This homemade basil pesto recipe is full of bright and fresh flavors, you’ll want to put it on everything!
Fresh basil leaves, olive oil, and parmesan cheese are blended with pine nuts and garlic to create a decadently creamy sauce that’s ready in minutes.
- Nothing beats the fresh flavor of basil with its sweet and slightly peppery taste.
- It’s super quick to make, and you can truly use any type of herb or nuts in this recipe.
- It requires no cooking and can be added to everything from pasta to roasted veggies to cheese.
Ingredients and Swaps for Pesto
Basil: Use fresh basil pesto—many grocery stores sell a larger pesto pack of basil. Short on basil? Raid the garden and add parsley, kale, spinach, thyme, dill, or oregano in place.
Oil: Use any mild flavored oil such as olive oil, avocado, or canola for pesto.
Nuts: Pine nuts are traditional, but they can be pricey and sometimes hard to find. You can replace them with almost any kind of nut such as almonds, walnuts, pecans or even hazelnuts or seeds. Toast nuts or seeds in a dry saute pan until fragrant to intensify the flavor.
Cheese: Grate your parmesan for the best flavor, if you can. Other cheeses to use are Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, Asiago, or a little crumbled feta all bring that salty flavor balance to pesto.
How to Make Pesto
- Blend basil with 1 tablespoon of oil into a paste.
- Pulse in remaining ingredients until desired consistency (recipe below).
- Season as desired.
Ways to Use Pesto
- Pasta: Drain pasta, reserving a little bit of pasta water. Toss the pesto with pasta, adding water as needed to reach the desired consistency.
- Sandwiches: Add a spoonful of homemade pesto to mayo for an easy upgrade to burgers, pizza, wraps, and sandwiches.
- Eggs: Add a spoonful to scrambled eggs or spoon it fresh over fried eggs.
- Dip: Mix equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream, stir in pesto as a dip for veggies, chips, or crackers.
Storing Pesto
Keep leftover pesto sauce in a covered container or jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze portions in quart-sized zippered freezer bags for up to 6 months or freeze in an ice cube tray and transfer to a zippered bag.
More Ways To Use Pesto…
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Basil Pesto
Fresh basil pesto is easy to make and its packed with flavor. Serve it over chicken, toss with pasta, or use it as a tasty bread dip.
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Place basil in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of oil. Pulse several times until blended.
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Add the parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
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With the processor running, slowly drizzle the olive oil, scraping the sides as needed, until it reaches the desired consistency.
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Taste and season with additional salt if desired.
Herbs – Short on Basil? Add in some other herbs or greens. Try parsley, dill, spinach, kale, or arugula.
Oil – Choose a light-flavored oil – Canola oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil work too. You may not need all of the oil.
Nuts – Toast and cool the nuts for extra flavor. Pine nuts can be replaced with walnuts or almonds.
Refrigerate leftover pesto for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Calories: 153 | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 487IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dip, Dressing, Sauce
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
