This homemade basil pesto recipe is super simple and the flavors of basil, tasty pine nuts, zingy lemon, and Parmesan will have your taste buds singing!
Wanna taste some Italian magic right in your own kitchen? No problem, we’ve got you covered with the only basil pesto recipe you’ll ever need. Say arrivederci to the store-bought stuff and ciao to this incredible, easy-to-make, and oh-so-fresh homemade basil pesto!
Picture yourself chilling on a balcony in Tuscany, taking in the scent of herbs and olive oil. Sounds amazing, right? Well, with just a few ingredients and a blender or food processor, you can have that Italian vibe right at home! And don’t worry, even if you’re new to cooking, this recipe is a breeze.
Basil pesto doesn’t just taste like a dream, it’s also super versatile. You can use it in so many different ways – mix it into pasta, drizzle over grilled veggies, or spread it on some crusty bread for a to-die-for crostini. Yum!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Pesto adds vibrant color to so many dishes; it sure knows how to brighten up our meals, doesn’t it? For a tasty variant, you might want to try this Chicken Pesto Pasta.
- It’s funny how kids are, especially mine – they just can’t get enough of pesto. Here’s a great Pesto Chicken recipe to delight them even more.
- Talk about a fab way to use up all that leftover basil or other herbs from past meals we sometimes end up with. Why not make a Basil Mint Dressing?
Ingredients
Just a few fresh ingredients (plus cheese!) go into this delicious sauce.
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
How to Make Homemade Basil Pesto – The Steps
Step 1: Place the garlic, pine nuts, lemon, salt, and pepper into the blender and blend for 30 seconds.
Step 2: Put the basil in and blend for another few seconds.
Step 3: Put the grated Parmesan in and let the blender run while you drizzle the olive oil in. This way you can stop adding olive oil if you feel like you have the consistency you like.
Variations
Everyone knows about basil pesto. It’s a classic. However, there are plenty of variations of this recipe you can make!
- Sun-dried tomato pesto: Instead of basil, add some sun-dried tomatoes to your pesto for a slightly acidic, rich, and delicious alternative. The red color really pops.
- Spinach pesto: You can either swap the basil out for spinach, or add spinach into this recipe to bulk it out. The flavor is less intense but it’s a great, light sauce that helps incorporate more veggies into your diet.
- Red pepper pesto: Add a chopped red bell pepper into this recipe. The result is a vibrant and fresh sauce with a touch of sweetness.
- Vegan pesto: Making this pesto vegan is easy! Typically, walnuts or cashews are incorporated to add the creamy flavor that Parmesan would normally provide. You could also use a dairy-free Parmesan cheese alternative. And if you decide to make a larger meal out of it, consider the easy baked Boursin cheese tomato TikTok pasta for a twist on a classic.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many things you can serve pesto with. Be it on pasta, as the sauce base on a pizza, or over some veggies, this is truly one of the most versatile recipes out there. You can also try it slathered over a protein like steak, chicken, fish, or pork chops.
FAQs
No pine nuts? No problem! You can experiment with other nuts or seeds like walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, or even pumpkin seeds. Just remember, using different nuts might change the taste a bit.
Even without a blender or food processor, you can still make pesto – just use a mortar and pestle to grind everything together. This old-school method might give you a coarser texture, but you’ll still end up with an irresistibly tasty homemade basil pesto.
The reason basil pesto turns brown is because of oxidation, which happens when chopped basil leaves meet air. To keep that lovely green color, just cover the pesto surface with a thin layer of olive oil before sealing it up.
How to Store Homemade Basil Pesto
Leftover pesto is best kept in a resealable glass jar or airtight plastic container. If possible, fill the container up as high as you can to avoid sealing in any excess air. Then, drizzle some olive oil over the top and seal, which prevents the oxidization effect. It should last about a week in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze your pesto. I like to pour it into ice cube trays for perfect portioning later on, just wrap some saran wrap over the top before freezing and use it within 6 months. To defrost, simply leave your cubes of pesto in the refrigerator overnight, or you can add them straight into your recipe.
Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ½ lemon juiced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the garlic, pine nuts, lemon, salt, and pepper into the blender and blend for 30 seconds.
- Put the basil in and blend for another few seconds.
- Put the grated Parmesan in and let the blender run while you drizzle the olive oil in, this way you can stop adding olive oil if you feel like you have the consistency you like.
Nutrition
