Italian cuisine frequently features pasta with pesto sauce, a creamy herbaceous delicacy. Pesto is a necessary ingredient to keep in the kitchen pantry. Whether you want to use it to make pasta, stuff chicken, or add to sauces, this herb and basil mixture can go with a variety of meals. But is it gluten-free?
Yes, pesto is naturally gluten-free, but as with anything dietary, always read the label and watch out for ingredients like wheat, spelled, and barley, all of which have high levels of gluten.
To find out more about pesto, read this article.
Is Pesto Healthy?
Despite the fact that a quarter cup of pesto has about 250 calories, most of the fat in pesto comes from olive oil, which is natural and low in sodium.
We advise using packaged pesto sparingly when cooking because some varieties can be extremely high in fat and sodium.
Is Pesto Gluten Free?
There is absolutely no justification for pesto to contain gluten, and we haven’t found any that are offered for sale in the UK.
To help stop any moisture from the herbs splitting the sauce over time, we occasionally add a small amount of tapioca starch to our sauces (which are naturally gluten-free). Other producers have been known to thicken their recipes with ingredients like potato flakes, bamboo fibers, nut flour, and a variety of others; all of these ingredients, however, are gluten-free.
The only time we would advise erring on the side caution is if you see just the word “flour” without specifying what type of flour it is. The worst-case scenario is that it could be wheat flour, which is one of the main sources of gluten.
However, it is unlikely to be used in significant amounts; most likely, no more than 1.5% of the total weight of the sauces.
As a result, a single serving of pesto (roughly 50g per person) contains only 0.75g of flour or about 0.1g of pure gluten.
Cross-contamination is the only other potential source of gluten in pesto, but even if it did happen, the likelihood of it happening is extremely low, and there is nothing you can do about it practically to prevent it.
Read More:
Pesto Nutritional Information
Barilla Traditional Pesto
Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Water
- Plum Puree
- Vinegar
- Ginger
- Salt
- Modified Corn Starch
- Citric Acid
- Xanthan Gum
Nutrition Facts (Per 2 Tablespoons):
- 200 Calories
- 19 g Total Fat
- 2.5 g Saturated Fat
- 0 g Trans Fat
- 5 mg Cholesterol
- 600 mg Sodium
- 5 g Total Carbohydrate
- 1.0 g Dietary Fiber
- 20 g Sugars
- 3 g Protein
Nutrition Facts (Per 2 Tablespoons):
- 200 Calories
- 19 g Total Fat
- 2.5 g Saturated Fat
- 0 g Trans Fat
- 5 mg Cholesterol
- 600 mg Sodium
- 5 g Total Carbohydrate
- 1.0 g Dietary Fiber
- 20 g Sugars
- 3 g Protein
Trader Joe’s Pesto Alla Genovese
Ingredients:
- Basil
- Sunflower Oil
- Potatoes
- Olive Oil
- Grana Padano Cheese (pasteurized cow’s milk, salt, rennet)
- Pecorino romano Cheese (pasteurized sheep’s milk, salt, rennet)
- Cashews
- Salt
- Pine Nuts
- Lactic Acid
- Garlic
Nutrition Facts (Per 1/4 Cup):
- 250 Calories
- 26 g Total Fat
- 4 g Saturated Fat
- 0 g Trans Fat
- 0 mg Cholesterol
- 840 mg Sodium
- 3 g Total Carbohydrate
- 0 g Dietary Fiber
- 0 g Sugars
- 3 g Protein
Bowl & Basket Pesto Sauce
Ingredients:
- Sunflower Seed Oil
- Basil
- Cashew Nuts
- Grana Padano Cheese (milk, Salt, Rennet, Lysozyme From Egg)
- Glucose
- Salt
- Water
- Natural Flavorings
- Potato Flakes (potatoes, Mono and Diglycerides Of Fatty Acids, Spices, Diphosphate, Sodium Metabisulphite, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid)
- Lactic Acid
- Pine Nuts
- Pecorino Romano Cheese (ewe’s Milk, Salt, Rennet), Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Nutrition Facts (Per 1/2 Cup):
- 260 Calories
- 26 g Total Fat
- 3.5 g Saturated Fat
- 0 g Trans Fat
- 790 mg Sodium
- 5 g Carbohydrate
- 2 g Sugars
- 1 g Dietary Fiber
- 3 g Protein
Prego Pesto Sauce
Ingredients:
- Basil
- Soybean Oil
- Garlic
- Romano Cheese (Part-Skim Cow’s Milk, Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
- Contains Less Than 1% Off:
- Lactic Acid
- Citric Acid
- Rosemary Extract
- Oregano
- Water
Nutrition Facts (Per 1/4 Cup):
- 200 Calories
- 19 g Total Fat
- 4 g Saturated Fat
- 0 g Trans Fat
- 580 mg Sodium
- 4 g Carbohydrate
- 0 g Sugars
- 1 g Dietary Fiber
- 3 g Protein
Good & Gather Basil Pesto Sauce
There are no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives used in the production of Good & Gather.
Ingredients:
- Basil
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Pecorino Romano Cheese (Pasteurized Sheep’s Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)
- Canola Oil
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pine Nuts
- Citric Acid
- Rosemary Extract
- Ascorbic Acid
Nutrition Facts (Per 1/4 Cup):
- 260 Calories
- 26 g Total Fat
- 0 g Trans Fat
- 10 mg Cholesterol
- 400 mg Sodium
- 2 g Total Carbohydrate
- 1 g Dietary Fiber
- 0 g Total Sugars
- 4 g Protein
Is Pesto Dairy Free?
Basil pesto is not dairy-free because it typically contains Grana Padano Cheese, which contains dairy. However, there are vegan pesto mixtures that do not contain cheese.
FAQs
Is Pesto Sauce Keto?
Yes, pesto sauce is suitable for the keto diet because it contains few calories and carbohydrates. Always read the labels to confirm that there aren’t any extra sugars or carbohydrates.
Is Pesto Sauce Permitted During A Whole30?
Because it contains cheese, traditional pesto is not Whole30-approved. You cannot consume dairy products such as cheese, cow milk, yogurt, cream, sour cream, kefir, or butter while following the Whole30 diet.
Is Pesto Healthy For Your Stomach?
So, is pesto healthy for you? Yes, pesto is healthy if eaten in moderation, just like all other good things in life. Although pesto is packed with nutrients, it is also high in fat and calories.
The pesto gives your body the tools it needs to maintain cell health and keep your heart healthy because it is high in vitamins, minerals, and monounsaturated fats.