Easy Homemade Pesto
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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
Equipment
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.
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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