Classic Basil Pesto

Fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil – these simple ingredients combine to make a fresh and flavorful pesto you can use in many ways. It’s wonderful tossed with hot pasta or use it as a salad dressing, sandwich spread, or mix it into sauces.

Basil pesto is an Italian sauce with basil leaves, pinenuts, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino cheese, and olive oil. Traditionally, the ingredients are crushed and combined using a mortar and pestle, creating a vibrant green sauce that is most often tossed with pasta, although there are many ways to use it.

If you’ve ever searched for a pesto recipe, you probably noticed there are many recipes that use different ingredients and are still called “pesto.” For non-purists, like yours truly, pretty much anything that combines fresh herbs or greens, nuts, garlic, cheese, and olive oil, is also a pesto. That flexibility opens up a whole world of opportunities to create different flavor combinations.

How to Make It

But today, we’re starting with the classic: a simple basil pesto recipe. It’s a quick five-minute operation with a few adjustments to make it easy. Instead of a mortar and pestle, I blend it all in a food processor and add a touch of lemon for sunny brightness. It adds a little zing that amplifies all the flavors.

Carrot Top Pesto | Walnut Pesto | Roasted Garlic Pesto | Beet Tops Pesto | Spinach Parsley Pesto

Easy Pesto Recipe

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Homemade pesto is so easy to make and goes with so many things. Toss it with pasta, spread it on sandwiches, use it to make salad dressing, or mix it with cream cheese for your morning bagel. 

• Author: April Anderson
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Sauces
• Method: Blend
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (see note)
• Juice and zest of 1/2 of a small lemon (see note)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 of a cup of olive oil (see note)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Place the basil, garlic, cheese, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, and salt in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Pulse a few times until the ingredients create a paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed.
2. Slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture while the food processor is running. If needed, stop to scrape the sides to ensure everything is incorporated. Give the pesto a taste and adjust the salt if needed. Depending on how thick or thin you want your pesto, you may need to adjust the amount of olive oil.

Notes

Pesto will keep in the refrigerator for five to seven days, although it may darken in color as it sits.

You can double or triple this recipe and freeze the extra pesto for up to three months. This is a great way to save summer-fresh basil pesto. I like to freeze it in an ice cube tray with a layer of olive oil on top of each cube. Once frozen, adding the cubes to sauces and soup is easy.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
• Calories: 212
• Sugar: 0.2g
• Fat: 21.4g
• Carbohydrates: 3.3g
• Fiber: 1.3g
• Protein: 3.4g

The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.

Variations

• Nuts: Pine nuts are pricey, so sometimes I switch them out for almonds or walnuts. You can also use pecans or skip the nuts and use sunflower seeds. It changes the flavor a bit but tastes delicious, and it’s a little easier on the wallet. A lot of recipes call for toasting the nuts first. It brings out the flavor and natural oils, but it’s optional in my book.
• Cheese: Try substituting Asiago or Pecorino Romano cheese for the Parmesan cheese. Pestos work best with aged hard cheese that is salty.
• There really isn’t a substitution for garlic, but I’ve used roasted garlic in place of raw, and it’s delicious.
• If you want to get creative, you can swap out the basil leaves for other green tender herbs like parsley and cilantro. Or, try using fresh spinach or arugula in combination with basil or another herb.
• You can also add a kick of heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes or freshly ground black pepper when you serve it.

Different Ways to Use It

Pesto tossed with hot pasta is one of the easiest dinners ever, but you can use it like a condiment, add it to sauces and soups, or use it as a spread.

• Mix it with cream cheese for your morning bagel.
• Use it to flavor soup or add it to tomato sauces when you want a herby punch of flavor.
• Spread it on sandwiches and wraps like you would mustard or mayo.
• Spoon it over grilled fish, chicken, or beef.
• Use it to make pesto pasta salad or as a dressing for tossed salads.
• Toss it with roasted potatoes, zucchini, and other veggies for a simple side dish.

This is such a simple recipe that can be adapted and used in so many ways. I hope you try it soon!

Happy pesto-making 🌿

More Easy Sauces

This post has been updated from the archives. First published in May 2016.