-to-eat package!

1. Tomato Pesto Appetizers

This dip is commonly served at Italian restaurants and is a standard starter that can get the appetite going. 

Served in a fluffy and delicious muffin, the pesto’s bright flavors go well with the mozzarella cheese stuffed in pastry that’s baked to perfection.

Make sure to separate the dough into 10 biscuits and segregate the biscuits into two rounds as well.

2. Pesto Cheesy Bread

This Pesto Cheesy Bread is a dish that’s best enjoyed as an appetizer or as a side dish to your favorite pasta.

An elevated variation to the classic garlic bread, this recipe is garlicky and cheesy, that all melts-in-your-mouth! 

It combines mozzarella and parmesan cheeses with store-bought or homemade pesto, which can be drizzled over the bread or served as a dipping sauce. 

To make this easy pesto cheesy bread, slice two large hoagie rolls into bite-sized portions while keeping them attached in the middle. 

Brush the pesto sauce as a base topping on the bread before topping it all with the cheeses and placing it in the oven to bake for 15 to 18 minutes. 

3. Tarte Au Soleil With Pesto

This easy French pesto appetizer is not only yummy but also appetizing, especially when served on a platter at a party.

This is an impressive appetizer that you can prep hours before and bake before your special guests come. 

Plus, you can make this with store-bought puff pastry!

4. Crescent Roll Pesto Appetizers

These beautiful crescent rolls with pesto are a foolproof crowd-pleaser in your next get-together. 

You can make these with pre-made crescent rolls and slather a good amount of pesto sauce. 

You can also dip these rolls in a pesto sauce, basil pesto sauce, or even sun-dried tomato pesto sauce.

5. Pesto Cheese Spread

A wonderful spread that you can take to a potluck or finger food fellowship is this pesto cheese spread that works deliciously with crackers or vegetables. 

Ingredients such as basil, almonds, garlic cloves, Parmesan cheese, and nutmeg are combined in a food processor, pulsing the machine until the elements are coarsely chopped. 

Next, add drizzles of olive oil to form a thick paste consistency. 

Combine with softened cream cheese and refrigerate the pesto cheese spread before serving. 

Place the spread on a cracker, and these herby bite-sized treats are ready to be enjoyed.

6. Pesto Pinwheels

This delectable puff pastry is a perfect recipe to serve at parties and can make your guests satisfied with its flavors. 

These Pesto Pinwheels are also very convenient to eat and can add to the festive vibe of any social gathering. 

They’re filled with green and red pesto, prosciutto, and lots of gooey mozzarella cheese, creating a classic combination that looks and tastes festive! 

These appetizers are light and flaky and so easy to make. 

You can also prep them a day in advance to place them in the oven before you’re ready to serve them.

7. Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms With Feta Cheese

This recipe is so delicious that it can surely steal the show of any spread on the table! 

Stuffed mushrooms are always a treat and make the perfect side or appetizer, with the mushroom providing pleasant umami and the gooey pesto and cheese filling that packs in all the flavors. 

The combination of nutty pesto and briny feta alongside other herbs and cheeses inside the meaty mushroom makes it a desirable dish to eat. 

The large-sized mushrooms are first cleaned, removing the stalks gently and wiping them with a moist paper towel. 

Coat it up with olive oil so that it won’t dry out. 

The filling is made by mixing the chopped mushroom stalks, garlic, pesto, sour cream, herbs, and spices in a bowl, with breadcrumbs added at the end. 

Stuff the pesto-cheese mixture inside the mushroom cavity, drizzle more olive oil, and top it off with mozzarella cheese before placing it in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.

8. Tomato, Pesto, & Mozzarella Skewers

This appetizer is simple, refreshing, and flavorful, with its 4-easy ingredients that are skewered and served.

This Tomato, Pesto, & Mozzarella Skewers recipe combines Italian cuisine’s best elements, offering rich and luscious flavors on a stick. 

It combines ripe and juicy tomatoes, basil pesto, and mozzarella cheese to create a great finger food ideal for summer parties. 

To make this appetizer, combine the pesto and mozzarella balls in a bowl and mix to cover the cheese with pesto completely. 

Prepare your skewers by threading in one tomato, then a pesto-covered mozzarella ball, and so on until the stick has a good amount of each ingredient.

9. Pesto Crostini

One of the most typical ways to serve a pesto appetizer is by slathering pesto and other ingredients on top of a slice of baked baguette. 

This Pesto Crostini features a french baguette that’s baked and crisp, with a spread of pesto and other delicious toppings. 

It’s made by baking thin slices of french baguette in the oven, with both sides brushed with olive oil. 

After baking the baguette for up to 10 minutes, or until it’s golden brown and crispy, set the bread aside to cool. 

Now it’s time to add the luscious pesto by spreading it onto each bread slice using a teaspoon before adding various topping options. 

Create a Caprese pesto crostini by putting cherry tomatoes and mozzarella on top with fresh basil leaves as a garnish. 

You can also choose other topping options, such as grilled mushrooms with rosemary or ricotta and prosciutto. 

10. Basil Pesto & Red Pepper Torte

This Basil Pesto & Red Pepper Torte is a great way to start your upcoming gathering with friends and family. 

It’s an elegant appetizer that will give you all the delicious flavor profiles from brown rice, cream cheese, pine nuts, and roasted red peppers.

11. Twice Baked Potatoes With Creamy Chive Pesto

Serving perfectly seasoned potatoes is always a treat, and this recipe offers elevated flavors with every bite.  

Best served as an entree or side dish, this twice-baked potato recipe is made more delicious with creamy pesto sauce. 

This recipe highlights arugula, scallions, chives, and cashews for the pesto, making it a more complex and flavorful combination than your traditional baked potato option.

12. Pesto Shrimp Skewers

This combination of pesto, shrimp, and feta cheese is a robust offering of succulent flavors that can satisfy any discerning palate. 

Shrimp is cooked in olive oil, tossed with pesto, and sprinkled with crumbled feta, adding pepper and spice to taste. 

Put it together in skewers to make it an easy and convenient finger food option. 

13. Caprese Pesto Tarts

These Caprese Pesto Tarts are a perfect summertime appetizer and feature a flaky puff pastry dough topped with cherry tomatoes, burrata, cheddar cheese, basil pesto, and fresh basil. 

Place all ingredients on the pastry dough, and bake until golden brown to create a bright-colored tantalizing dish that can get your taste buds crazy!

14. Turkey Pesto Bites

These tasty Turkey Pesto Bites are best served while waiting for that main Thanksgiving meal, offering up light and savory flavors that can get the appetite going. 

Made with puff pastry, it’s easy to assemble and convenient to eat, with these mini sandwiches of thin turkey slices, provolone cheese, basil pesto, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil all held together with a toothpick.

15. Avocado Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes

Fresh, tangy, and flavorful, this recipe is a great option to add to your appetizer spread, with its simple preparation and accessible ingredients making it ideal for parties. 

Thin slices are made on the top of each tomato, which is carefully hollowed out. 

To prepare the filling, avocado, cream cheese, pesto, and lemon juice are combined in a food processor until it becomes smooth. 

The filling is piped into the pre-made tomato cups, refrigerated, and served cold.

The bottom line

Pesto appetizers offer plenty of luscious deliciousness, which is always a sure crowd pleaser. 

Pesto is a great ingredient that always provides satisfaction when tasted, which is why these options are ideal for whipping up for your gatherings.