Pesto is something that will always remind me of summer. For as long as I can remember, my nonna and mother always had large basil plants in their gardens. While it’s great for garnishing a dish or even tossing some leaves in a salad, nothing comes close to a fresh batch of homemade pesto. Basil leaves blended together with toasted pinenuts, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and freshly grated parmigiano.
Pesto has a beautiful fresh fragrance that can fill the kitchen, and its uses are vast. From a simple pasta (hot or cold), the base of a salad dressing, smeared on a sandwich, drizzled on soups, served with chicken or steak and MORE! Better yet, it’s a simple no-cook sauce without a lot of rules (depending on who you ask). Today, I am sharing the classic version but there are so many fun ways to make pesto using various herbs, nuts and oils!!
❤️ Why You’ll Love homemade Pesto
- A no-cook sauce – (besides quickly toasting the nuts ~ optional but SO delish) just toss all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Fresh and vibrant – this dish is fresh, bold, green and vibrant thanks to the fresh basil.
- SO many ways to use it – on pasta, on salads, on soups, on sandwiches, with proteins!
- Customizable – it’s classic with basil and pine nuts, but also delicious with parsley and mint or walnuts, almonds, or even pistachios.
🍲 Ingredients
Fresh Basil – the star of the show here!! Beautiful fresh basil leaves separated from the stem. (Though you can save the stem and throw it into a stock or a batch of tomato sauce.)
Pinenuts – these small buttery nuts are used in this classic recipe, but if you can’t find them or don’t love them, feel free to swap them for walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts!
Garlic – a little zing of fresh garlic brings a nice savory flavor to the sauce.
Lemon juice – brings freshness to this dish and also helps it stay a vibrant green color.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – the lovely earthy notes of olive oil pair so beautifully in this dish and bring the flavor to the next level.
Parmigiano Cheese – umami, nutty, and savory, the Parmigiano cheese brings it all together at the end.
Salt and Pepper – adjusted to taste.
👩🍳 How to Make Homemade Pesto
- Rinse the basil and dry it – pick the basil off the stem, give it a rinse and toss in a salad spinner til clean then let it dry or gently pat down with a clean dish towel or paper towel.
- Toast the nuts – place a small pan over medium heat and add the pinenuts. Cook, stirring every 30 seconds, until fragrant and golden brown.
- Blend the nuts and garlic – in a food process or blender, combine the toasted nuts, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Blitz until they are evenly sized into small pieces.
- Add the basil, lemon and stream in olive oil – to the food processor, add in basil, lemon and while it is turned on begin streaming in olive oil in a steady pace until it smooth and well blended.
- Add in the Parmigiano and adjust seasoning – transfer the pesto to a bowl and fold in the grated Parmigiano cheese. Taste, and adjust the seasoning adding more salt and pepper and necessary.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Make sure the basil is dried well – if the basil is still wet it’ll water down the pesto and cause it to turn dull and brown instead of staying vibrant green.
- Pulse, don’t puree – over-blending can heat the pesto and make it bitter. Instead, do quick pulses to keep it vibrant.
- Add cheese last – fold in Parmigiano by hand at the end for the best texture.
🗒 Variations
There are so many ways to make pesto your own! Here are some of my favs
🗒 Substitutions
Feel free to play with different herbs, nuts and cheeses!!
- Herbs – basil, mint, parsley, rosemary, oregano, cilantro
- Nuts – pinenuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnets
- Cheese – parmigiano, pecorino, manchego
🗒 Best served with
- Pasta
- Sandwiches
- Grilled chicken, steak or shrimp
- Drizzled on soups
- With eggs
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months!
🤔 Common Questions
Oxidation — prevent it by adding a splash of lemon juice and topping with olive oil before storing.
Absolutely. Portion into ice cube trays, freeze, then pop into a bag. Thaws quickly for pasta, eggs, or toast.
You can skip the cheese or use nutritional yeast for a similar savory note.
Homemade Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, or walnuts/almonds
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prep the basil: Pick leaves from the stems, rinse, and dry thoroughly.
- Toast the nuts: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast pine nuts for 2–3 minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove immediately.
- Blend base: In a food processor, pulse toasted nuts, garlic, and a pinch of salt until finely chopped.
- Add basil & lemon: Add basil (and lemon, if using), then pulse a few times.
- Stream in oil: With the machine running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until smooth but still textured.
- Finish with cheese: Transfer to a bowl, fold in Parmigiano, taste and adjust seasoning.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Worked great!