Swap the store-bought pesto for this EASY Homemade Basil Pesto! This Pesto recipe comes together in minutes using just 6 simple ingredients. More importantly, this basil pesto has the best flavor.
![Homemade Basil Pesto Jar of prepared basil pesto next to toasted bread.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Homemade-Pesto.jpg)
When it comes to dinner, my motto is to keep it simple, yet wholesome and flavorful. And there is NO better ingredient to turn to to impart huge flavor to your meals than Basil Pesto!
From Tortellini Skewers to Baked Pesto Chicken to Pesto Pasta to Pesto Pizza, basil pesto reigns supreme when it comes to easy flavorful meals.
And while you can certainly purchase store-bought pesto, homemade pesto is one of the easiest recipes EVER to make yourself and the flavor is a million times better than any premade pesto!
Reasons to Love Homemade Basil Pesto
- The Best Flavor. Nothing can compare to the flavor of freshly made pesto. It is herbaceous, salty, bright, and cheesy.
- Minimal Ingredients. This pesto recipe is made with just 6 ingredients, not counting salt and pepper.
- Easy to Make. It only takes 5 minutes to make this pesto, making it an insanely fast and simple recipe.
- Quality Control. Not only does using fresh ingredients result in the best-tasting pesto, but you also leave the added sodium, preservatives, and added sugar on the shelf.
- Perfect Use for Basil. Do you have an abundance of fresh basil? The best way to highlight basil's vibrant flavor and preserve this herb is to use it to make pesto.
- Adaptable. When making homemade pesto, you can prepare it how YOU want it. I have provided modifications to make this pesto dairy-free and even nut-free.
Ingredients in Basil Pesto
![Easy Pesto Recipe Ingredients for basil pesto labeled on counter.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Easy-Homemade-Pesto.jpg)
Because pesto is made with only a few ingredients, it is best to pay attention to the quality of ingredients, as they will greatly influence the overall flavor of your pesto sauce.
- Basil: Use fresh sweet basil, not Thai basil when making pesto sauce at home. Sweet basil has a fresh flavor, with mild hints of pepper, mint, and anise, while Thai basil is much more pungent in flavor and can quickly overwhelm the other ingredients in pesto. Sweet basil is the easiest to find in grocery stores and many of you may even be lucky to have it growing in your garden.
- Pine Nuts: Pine nuts are classic in traditional pesto recipes. They have a mild, nutty, buttery flavor, and are the perfect base for a rich pesto. That said, pine nuts can be pricey, so I have included substitutions below.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic, not jarred minced garlic is best when making pesto. You can also adjust the number of fresh garlic cloves based on how garlicky you like your pesto.
- Parmesan Cheese: Use good quality parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese when making pesto. It is best to freshly grate the cheese yourself or purchase grated parmesan from the refrigerated deli section. This is not the time to use a canister of parmesan cheese.
- Olive Oil: Use good quality extra-virgin olive oil. I do not recommend substituting any other oil in its place.
How to Make Basil Pesto
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Toast Pine Nuts
Toasting the pine nuts will help them to release their natural oils and enhance their nutty, buttery flavors. It only takes a couple of minutes and makes a huge impact on the final product.
![Easy Pesto Recipe Toasted pine nuts in small skillet next to fresh basil.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Recipe-Homemade-Pesto.jpg)
Process Pine Nuts and Garlic
Using a food processor fitted with an s-blade, process the pine nuts, basil, garlic, and parmesan with the salt, pepper and lemon juice until broken down and well combined.
![Recipe Basil Pesto Ingredients for basil pesto in food processor before processing together.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Recipe-Basil-Pesto.jpg)
Drizzle in Oil
While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady small stream. Doing so helps the olive oil emulsify into the other ingredients and keeps it from separating.
![Pesto with Basil Side by side photo of food processor while adding oil through the shoot and after being processed together.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Best-Basil-Pesto.jpg)
Serving Suggestions for Basil Pesto
Homemade Pesto adds flavor to endless dishes. Below are a few of my favorite ways to use this flavorful condiment.
- Pesto Pasta: Toss 8 ounces of cooked pasta with ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid and ¼ cup of the prepared pesto for a quick and easy dinner.
- Baked Pesto Chicken: Spread chicken with pesto sauce and cheese and bake for a fast and flavorful chicken dinner.
- Pesto Toast: Use pesto to spread on toast or as a dip for freshly baked Italian bread.
- As a Dip: Serve with Antipasto Skewers for a party appetizer everyone will love!
- Pesto Eggs: Add a teaspoon or two of prepared pesto to scrambled eggs before cooking--insanely delicious!
- Pesto Pizza: Spread pizza dough with a thin layer of the prepared pesto instead of pizza sauce for a flavorful spin on pizza night.
- As a Sandwich Spread: Use pesto to bump up the flavor in a sandwich. I personally love spreading pesto on thickly sliced bread and topping it with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella and then grilling. It is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches.
- As a Marinade: Pesto is also great as a marinade. Toss chicken or shrimp with a bit of pesto and let marinade for 2-3 hours and then cook or grill as desired. So fast and flavorful!
![The Best Pesto Recipe Basil Pesto spread on toasted baquette next to jar of pesto sauce.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Easy-Pesto-Recipe.jpg)
Modifications & Flavor Variations
- Nuts: Instead of pine nuts, use cashews for a similar flavor profile. Walnuts or pistachios are also delicious options.
- Nut-Free Pesto: Use raw pepitas and toast as you would the pine nuts before preparing the pesto.
- Herbs: Basil is classic in pesto, but parsley and cilantro are also delicious bases for pesto that lend a completely different flavor profile. I also really like to use arugula in place of the basil myself.
- Dairy-Free/Vegan Pesto: Simply omit the parmesan cheese or use nutritional yeast in place of the parmesan.
- Oil-Free Pesto: Classic Pesto is made with a lot of oil. However, I have had success using 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth paired with 1 ripe avocado for a creamy, smooth, rich pesto. I have also used ¼ cup of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) with success as well.
- Add Flavor: Feel free to add in additional garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, a pinch of red pepper flakes, or roasted red peppers for a nice boost of flavor.
- Add Greens: Feel free to add up to 2 cups of chopped kale leaves to this pesto, keeping in mind you will need additional olive oil to account for the added greens.
How to Store Homemade Pesto
Fresh basil pesto lasts for up to a week in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.
- To Refrigerate: Once the pesto has been prepared, transfer it to a jar that can be fitted with an airtight lid. I recommend drizzling pesto with a thin layer of olive oil which will help to keep the pesto's vibrant green color intact. Homemade pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- To Freeze: If you are not planning to use your pesto within 7 days, I highly recommend freezing it to preserve its fresh flavor and minimize food waste. My favorite way to freeze pesto is to scoop it by the tablespoon into an ice cube tray. Once the cubes of pesto have been frozen solid, remove them from the ice tray, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. The cubes will thaw quickly and each yields 1 tablespoon of pesto.
More Homemade Condiments & Sauces
- Homemade Chia Jam
- Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Homemade Buffalo Sauce
- Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
- Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce
- Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
If you tried this recipe for Basil Pesto, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
![Jar of prepared basil pesto next to toasted bread.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Pesto-Recipe-360x360.jpg)
Basil Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 large lemon
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups basil leaves
- ¼-⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil more for a smoother pesto
Instructions
- Place the pine nuts in a dry skillet. Toast them over medium-low heat, tossing frequently, just until the nuts begin to toast and you smell them. This will only take 3-5 minutes. Remove the nuts from the heat and let cool slightly.
- Place the cooled nuts into a food processor, fitted with an s-blade. Add in the basil, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and pulse until everything is evenly combined and the broken down. Open the food processor, scrape the sides down and
- With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until combined. For a smoother pesto, add more olive oil.
- Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve as desired.
- To store pesto, transfer the pesto to a small glass jar and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil to cover the top of the pesto (this will keep the pesto a vibrant green), cover, and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Sam
Absolutely loved how this pesto turned out. Such great color too.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed and thanks for sharing 🙂
Taylor
What can be used instead of a food processor? I don’t have one!
Kristen Chidsey
A blender will work as well. If you don't have a blender, you can chop everything really finely and whisk well.
Marie
Easy and delicious! Thank you!
Nicki Smith
Perfect! I doubled the recipe. Ended up with six large cubes to freeze. I used the end-of-summer basil from my garden. Very easy recipe that will make you throw rocks at store-bought.
Kristen Chidsey
YAY! SO happy you enjoyed this pesto recipe so much! It is SO much better than store-bought in my opinion as well.
Becky
This might be a weird question, but where did you get your cute little jar for the pesto? I need some good sauce jars 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
That is not a weird question! It is hard to find "cute" jars. This jar, which you can find on Amazon is actually not designed for sauces, as it has a corked lid, but I loved it for pictures. For storage, I typically use small canning jars or these jars with tight fitting lids. They look almost identical to the ones in the photo, without the rimmed edge for the lid.
Katherine
This is the perfect, classic basil pesto! Sooo much better than store bought.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Love how easy this recipe is.
Beth
I made a huge batch of this pesto yesterday, some to give, some to use now, and some to freeze. It was easy to make and very delicious! I'm going to try it on your pesto chicken recipe next. Thank you for the recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
You are so welcome! I love to hear you enjoyed the pesto and I know you will love the chicken as well.
Suzy Applegate
Unless I’m not reading the recipe correctly I do not see the amount of Parmesan to add to the recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Suzy 🙂 The recipe calls for 1/3 cup. Enjoy!
Stella
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