Grilled Pesto Shrimp Kabobs

Pesto is a sauce made of basil, pinenuts, parmesan, garlic, and olive oil and it gets brushed onto some grilled shrimp kabobs. I made some homemade pesto the other day and brushed it on these shrimp kabobs. So easy and good! 

If you love grilled food in the Summer please try these recipes for How to Grill Top Sirloin Shrimp, Grilled Corn on the Cob with Husks, Grilled Banana Boats, or Beer Brats.

Jump to:

• Why You Will Love This Recipe
• Ingredients for  Homemade Pesto 
• How to Make Pesto Grilled Shrimp  
• Best Grilling Tips 
• Other Great Recipes for Summer 
• Recipe FAQs
• Pesto Grilled Shrimp

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Shrimp can be difficult to cook on the grill because it cooks super fast. That is why I placed them on some kabob sticks so that once one side is done cooking you can easily flip them over.

If you don’t watch the shrimp, they can turn out to have a very rubbery texture, if they are too overdone and that is not good eats. 🙂 

Ingredients for  Homemade Pesto 

Homemade Pesto - Pesto is a sauce made of basil, pinenuts, parmesan, garlic, and olive oil and it gets brushed onto some grilled shrimp kabobs. Check out my recipe for Homemade Pesto or just simply use a jar of storebought pesto.

Shrimp - I always like to use the jumbo or large peeled and deveined shrimp.

Skewers - These are found at most grocery stores when grilling season starts. If not they located at hardware stores.

Olive Oil - For keeping the shrimp from sticking to the grill.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

How to Make Pesto Grilled Shrimp  

Step 1: Add the basil leaves, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic,  salt and pepper to taste to a food processor or blender.  Process half of these ingredients first before adding in the olive oil. 

Step 2: Stream in the olive oil while the blender is processing the other ingredients.   Continue blending until well combined, adding additional olive oil if needed.

Step 3: Store the pesto in a jar or plastic container with an airtight lid. It will last in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze homemade pesto in ice cube trays.  

Step 4: Peel and devein the shrimp. Marinade the shrimp in a bowl with about 2 or 3 heaping tablespoons of pesto or just place the shrimp on wooden skewers.

Step 5: Grill on each side until the shrimp turn pink. Then brush the pesto sauce on each side while grilling. The shrimp are ready when they turn pink on both sides. 

Best Grilling Tips 

1. Always Start with a clean grill. Make sure last night's dinner isn’t stuck on it. 😉 
2. Get any type of meat thermometer. This will help to check for proper doneness and to make sure the meat is at the proper temperature.  
3. Grilling is done at very high heat to cook food faster. Smokers are used for low and slow cooking. 
4. Know when to use direct heat. 
5. The best outdoor type grills are Ninja Woodfire, Webber, or Blackstone. Blackstone is a flat top cooking service that don’t have any grates in them. 

Other Great Recipes for Summer 

Recipe FAQs

If you tried this Pesto Grilled Shrimp or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries

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