This homemade basil pesto takes five minutes and tastes nothing like the stuff in a jar. Fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, garlic, a squeeze of lemon, parmesan, and good olive oil in a food processor. Make a batch on Sunday and you’ll reach for it all week — on pasta, on pizza, on chicken, on a spoon.
This pesto is the base for baked pesto chicken, grilled chicken margherita, pesto roasted potatoes, lemon orzo pasta salad, salmon pesto pasta, and the summer orzo pasta salad. Once it’s in the fridge, you’ll find a use for it daily.
Why This Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe Works
Most recipes tell you to add everything at once and blend. This one builds in order, and that order matters more than you’d expect. The pine nuts and garlic go in first. The basil goes in last. That sequence keeps the basil from over-processing, which is what turns pesto brown and bitter instead of vibrant and fresh.
The lemon is the other thing. It’s not traditional, but it keeps the pesto greener longer and brightens the flavor in a way that makes people ask what’s different about yours.
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.
Homemade Pesto Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for this basil pesto recipe. Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Fresh basil: Two packed cups. Use bright green leaves and pull off any large stems. Wilted or yellowed leaves make the pesto flat.
- Pine nuts: Toasted. Two to three minutes in a dry pan over medium heat until golden. This step adds depth and nuttiness. Don’t skip it.
- Garlic: Two cloves. Raw garlic is sharp, so start with two. Add more once you taste it if you want.
- Lemon: Juice from half a lemon. Not traditional but it brightens everything and helps the pesto stay green longer.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated, using the fine holes on your grater. Pre-grated cheese won’t blend as smoothly.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Use a good one. This is the majority of the sauce.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Season after blending and taste as you go.
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.
- Toast the pine nuts: Add pine nuts to a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir for two to three minutes until golden. Watch closely — they go from golden to burnt in about 30 seconds.
- Blend the base: Add the toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and parmesan to the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, about one minute. Scrape down the sides.
- Add the basil: Add the fresh basil leaves on top and pulse for one to two minutes until you reach the consistency you like. I go slightly chunky, not completely smooth. Taste and adjust salt.
Success tip: Don’t over-process after you add the basil. Pulse in short bursts and stop when it looks right. Over-processing generates heat and oxidizes the basil, which turns it brown and bitter.
Pine Nut Substitutes
Pine nuts are classic but expensive and sometimes hard to find. Here’s what works:
Walnuts: The most common swap. Toast them the same way. They add a slightly earthier, more bitter note.
Pistachios: Slightly sweeter and a more vibrant green. Great in pesto.
Almonds: Blanched almonds are mild and blend smoothly.
Pumpkin seeds: For a nut-free version. Same texture, slightly earthier.
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.
What to Use Basil Pesto On
This pesto goes on everything. Here are the WMM recipes that use it:
- 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 or cottage cheese flatbread 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.
Storage + Freezing
Refrigerator: Store in a sealed jar with a thin layer of olive oil poured over the top to prevent browning. Keeps for up to one week.
Freezer: Spoon into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid, then transfer to a zip bag. Keeps for up to three months. Pull out a cube and thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Pro tip: Freeze it in small portions so you can thaw exactly what you need. One cube is about two tablespoons, which is perfect for a single serving of pasta.
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.
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This is my go-to recipe! Thank you!
You’re welcome!!
Pesto turns dark on upper layer in n hour, have to keep removing upper layer for application…
Doesn’t stay fresh … need to know reason
Hi there! The last step in the recipe says the following: Store leftover basil in a jar and drizzle olive oil on top to prevent it from turning brown. This should help!
Simple yet informative.. Looking forward to your next post!馃憤
Love this fresh and simple recipe! By this time in the summer, my basil plants have taken over the garden and I am always looking for ways to use it up. This is just perfect and I love changing up the nuts. It is delicious with walnuts as well!
#whatwemade
Thanks Adrienne!!
Just made as part of #whatwemade and turned out great! I froze in an ice cube tray to have perfect little serving sizes!
Thanks Alison!
Delicious! There is something so satisfying about making your own pesto, and this recipe makes it super simple. We used for homemade pizzas. #WhatWeMade
Thank you Olivia! I agree!
I could eat this by the spoonful it is so good! I have put this on everything: salad, rice bowls, noodles, chicken, etc. Bookmarking this recipe for sure.
Delicious!
#whatwemade
Haha I love this. Thank you so much Molly!