Easy Homemade Pesto
No need for store-bought pesto anymore. This recipe is so easy with just 5 ingredients. And it takes just 5 min to make too!
I somehow always have extra basil on hand so I’ve found myself making pesto on a weekly basis. It’s one of the easiest things to make – with the help of a food processor – and it requires so little ingredients! Plus, having a jar of pesto in your fridge is always a life saver for those busy weeknights. All you have to do is cook up some pasta, slather on that pesto and sprinkle on some Parmesan. Done and done.
Now if you’re used to store-bought pesto, believe me when I tell you that this homemade version will change your life. It’s just so much more vibrant and fresh, and you can control exactly how runny or thick you want your pesto to be. Just be sure to add more olive oil until your desired consistency is reached.
I should also tell you that this is best made when using a food processor, not a blender. I have tried using a blender and the consistency just isn’t the same. And I know that pine nuts (also called pignolias) can be a bit pricey but one small 8-ounce bag of pine nuts will last you a lifetime. And it gives you an excuse to make more pesto for next time!
Easy Homemade Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- To make the pesto, combine basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Did you make this recipe?
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Made pesto mixed with spaghetti it was nice
If making a large batch, how long would it last in the fridge?
Slightly toasting both the garlic and pine nuts ups the flavour incredibly.
Delicious! I used walnuts, toasted them and let them sit until cool before blending. Fresh garden basil and organic garlic as well as EVOO made this recipe a huge hit!
Dang this is good! Just made it from fresh basil from my garden. I toasted the pine nuts and it just turned out incredible. First time making it and I will continue to use this recipe going forward.
I have made this pesto normally many times now, but my cousin can never eat it because he has an olive allergy. Last time making it, I decided to use a mixture of butter (melted it, let it cool and added that slowly like a hollandaise) and a small amount of avocado oil. The regular pesto is robust and delicious but the butter pesto is creamy and dreamy! Now, I make both in my house.
I’ve made it now with basil, arugala, culantro, and combos. I’ve used both pine nuts and walnuts. All good!
Great recipe but be careful on the salt!!! I didn’t account for the saltiness of the parmasean and it came out too salty. I saved it by making another batch with no salt and combining and it was perfect.
very delicious, i did not use the pine nuts, did not have any on hand.
question can i make this recipe with wild garlic instead of basil?
You can make anything with anything. Don’t ask just try. You are only limited by your own imagination.
Delicious. And simple.
Love it! Goes with bread and pasta.
The sauce was excellent! my family and I enjoyed it! It goes well with noodles I would definitely make it again it is simple as well as terrific I would rate this sauce as a crowd pleaser!
Perfect! I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! My family loved it. I followed your recipe exactly. Chungah – every recipe of yours that I have made so far was outstanding! I feel so thrilled that I found your site and that I am cooking beautiful and delicious meals because of you! Thank you!!
Very easy pesto to make. Too much garlic for our tastes in the recipe but will just put less in next time.
This was delicious and easy. Next time I might add a little more grated parmesan cheese, maybe. I can’t wait to make it again.
Can anyone give me an idea of how much lemon juice they put in? I wanna put some in but I don’t want to put too much in because I don’t like it when it tastes too lemony. Thanks
Juice a lemon or 2, then add slowly to the Pesto, until you have a lemon taste you like! I personally like to great a little lemon zest because you get an intenser flavor without making the pesto thinner.
Can I make pesto sauce without using parmesan cheese?
I make mine using noosh because my daughter has a dairy allergy. It’s not quite the same but definitely adds some umami taste. Then my husband and I top our dish with the Parmesan so we can get the full flavor. She loves it tho and doesn’t know any difference! Use noosh 1:1 for Parmesan. Good luck!!
Can you freeze this recipe?
I love freezing pesto. I use a silicone icecube tray then pop them out into a container for the freezer. It makes it super easy to toss in with hot pasta.
Hey! Love this recipe and have made it several times now. Q: does it really only last one week?? I’ve had mine over a month now and it’s still good. Right?
Excellent and so easy
My go to recipe for pesto..I plant a lot of basil so make pesto and freeze it..only difference in recipe is I use pistachio nuts instead of pine nuts..I think they give it more flavor and are a heck of a lot cheaper lol..and I add a squeeze of lemon juice for some freshness..excellent recipe..thank you..
Perfect recipe for pesto. This pesto was delicious. I used fresh Reggiano Parmigiano cut out of a wheel of cheese from a great Italian cheese shop on Arthur Ave. in the Bronx, NY. Don’t leave out the Parmigiano cheese! Use all fresh ingredients and you will be blown away by this recipe. I also used fresh garlic and fresh basil from my garden and Olio Carli extra virgin olive oil. Amazing!
just made a batch, only used toasted almonds, instead of pine nuts, i believe it will give an extra crunchiness in the bite.
Amazing
I was cutting back my basil plant and decided to make pesto. I have not made pesto in years, but this recipe is a snap. Mmmm pasta al pesto tonight! Thanks for your recipe.
I made the recipe exactly as it was written, so my review is credible. In my opinion, anyone who rates this recipe after they have made changes to it, is giving a dishonest review. This serves no one. Especially people who rely on ratings to help them decide whether or not they want to invest their ingredients in making a recipe. In my opinion, I felt that this recipe was good. The ratios were effective at producing a tasty pesto. I think, though, as others have suggested here, that the recipe needs a little bit of enhancement and that lemon juice would likely be the perfect addition to enhance all of the flavors. I will make this recipe again and next time I will add lemon.
I just made it and had the same thought. Out to the market for lemons now!
thank you for being honest Mimi. I’m going to make this and add the lemon!
We are Asian and located at the heart of South East Asia and this is a very Western recipe. when my son requested pesto pasta, i started looking for pesto sauce but found this recipe instead! It’s reallyyy lovely.. the freshness and the texture of the sauce are much better than store bought!! The kids fell in love!
May I know which type of basil is good for pesto ? Can I use sweet basil ?
Been making this for years with my dad. We use toasted sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts.
Never have pine nut in hand so I used walnuts almonds and cashews hope you don’t mind. Wonderful thks for the test of receipe .Thumbs up!
Hi, may I know if there’s any way I could thicken the pesto sauce?
I haven’t made this yet I just had a question. Is Parmesan necessary? Because I have all the other ingredients just not parm. Will it be okay if I just skip that step or should I pick some up before I make it
I can not eat Parmesan cheese, so can you leave it out.
So good. I used 4 cups basil leaves and expanded the other ingredients proportionately. Will freeze half for the cold brutal winter. I use cauliflower pasta (delicious).
Insanely delicious. I will definitely be making this again.
Once I make this, how long can it be kept refrigerated for?
I could drink this basil pesto! So delicious and easy to make – made it in my Ninja Chopper and ate it tonight on baked chicken and otherwise boring rice and the rest is going on pasta this weekend.
recipe says 1 week in refrigerator, I freeze mine.
This is SO delicious and very easy to make. I took the advice of some of the reviewers. I only used two decent-sized garlic cloves, walnuts in place of the pine nuts and added a little lemon juice. I blended it all in my mini Cuisinart food processor. I had half of it over some homemade ricotta gnocchi that I had in the freezer. This is better than any store-bought pesto that I’ve had. Thanks for this keeper recipe!
needs lemon juice. Quick freezing tip: pesto does not keep long in the fridge. do not add the cheese, freeze in ice cube trays, then put in a ziplock. Take out when you need and add cheese when thawed. Amazing in chicken salad sandwiches and potato salad too. Many thanks!
Love it! I really appreciate this simple recipe! So easy and yummy! 😉
I could never make a good pesto so I gave up making pesto for years but ….. Finally a really easy and damn delusion pesto!
Excellent!!! Just perfect. Simple and easy. My family love it ❤️
This recipe was great! We didn’t have any pine nuts or a food processor– we didn’t use any pine nuts and used a blender instead— but it still turned out amazing!
Easy and delicious.
Delicious! We made it with vegan Parmesan cheese and paired it with (Vegan) buttery sautéed tomatoes and (beyond beef) Swedish Meatballs and it tasted amazing! Thank you so much! Great simple recipe! We plan on making this many more times in the future! I didn’t change the recipe at all (with exception of cheese) and it was perfect just the way you shared! Much appreciation!
Melody,
Thank you so much for the vegan alternatives!! It was a absolutely fantastic over pasta – as well as a spread on toasted sourdough bread. Always appreciate the extra time people take to post suggestions.
What a fantastic recipe – thank you so much!!
My basil plant was going nuts so I made a triple batch of this. The only changes I made were a little less garlic and I squeezed in half a lemon. It made 2 cups worth. I froze two baggies of pesto and used the rest for a capresi pasta salad. Delicious! My 9 year old loved it!
Super delicious!!
Excellent and so easy to make! I used pecans and it was delicious.
Delicious and easy!
I didn’t have pignoli nuts so I used walnuts. Worked out wonderfully!
amazing fab, delish, recipe
It came out too garlicky. I wish I only did 2 cloves of garlic. Maybe they were too big. Other than that it’s good. I might use it for a garlic bread.
loved this recipe absolutely perfect!!
Delicious – I used walnuts instead of pine nuts & squeezed half a lemon in it!
Loved it. I used almonds instead. Thank you!
Incredible and outstanding: will make some more when I next harvest my basil . We all loved it.
Incredible and outstanding: will make some more when I next harvest my basil
Easy recipe and so good, you can also freeze it in tiny containers and use as needed!
Made pesto for the first time last summer, using this recipe. I brought it to a friends bbq and it received rave reviews. I topped homegrown cucumbers with homegrown tomatoes and the pesto, sprinkled a little parm on top and served. I also cut up a baguette and topped it with the pesto. So refreshing and delicious on a hot summer day. Easy and quick to make. Thanks for the recipe.
Quick, easy, delicious!
Great! Straight forward instructions, excellent result. I intend to use some on baked fish. Thank you.
This Recipe was amazin, Best Pesto ever!!!!
Hi there! I have been in search for the perfect pesto recipe and now I have found it! Delicious! The perfect combination of ingredients. Thank you for sharing! Happy family. I plan on using the leftover pesto sauce on grilled caprese sandwiches tomorrow.
First time I ever made pesto! It was easy, and delicious. Best ever, so far…. I never give anything five stars unless it sends me into outer space!
Never made before, butsound good.
I have a question. When it says store in airtight container for up to a week, does that mean you cant use it until the week has passed?
No, it means that it will remain fresh and useable for a week. I suggest making the pesto as described and pouring it into preferably soft pliable plastic ice cube trays and freezing it right away. That way, you can store the prepared cubed pesto and strong plastic container in the freezer and take it out as needed. Someone suggested adding a squeeze of fresh lemon to the pesto when you’re making it. I have not tried that yet, but it sounds good. Good luck with your cooking!
Made this but needed to sub the garlic for garlic powder and used Kraft parmesan cheese! I don’t have a food processor but my blender worked just fine. It still came out really good! I added the pesto to some rotini and added some white mushrooms to the mix and it was delicious! I can’t wait to try it with actual garlic and fresh parmesan.
Substitute for pine nuts???
Sunflower seeds,pistachios or almonds.
Choose the nut that you like best as a substitute. I like walnuts best.
Great recipe! I have made it yesterday and everyone in my home sweet home totally loved it! Thanks for sharing
It was a very easy recipe and delicious .thank you for the easy recipe.
Amazing made this tonight with gnocchi and chicken!!
Tastes really good, but do I have to store it for 1 week in the refrigerator. Can I use it like after 1 hour of making it?
Hey Victoria,
You can use it right away. The comment about storing it in the fridge is just saying it will go bad after a week.
It won’t necessarily go bad, it is just best used within the week.
Thanks for recepe, will try to make it, but now difficult to find ingredients many things not in the stor
I’m making this for the opposite reason: they kept not having the pre-made one in stock!
Thank you. Will enjoy tonight!
Love your recipes.
Very simple and concise step by step procedure. Will make this for sure and my family will love it.
love ur easy to read recipets. thk u.
All I can say is perfect Totally the best.
I used this recipe the best i ever ate love it make it almost once a week
This was awesome, though admittedly I used this recipe as a base. I didn’t have a lot of basil, so i used mostly spinach with SOME basil. I also didn’t have pine nuts, so i subbed walnuts. But holy moly it was good! I used some of the leftovers today to make a vinaigrette, so i’m pretty stoked to have my salad for lunch!
I have two question.
#1 – I am from Indonesia and basil in our country is smaller in size but stronger in flavour. How to adjust this recipe. If I was to use the whole cup of local basil for this recipe, I think the aroma of basil will be overpowering. If I decrease the amount, will I still get good consistency and colour? #2 – in my country pine nut is just ridiculously expensive. Can I substitute it with cashew or peanut, or just omit it? Thank you.
Hi Daniel! Unfortunately, I am not familiar with basil in Indonesia so I cannot really say how much the recipe will change with increasing or decreasing the amount of basil. Additionally, pine nuts is key for a very good pesto so I do not recommend substituting. Hope this answers your questions. Good luck!
Hi , you can replace pinenut with pistachios , it will offcourse wont taste siimilar like originally with pinenut but still taste good as usually i make it with pistachio as pinenut is expensive and not available always at my place.Hope this helps
Absolutely delicious! I substituted pumpkin seeds for the pine nuts because I have an allergy and I could not taste the difference, just as yummy. I’ve also used walnuts in the past and these worked perfectly.
It won’t necessarily go bad, it is just best used within the week.
Yet well it’s very good
Thank you sooo much for sharing this recipe. It’s amazingly good. Way better than store bought pesto sauce.
So I just finished making this about 10 minutes ago. I couldn’t wait to try it so I grabbed a teaspoon and ate a spoonful of it. I found it to be very spicy and overpowering with garlic, however, I decided to take a tablespoonful of it and spread it on a piece of bread instead of eating it by itself and it was excellent. I would totally make this again and again. I would however probably use smaller clubs of garlic just so that it wasn’t so overpowering.
Just made this pesto, it is delicious, so easy to make all done in a food processor, takes about 10 minutes.
OMG! Such a great recipe! I have made this last night! The taste was so great as it looks! Thanks a lot for sharing with us.
I made it, really easy to prepare, tastes fantastic.
Delicious, quick and easy!
Delicious! And incredibly easy. You won’t regret making it!
Besto pesto home made hit
Thanks. Squeezed a little lemon lime perfect.
Can I use a Ninja Bullet, I don’t have a food processor.
Sure!
I make this using NUTRITIONAL YEAST instead of parmesan (I’ve got a dairy-allergic person to cook for). You can find nutritional yeast in the bulk foods section of most supermarkets, and the result is higher protein and lower fat, but an absolutely fabulous flavor — you don’t need dairy allergies to love this!
perfect pesto
I was out of olive oil so used avacado it was dang delicious too!
I love making and eating pesto. I use it in so many different dishes and I love the vibrant color and fresh taste. Now I’m craving pesto!
REALLY GOOD ON DIPPING BREADS, PASTA, AND WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE TO
TRY IT ON TO ENHANCE FLAVORS! AWESOME!
Excellent recipe, loved it.
Great!
The taste is excellent. Make a double or triple batch. Fill one or 2 ice cube trays with the pesto, once it’s frozen place cubes in a freezer bag. Viola, next time you need pesto, you have it on hand.
You answered my question about freezing pesto. I planted basil in my little garden. I miss having basil in foods in the winter time here in Ohio. You answered my question! Thanks
Really easy to follow, no nonsense recipe. I’m using a glut of coriander in place of basil and it is so fragile that the advice not to use a blender is even more relevant. Normally I would chop it by hand but I was pressed for time and it was almost as good.
Made homemade, excellent.
You can also use walnuts since pine nuts are so expensive. I put it in individual canning jars or Tupperware, cover with olive oil and freeze. Lasts over a year frozen, so you can use up your basil crop!
too
spicy
This turned out AMAZING. Thank goodness I never have to buy this in the store again. I layered it on top of flaky baked red snapper with some roasted butternut squash on the side. Perfect summer/fall transition meal.
Thanks for sharing!
Exactly how I made it but it’s a bit bitters
I just made it and the pesto is amazing. I will try it with arugula and walnuts next time. Thank you
Great idea!
Just used your recipe very simple to make let you know how it is !
I loved this pesto, I read the comments and only added 2 cloves of garlic. It tasted very garlicky, however, when I combined it with chicken, pasta, and spinach, I wished I had added that extra clove! First time making pesto, I always buy it and always hate it, this was so fresh and delicious!
Homemade is the best!
This is my “go to” pesto recipe with a few tweaks lol..I substitute 3 tbs of pistachios for the pine nuts ( I usually have pistachio in the house) and I add a nice squeeze of lemon juice which makes it bright and keeps it nice and fresh.. if you grow basil you have got to make pesto!
Agreed!
lemon (or lime) juice, is a must for me…..
Can you freeze pesto? I grew a pack of seeds
Yes, pesto freezes well. You can freeze in ice cube trays, and then they can be stored in plastic freezer bags for up to 3-4 months.
I freeze several small batches of pesto each year, as I have lots of basil. I have found that if you leave out the Parmesan when making it, then add the Parmesan when you take it out to thaw, it is much more fresh tasting!
This pesto ended up very potent! We think the garlic made it a little spicy. I put three big cloves in so if you’re looking for a little tamer pesto you might want to put smaller cloves.
Thank you… I loved it, but thought it was too spicy! I picked three huge garlic cloves and only used 1 package of fresh tortellini. I put the WHOLE bowl of pesto
in !! Mr virgin voyage as a pesto maker. I loved it but will tone it down next time.
This recipe looks great! Is this typically enough for a pound of pasta?
It really depends on the preferred pasta to sauce ratio as that can vary person to person. You can always double or triple the recipe to be on the safe side! 🙂
What is the best way to measure a cup of fresh basil leaves? About how many basil leaves are in a cup?
The size of basil leaves can vary so it is hard to give an estimate as to how many basil leaves are in a single cup. However, just to give you some perspective: 1 average bunch of basil = about 2.5 ounces = 1 cup. Hope that helps!
I DO NOT recommend using 3 cloves of garlic. The result is VERY overpowering and you can barely taste the other ingredients, most notiably, the basil. I had to add double amounts of the other ingredients to get rid of most of the taste, yet it still lingers. I would use 1 clove or 2 at most if making this recipe again.
Could I use beet tops ,no basil?
Hi Shelley! Unfortunately, without having tried this myself, it’s hard to answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
If you don’t have enough basil, you can substitute half with flat leaf parsley.
Good afternoon. I know that you mentioned about using a food processor. If we don’t have one. Would it be ok to use a Blend-Tec brand of a blender as apposed to a regular blender type? The Blend-Tec blender is very powerful.
Thank you!!!
Yes, you can absolutely use a blender! 🙂
You can also make this in 5 minutes in a mortar. This us the traditional way. Just pound the ingredients with the pestle until it is well mashed.
Made this today. I’d recommend starting with only 1 clove of garlic in the recipe, then if a little more is needed add it. I put in 3 cloves at the start, and unfortunately it came out too spicy. I added more basil, olive oil and a bit more cheese to balance it out, plus a healthy squeeze of lemon. I used the pesto on grilled chicken…marinated diced chicken on a kebab for about an hour, gave another squeeze of lemon, then grilled it, served with grilled veggies & side of pasta. Great!
Thanks for your feedback, Ashley!
It is best to toast pine nuts in a dry saucepan before using in this recipe to bring out the true flavor of them. Just toast over low to medium heat, shaking the pan to brown lightly. Also adding a little of Pecorino Romano to the recipe helps too.
Pesto is my favorite sauce for any pasta.
You forgot to put how much this makes.
Please refer to the YIELD in the recipe box.
I use it to make pesto bread-
I did not have enough basil so substitued soe fresh spinach.
Great recipe, so easy and so quick, Much better flavour than the stuff you buy from the shops.
I added 2 garlic cloves and an extra tablespoon of pine nuts and the taste was great. Garlicy but still great. Love how easy it was to make and enjoy. Became my favourite pesto recipe 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I don’t have a food processor, will my mini food chopper work
A blender would actually work better if you do not have a food processor.
Plain olive oil or extra-virgin???
Extra-virgin!
So sad! Just made this recipe with fresh picked basil and MAN is it ever too garlicy — and I LOVE garlic. I want to salvage it but nothing I can do at this point. 🙁 Really haven’t made a bad dish from you — but this one needs some tweaking. Perhaps specifying how much garlic (in teaspoons / tablespoons) rather than by clove?
Off to figure out how to save it …..
I had the same results. Found a similar recipe that had three TIMES the basil with all of the other ingredients the same measure. Live and learn. I will still use it, but it nearly knocked our socks off. Way too much garlic.
Just made this so tasty great recipe
Yummy. Just made it. Very good. Although I put the oil right in , not slowly but it still tasted good. Ty for the recipe.
Today my wife is in bed with the catarrh and esophagitis that I brought home from teaching pre-K students, so I was cooking for one, looking for something savory to put over steamy spaghetti squash strands. Your pesto recipe was delicious, and got more and more tasty as it incorporated in and through the pasta-like squash “noodles.” Thank you.
Making a lot of pesto. Make it and put it in ice cube trays dribble olive oil on top so it won’t turn black and freeze it for 24 hours and put it in a zip lock bag it will keep for a couple of months.
I’m wondering how to determine 1 cup of basil. Do I pack it loosely or dense smashing as much into measuring cup as possible?
Loosely packed.
Just made this pesto and — coming from a garlic lover — I thought 3 cloves of garlic was just a bit overpowering. Added another tablespoon of pine nuts and another 3/4 cup basil and boom! Perfect. Thanks for posting!
Super easy to mix up in Nutra bullet! The taste is spot on. Thank you!
Super easy to mix up in the nutrition bullet! The taste is spot on. Thank you!
Great recipe sally, i love pesto, never thought to make my own.
Simon
It’s great with Almonds, i usually serve on fettuccine with one Tbsp or two of Ricotta cheese
I will be trying this recipe but I have to alter it as my wife is allergic to garlic.
My question is: Is there anything I can use (not onions or shallots) as a replacement or should I simply leave it out? Perhaps some other spices? If so, what?
Thank you.
You can omit the garlic in its entirety.
I have the same problem. I add a little more Parmesan cheese and it seems to help.
I AM ABOUT TO MAKE IT
The 3 cloves of garlic was far too much for my tastebuds in this recipe. Perhaps my cloves were too big as it completely overpowered the recipe and I couldn’t even fix the taste by adding more of the other ingredients to dull down the pungent garlic taste! I think I will try again with just 2 cloves next time
Yes! Your cloves must have been massive – the garlic taste should be very faint.
Due to the change in weather my basil plant was not doing so well. Todays mission was to find the the fresh Parmesan cheese. I found it. I made it. AND OMG!!! DAMN DELICIOUS IT WAS!
I am going to plant three of Basil next year. lol
Thank you,
Yvette
Should I use the cheese fresh or the kraft parmesan cheese?
It is best to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
This is so easy and soooo good! I have already made this so many times. I add milk and heat it to make it creamy. Thank you!
Absolutely delicious – simple to make but the taste is astounding – my family will be deilighted tomorrow
I want to make this recipe today. Can i freeze it in a mason jar?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Oh, I absolutely freeze it in a mason jar! Your recipe is the best and since we can grow basil so easily here (SW Ontario), I make your pesto recipe and freeze jars for winter use! YUM!
How many calories/fat do you think there is in a tablespoon of this pesto? I made this and it was absolutely delish but I do not want to sacrifice my diet. Thank you so much for sharing.
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, it is best that you use free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information.
I know what you mean…..if you look on a bottle of olive oil you will prob faint, but think of it this way…..olive oil is very good for you. Everything in moderation; so skip the garlic bread and maybe have a salad with it.
Pesto recipe is easy, healthy, and delicious! What more could I ask? Thank you!
Going to try this recipe with my mortar and pestle!!
thanks for this great recipes! Lov your site, will save it…
Break off some stems of basil and root in water. Replant and have basil all year round. Lovely recipe.
I use all of the above ingredients, excluding the nuts. Simply because I’m never aware of who may have an allergy to them. Everyone, loves my pesto, even without the nuts.
How much pasta goes well with the one cup of pesto this recipe makes?
Pasta for 2, or 4? Just wanted to get an idea. Thanks!
It really depends but I’d say 2-3 to be on the safe side.
Thanks, it was delicious!
This looks amazing & easy! Also, love the jar, where did you purchase?
They are Weck jars – available online or at Williams-Sonoma.
Use it as sauce on pasta is the most common use. We also spread it on crackers and bread as a delicious snack
The traditional Genovese pesto uses about half pecorino and half parmesan cheese. Try toasting the pine nuts lightly on a comal, letting them cool, then add. Those two little things will improve your pesto by a great deal!!! In general though, thanks for your recipes!
Love homemade pesto with fresh basil! I always use almonds instead of pine nuts, cheap I guess but I’ve never noticed a difference in taste.
PS. I’m a new blog reader and your recipes look delicious and easy! Can’t wait to start making some.
I made this with my fresh basil plant yesterday!!! Its amazing how much better the fresh homemade stuff is than the pesto in a jar!! Thank you, I will be making this many more times this summer!!! I put on pasta and grilled chicken!!!
Home made pesto is the only way to go. Simple yet delicious recipe.
I never added parmesan in my pesto before. What a great idea! Looks delicious!
Looks good! Will this be enough pesto for 5 people?
Candice, that really depends on what you are serving this with. I can usually serve 3-4 very hungry people with this batch.
Hi Chungah, I plan to serve this with pasta as a one pot meal.
homemade pesto is sooo good and yours looks like the best!
Chung-Ah: Another fabulous recipe, simply prepare with wonderful ingredients. Over the weekend I harvested the last of my winter garlic from my garden, and my basil plants are providing a welcomed bumper crop. Will make this soon.
PS – It appears Butters recovered without a hitch from his surgery. Glad to hear it.
Yes! Thankfully he has healed beautifully and his energy level is back to puppy-craziness!
Love homemade pesto with whole wheat pasta. So good, so easy, so delicious!
yum! This is so easy but so delicious!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
I still haven’t made homemade pesto. Waiting as patiently as possible for my stinken’ basil to grow! I’m not being very patient. Am I?
Looks perfect!
I wish the desert heat didn’t kill all of my basil! Nothing beats homemade pesto!
I agree. I went on vacation and my basil plants became toast – they were on their way out anyways but I was bringing them in the house during the hottest part of the day and trying to keep them as long as possible. Looking fwd to new plants when it cools down in September.
Here in Tucson we can keep the basil going well all summer but it does need xtra water!!
Very tasty pesto! Used 3 cloves of garlic since we are garlic people not to mention it is healthy for you. This was my first time making homemade and OMG sooo delicious. I will definitely make more once our basil bears again . Thank you!!
put a sheer row cover over your basil, and bury a gallon milk jug with small holes to water the roots.
Ah I looove homemade pesto! I put pesto on everything and this looks amazingly delicious.
It’s my favorite sauce for any pasta rather than tomatoes.
You must’ve been reading my mind!! I was just saying to my girlfriends last Tuesday that the only thing growing in abundance in my winter garden (I’m an Aussie) at the moment is a ton of basil, and I have a big bag of Parmesan in the fridge, and my local supermarket had pinenuts going out cheap 2 months ago so I have bags of them just waiting to become pesto! My daughters christening is next week, I think some pesto chicken meatballs with a tomato dipping sauce will make a nice contribution towards that!
I love homemade pesto, this looks so good!
Funny, I NEVER have extra basil on hand. It’s one of those things I don’t buy that much of because I find myself without a way to use it and the family complains if I put too much basil in things because they says it tastes like leaves. LOL Seriously I need to make pesto more often because I love the stuff! Your pics are gorgeous – the lighting is just superb!
Pesto freezes very well too. I grow 2 sweet basil plants in my herb garden and make batches of pesto to enjoy all year long and still have plenty to share with friends. I use walnuts in place of pine nuts.
I do that too… walnuts instead of pine nuts – then I can make it all the time without breaking my food budget.
GOOD IDEA THE WALNUTS STEPHANIE
I always soak my walnuts in water for four hours or more, then rinse before using. This leeches the tannins and bitterness out of the walnuts.
Does anyone have any recipes that require pesto? I don’t know what to do with it after I make it.
There are tons of pesto recipes! Here are my two favorites: https://damndelicious.net/2012/07/21/pesto-pasta-with-sun-dried-tomatoes-and-roasted/ and https://damndelicious.net/2012/10/22/chicken-pesto-sandwich/.
Thanks!!
What do you use if you have a nut allergy
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications. Sorry, Virginia!
Just try it without the nuts. You never know if you don’t try!
Maybe sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds?
Pine nuts are NOT a nut. They are the seed of the pine tree. You shouldn’t have any reaction since it’s not a nut.
Try cooked or roasted garbanzo beans.
I always soak walnuts in water for four hours before rinsing and using them. It leeches the tannins and the bitterness out of the walnuts .
I love using pesto in pasta, pizza, on charbroiled sandwiches!!!
Omit the parmesan or any other cheese you use and you can freeze it. If you want to use cheese after that use it right before mixing for new recipe.
Ali Maffucci on Inspiralized, has a great recipe made with zucchini noodles.
I LOVE pesto, and your homemade version looks awesome! I am dairy-free, so it’s nice that there is a great sub for the Parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast.
Thank you. I will try it soon.
Homemade pesto is the best! This recipe is lovely!
I have never done this before, left a comment on site, but I wanted to take just a minute to tell you how very much I love your recipes, website and I so look forward to your emails!! Please keep up the great work and know that you are doing a wonderful job!! Love all your recipes and use them often!!!
MMm I love the sound of this, it looks so nice and smooth and I bet it’s packed full of flavour! I have yet to make my own pesto *sigh* BUT as soon as my flatmate shows me how the food processor we’ve got in the flat works, I’ll be sure to give it a try 🙂 Hope you’re having a ovely weekend 🙂 x
Love homemade pesto! I also like to make mine with different nuts, like almonds, sunflowers.