How Many Calories Are There In Pesto?
The number of calories in pesto varies wildly between brands. However, after examining over 100 pesto sauces for sale in the UK, we've concluded that, on average, shop-bought pestos contain 372 calories per 100g.
That means a tablespoon (15g) of pesto contains around 56 calories, while our recommended serving size of 50g per person contains around 186 calories.
Pesto contains some very calorific ingredients
Two of the most expensive ingredients in all pesto recipes are nuts and cheese, which are also very high in calories. Their price means they are the first things budget brands look to reduce (or even remove altogether) to cut costs. That explains why premium brands tend to be at the higher end of the calorie spectrum while budget brands appear nearer the bottom.
Oil is extremely high in calories, too
That generalisation is not always the case, though. Oil is a relatively cheap ingredient (despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which sent the cost of cooking oils soaring), so many cheap supermarket pestos bulk out their sauces with a large amount of oil. That is why a regular complaint about budget pestos is that they are excessively oily.
The pestos with the highest and lowest number of calories
Daylesford Organic tops our list of high-calorie pestos with a staggering 654 calories per 100g. Looking at the ingredient list, you can see that they don't skimp on any of the expensive, high-calorie ingredients that budget pestos cannot afford to include.
At the other end of the spectrum is Sainsbury's "Light Green Pesto." Water is the sauce's second-highest ingredient, and when you notice that its pine nut content is just 1%, it's easy to see where their calorie savings have been made.
So, which is better for you? If your waistline is your biggest concern, the low-calorie options are most suitable for you. Next comes affordability. With jars of high-calorie, premium pestos selling for up to £7.50 and some budget pestos retailing for just 55p, the staggering price difference is even more extreme than the calorie difference.
On many occasions, though, it comes down to taste and quality. In our enviable research (yes, we have tasted every pesto shown below), we conclude that meals at the higher end of the calorie spectrum are much more enjoyable.
Calories in the 100 most popular pesto sauces
| Pesto Sauces | Calories/100g |
| Daylesford Organic Basil Pesto | 654kcal |
| Filippo Berio Truffle Pesto | 652kcal |
| M&S Truffle Pesto | 643kcal |
| Nicolas Vahe Basil Pesto | 628kcal |
| Sacla Black Truffle Pesto | 623kcal |
| Olives Et Al Basil Pesto | 618kcal |
| Puro Pesto Alla Genovese | 592kcal |
| Seggiano Raw Basil Pesto | 586kcal |
| Hunter and Gather Basil Pesto | 571kcal |
| Suma Pesto Genovese | 535kcal |
| Seggiano Tomato Pesto | 525kcal |
| Biona Organic Green Pesto | 518kcal |
| Suma Pesto Rosso | 516kcal |
| Tesco Basil Pesto Cremoso | 500kcal |
| Barilla Pesto Genovese | 482kcal |
| Zest Vegan Basil Pesto | 499kcal |
| De Cecco Pesto Alla Genovese | 475kcal |
| Viani Pesto Rosso | 474kcal |
| Jamie Oliver Italian Herb Pesto | 473kcal |
| Filippo Berio Classic Green Pesto | 460kcal |
| Waitrose Basil Pesto | 453kcal |
| M&S Green Pesto | 452kcal |
| ALDI Cucina Basil Pesto | 452kcal |
| Sacla Organic Basil Pesto | 451kcal |
| Gomo Pesto Alla Genovese | 450kcal |
| Belazu Pea & Mint Pesto | 445kcal |
| Zest Vegan Red Pesto | 430kcal |
| Jamie Oliver Coriander Pesto | 429kcal |
| Jamie Oliver Green Pesto | 423kcal |
| Tesco Red Pesto | 421kcal |
| Casalinga Basil Pesto | 421kcal |
| Gino D'Acampo Red Pesto | 411kcal |
| Jamie Oliver Basil & Chia Pesto | 410kcal |
| Filippo Berio Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto | 409kcal |
| Tesco Tomato & ;Chilli Pesto | 400kcal |
| Mr. Organic Vegan Basil Pesto | 398kcal |
| Sacla Black Olive Pesto | 386kcal |
| Coppola Pesto Genovese | 386kcal |
| Belazu Genovese Pesto | 377kcal |
| Bonsan Organic Vegan Pesto | 375kcal |
| Garofalo Pesto Alla Genovese | 371kcal |
| Filippo Berio Tomato & Ricotta Pesto | 369kcal |
| Gino D'Acampo Green Pesto | 369kcal |
| Morrisons Green Pesto | 367kcal |
| Lidl Green Pesto | 364kcal |
| Tesco Free From Red Pesto | 358kcal |
| Ocado Classic Green Pesto | 356kcal |
| Jamie Oliver Yellow Pepper Pesto | 356kcal |
| Tesco Finest Tomato Pesto | 353kcal |
| Belazu Smoked Paprika Pesto | 349kcal |
| Belazu Chilli & Basil Pesto | 349kcal |
| Belazu Oak Smoked Paprika Pesto | 349kcal |
| Sacla Classic Basil Pesto | 347kcal |
| Jamie Oliver Broad Bean Pesto | 346kcal |
| Mr. Organic Vegan Basil Pesto | 344kcal |
| Waitrose Essential Basil Pesto | 344kcal |
| Jamie Oliver Kale Pesto | 341kcal |
| Casalinga Vegan Chilli Pesto | 341kcal |
| Shore Kale & Seaweed Pesto | 340kcal |
| Sacla Char-Grilled Aubergine Pesto | 339kcal |
| Jamie Oliver Cherry Tomato Pesto | 334kcal |
| Belazu Vegan Harissa Pesto | 333kcal |
| Barilla Red Pesto | 324kcal |
| Belazu Tomato & Sage Pesto | 324kcal |
| Seggiano Wild Fennel Pesto | 322kcal |
| ASDA Green Pesto | 319kcal |
| Shore Basil & Seaweed Pesto | 317kcal |
| Belazu Aubergine & Parmesan Pesto | 314kcal |
| Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Pesto | 312kcal |
| Morrisons Red Pesto | 312kcal |
| Sainsbury's Green Pesto | 312kcal |
| Sacla Chilli Pesto | 311kcal |
| Sacla 'Nduja Pesto | 311kcal |
| Cooks & Co Green Pesto | 309kcal |
| Sacla Vegan Basil Pesto | 309kcal |
| Tesco Finest Basil Pesto | 303kcal |
| Belazu Truffle & Artichoke Pesto | 302kcal |
| Sacla Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto | 296kcal |
| Jamie Oliver Walnut & Pepper Pesto | 292kcal |
| Tesco Classic Green Pesto | 290kcal |
| Co-op Green Pesto | 289kcal |
| Sainsbury's Red Pesto | 284kcal |
| Casalinga Vegan Pesto | 281kcal |
| Essential Red Pesto | 272kcal |
| Belazu Saffron & Pepper Pesto | 263kcal |
| ALDI Pesto Alla Genovese | 263kcal |
| Waitrose Red Tomato Pesto | 263kcal |
| Shore Red Pepper & Chilli Pesto | 255kcal |
| Sainsbury's Red Pepper Pesto | 254kcal |
| ASDA Red Pesto | 248kcal |
| Sacla Pepper & Almond Pesto | 247kcal |
| Mr. Organic Sun-dried Tomato Pesto | 243kcal |
| Jamie Oliver Chilli & Garlic Pesto | 241kcal |
| ALDI Pesto Rosso | 239kcal |
| Sainsbury's Chilli Pesto | 231kcal |
| Belazu Wild Mushroom Pesto | 224kcal |
| Garofalo Pepper & Ricotta Pesto | 211kcal |
| Tesco Red Pepper Pesto | 199kcal |
| Waitrose Red Pepper Pesto | 189kcal |
| Sainsbury's Light Green Pesto | 184kcal |
| AVERAGE | 372kcal |
* These figures are accurate as of January 22, 2023.
Based on our average of 372 calories per 100g, we've determined how many calories you will consume based on popular weight measurements.
Pesto calories per teaspoon
| Pesto | Calories |
| 1 tsp | 19kcal |
| 2 tsp | 37kcal |
| 3 tsp | 56kcal |
| 4 tsp | 74kcal |
| 5 tsp | 93 kcal |
| 6 tsp | 112kcal |
| 7 tsp | 130kcal |
| 8 |
149kcal |
| 9 |
167kcal |
| 10 |
186kcal |
Pesto calories per tablespoon
| Pesto | Calories |
| 1 tbsp | 56kcal |
| 2 tbsp | 112kcal |
| 3 tbsp | 168kcal |
| 4 tbsp | 224kcal |
| 5 tbsp | 280kcal |
| 6 tbsp | 336kcal |
Pesto calories in grams
| Pesto | Calories |
| 50g | 186kcal |
| 100g | 372kcal |
| 190g | 707kcal |
| 200g | 744kcal |
| 250g | 930kcal |
| 500g | 1860kcal |
| 1kg | 3720kcal |
Because you will likely be pairing your pesto with pasta, we've researched the calories in pasta and explained why, counterintuitively, pasta made with flour and water could be more calorific than pasta made with flour and eggs.