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This homemade basil pesto is a deliciously versatile condiment made from a handful of simple ingredients. It comes together in minutes and its so much better than store bought.
Add it to pasta, pizza, caprese salads, roasted potatoes, chicken, and even on a breakfast sandwich. I especially love it in salmon pesto pasta, grilled chicken margherita, or orzo pasta salad.
Pesto alla genovese is traditionally made with mortar and pestle to press the herbs, garlic, and pine nuts together. It gets its name from pestar, which means to pound in Italian.
And just like a classic basil pesto recipe, this one uses all the best pesto ingredients like fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, parmesan, and a quality extra virgin olive oil.
Adding fresh herbs is the quickest way to level up a dish. Use up your garden basil to batch this 10-minute condiment—it’s incredibly easy to store and freeze! It makes it so easy to whip up a weeknight pesto recipe—I’ve listed my favorites below!
Pesto Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for this basil pesto recipe. Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Basil: pesto is the best way to use up a surplus of garden basil. Don’t have a garden? I like to use little basil plants (living basil) from the grocery store, or grab some from the farmers market. You can even use frozen basil in a pinch.
- Pine nuts: these are traditional and yield a really smooth and creamy pesto because they’re high in fat. They can be expensive, so my favorite swap is walnuts. Toast them first to bring out the flavors!
- Parmesan: it’s a little salty and creamy. If you’re vegan or dairy-free, try nutritional yeast.
- Fresh garlic: it’s small, but a mighty aromatic component. You need this for the best basil pesto!
- Lemon juice: this balances out the rich fats from oil and pine nuts. It also thins it out a bit!
- Salt: balances any bitterness from the basil. The parmesan is salty, so start with less and add more as needed.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: it’s the highest quality olive oil from the first pressing of the olives. With so much olive oil in this recipe, using quality olive oil is a chance to level up your homemade pesto. I like California Olive Ranch from the grocery store. Deep dive into olive oil 101 to find your favorite!
How to Make Basil Pesto
Here are the simple steps to make homemade basil in a few minutes with food processor or blender. Jump to the recipe card for the full instructions.
- Blend the pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and parmesan cheese in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the fresh basil leaves and blend again, until it’s broken down completely and the pesto turns a lush dark green color. Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Add a splash more olive oil to reach your desired consistency.
What Can I Use Instead of Pine Nuts?
Pine nuts are notoriously expensive, so if you prefer something else or can’t find them, try walnuts, almond, or pistachios instead of pine nuts in this pesto. To make nut-free, use hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds (pepitas).
More Pesto Variations
- Another herb: add in mint, cilantro, or parsley instead of basil.
- Mix in greens: try try arugula pesto or add in some kale or zucchini to mix it up.
- Roasted garlic: use a few cloves of roasted garlic instead of fresh.
- Dairy-free/vegan: replace the parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast.
How to Use Homemade Pesto
If you need ideas, here are the many ways to use basil pesto:
- Pesto pasta: Use it as a sauce over cooked pasta, like tortellini, penne or even spaghetti squash. You’ll love it in this burrata pasta.
- Pizza: use it in place of the sauce on this homemade sheet pan pizza.
- Vegetables: toss it with vegetables before roasting. It’s delicious with roasted broccoli and carrots, pesto roasted potatoes, and roasted mini peppers.
- Stir in soup: Swirl a tablespoon or two into Italian meatball soup or corn chowder.
- Pesto sandwich: spread it on toasted bread with your favorite cheese, meat, lettuce, and tomato.
- With eggs: add some to a pan then scramble or fry eggs. You’ll love it on fluffy egg sandwiches or cheesy breakfast sliders.
- Pesto marinade: place it in a plastic bag and use it as a chicken marinade or salmon marinade, then grill or bake it.
- Spoon over salads: spoon it over caprese salad or tomato peach burrata salad.
- Mix into dressings: Add fresh flavor to homemade dressings with a Tablespoon or two of basil pesto. It’s amazing in the dressing for summer orzo salad, grilled zucchini salad, grilled peach salad, or summer corn salad.
- As a topping: spoon it over cooked chicken, fish, eggs, or veggies. You’ll love this pesto chicken and grilled chicken margherita.
How to Store Basil Pesto
Transfer leftover pesto to a mason jar and drizzle a layer of olive oil on top. This will prevent it from turning brown. Seal it tightly and store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Pour or spoon the extra olive oil off before using.
Can You Freeze It?
You can freeze basil pesto for up 6 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before you use it. Here are two options:
- In a jar: cover with a layer of olive oil and freeze. This is great if you plan to use all of the olive oil in one large dish, like pasta.
- In ice cube trays: pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid, 1-2 hours, just like freezing fresh basil. Transfer to freezer bags. Thaw ice cubes individually to use a little bit of pesto at a time. I
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Basil Pesto Recipe
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Ingredients
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts
- Juice from 1/2 lemon (1 1/2 Tablespoons)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup quality extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
- 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups basil leaves
Instructions
- Add the pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and parmesan cheese to a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend until smooth with some chunks left, about 1 minute.½ cup toasted pine nuts, Juice from 1/2 lemon, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt, Black pepper to taste, 1/3 cup quality extra-virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- Add the fresh basil and blend again, 1-2 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. You can add up to 2 Tablespoons more of olive oil for a thinner pesto sauce.2 cups basil leaves
- Store leftover basil in a jar and drizzle olive oil on top to prevent it from turning brown. Pesto stays fresh for up to 2 weeks. Freeze the jar for up to 6 months or freeze in ice cube trays for individual servings. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Notes
Equipment
- Food processor or high-speed blender (I used my Vitamix ONE)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
