The Best Basil Pesto
Basil Pesto is simple enough to make but this recipe for the BEST Basil Pesto has a few tricks that make it absolutely outstanding. Quick, easy and freezer friendly, blend up a big batch to take you through the winter months.
Basil Pesto
I’m a terrible vegetable gardener and I’m going to blame my husband for the poorly selected plot of land I was allowed to try my hand at gardening with.
I knew before I plunged the shovel into the dirt to break ground for my vegetable garden that this was going to be a lost cause but I forged ahead….for the past two summers. I got a couple cucumbers, a dead zucchini plant, a two inch carrot, TONS of kale (I hate kale) and a boatload of green tomatoes.
Since I do very well in the herb gardening area, I always have a TON of fresh basil. The thing about basil is you need to stay on top of it or it will go to seed. Pinching off the ends to ensure it doesn’t flower and then die off is something I do several times a week. And also…..I make tons of Basil Pesto from scratch.
It’s a surefire way to use up what otherwise would just go to waste. And making big batches of it to freeze helps me have a little taste of summer in the middle of winter.
What Is Pesto
Basil Pesto, also called Pesto Genovese, is a flavorful sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese. There are several variations of basil pesto, sometimes I like to add crushed red pepper to make it a little spicy.
There are plenty of store bought pesto sauces on the market but once you make it at home, nothing else will ever compare.
How To Make Fresh Pesto
Fresh Basil Pesto from scratch is so easy to make.
- Toast the pine nuts in a skillet until lightly golden.
- Place the basil, garlic, pine nuts and cheese in a food processor or blender and process until roughly chopped and a loose paste begins to form.
- Drizzle in the olive oil while running the processor is running until the desired consistency.
- Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until read to use.
How To Freeze
Making big batches of Homemade Basil Pesto and freezing it is one of my favorite things to do with it. It’s a great way to meal prep your way through the winter months.
To freeze your pesto, fill up the wells of ice cube trays and place in the freezer. Freeze until firm, then pop the frozen sauce out of the tray. Place the Basil Pesto Sauce cubes into a freezer bag and store in the freezer until ready to use.
To thaw, simply place in a saucepan over low heat and thaw, stirring occasionally or heat in the microwave until thawed.
Pro Tips for the Best Pesto
- To maximize the flavor of your pesto, toast the pine nuts for a few minutes (be sure not to burn them) until golden. This step makes them a bit more buttery than raw pine nuts.
- Lemon….I know it’s not traditional but I like the bright, fresh flavor lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice give the pesto….and it helps keep the green color vibrant by preventing oxidation.
- Process in batches….I do half the ingredients in the food processor and process until very finely chopped….almost paste like, THEN I add the remaining ingredients to the processor and pulse so there are larger pieces of ingredients thought out the sauce. Bigger pieces means BIGGER flavor!
Serving Suggestions
I love to use the Basil Pesto sauce in soooo many recipes like this super easy Caprese Tortellini Salad and this AHHHMAZING Grilled Chicken recipe. It’s so totally easy and extra cheesy….a big hit with the kids!
- Basil Pesto Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Pesto Artichoke Stuffed Manicotti
- Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwich
- Grilled Pesto Salmon with Strawberry Cucumber Salsa
It’s also fantastic as a sandwich spread like in this Chicken Cutlet Sandwich or these super simple Meatball Sliders….both great recipes for game day!
More Easy Pesto Recipes
Want to see what else we have NOT growing in our garden…..check us out on Instagram!
Get the Recipe: The Best Basil Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pine nuts
- 4 cups fresh basil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup olive oil
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Equipment
- 1 food processor
Instructions
- Add the pine nuts to a small skillet over medium heat and toast until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add 1/2 the pine nuts, 3 cups basil, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup cheese and lemon zest. Process the ingredients for approximately 30 seconds or until the ingredients are finely chopped.
- While the food processor is still running on low speed, slowly drizzle in 3/4 cup of olive oil and continue processing until a smooth paste begins to form. Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the remaining pine nuts, basil, garlic and cheese to the bowl. Pulse the ingredients until finely chopped.
- Using a rubber spatula, transfer the pesto sauce to a bowl and stir in the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Store the basil pesto sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Video
161 Comments on “The Best Basil Pesto”
Excellent recipe … it was as easy as stated and, has a fabulous taste /flavour and colouring. Definitely going to make this again. I’ve never added lemon zest or juice in previous recipe but did as recipe asked and that really intensified the flavour
Thank you so much for your comment! The lemon really does take it to another level and helps the basil from turning brown.
Absolutely delicious recipe! Made as written plus a little lemon juice in addition to the lemon zest!! Super yummy!
I’m so happy you loved it! Thank you for your comment!
Can you freeze this recipe?
Hi Laura! Yes, you can absolutely freeze the pesto in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Excellent recipe! Might be the best yet.
Thank you so much! I have to agree. 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Love this recipe! I toss in some fresh lemon balm instead of the zest just because I have so much of it growing right now. It’s fantastic on a thin homemade pizza crust too! Like a flat bread. I sprinkle a little more freshly grated parmesan on it when it comes out of the oven and it’s PERFECT!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I love the suggestion of lemon balm….definitely going to try that myself. Thank you for your kind comment.
Have you tried using different types of basil? Thinking of using 3/4 of the basil italian and the other quarter Thai for the anise flavor….
I have used different varieties of basil but just know the color won’t be as vibrant if you use like a purple basil.
Just tried this . It was delicious and super easy.
So glad you liked it! Thank you for your comment.
Just made this! Wow!! Delish. Did half pine nuts and half walnuts. $. Toasted both. Added juice of half a squeezed lemon. The thing I like most about this recipe is that amounts are subjective. I varied amounts somewhat , and still amazing. I am using it tonight to make pesto baked chicken.
Thank you for teaching me how to use my fresh basil.
You are so welcome! Thank you for your kind comment!
Hi there, I trimmed my 3 basil plants and had a lot of basil that I needed to find a use for. Well, I searched for a pesto recipe and landed on yours. I never have success with recipes posted on-line but I gave it a shot and well …………. it is ……… AMAZING. I love it. All of the ingredients were handy (except the pine nuts, which I had to get) and super easy to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe. It is getting filed in my favorites folder.
You’re very welcome! This was a recipe I developed years ago and make every single year since then. Thank you for your kind comment!
This is a GREAT pesto! Love the lemon in it and extra garlic!
I’m so glad you liked it! And YES to extra garlic.
Can you suggest a different nut to be used? Pine nuts are $$$ through the roof. Thanks
Walnuts make a great substitute!
Excellent – this will be my go-to pesto now. I didn’t do the lemon, I wanted it just original pesto as I really haven’t had it before (which is amazing but true). Once I got thru ALL the photos to the recipe — it was great. Thanks!
Thanks for enduring all the photos….there are great tips in there, as well! This is my favorite, too. Thanks for your lovely comment!
I found the information for your recipe difficult to read because of the distressing number of adverts and a strip of buttons on the left distractingly covering the content.
Can I visit a website to read your recipe ad free? I’m not going to save this one because I don’t want a repeat of the experience. Sorry to be negative but ads every few lines was a bit too much!
Hi Gill, Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately, if I strip my site of ads the recipes can no longer be offered for free. The ads pay for the cost of running the site, testing the recipes, etc. I also have to pay my own bills to live and feed my family. I do have good news that my site is being redesigned so that strip of buttons on the left you’re seeing, I am assuming you’re on mobile, will be going away soon! In the meantime, you can print the recipe card and the FREE recipe card will not contain any ads. My suggestion is to save the recipe card as a PDF and store them in a file on your phone or take a picture with your phone and save them that way. Then you have a digital version if you don’t want to store a paper copy in your recipe box. Again, I understand the ads are frustrating but they make it possible for me to provide free content to my loyal subscribers. Thanks again for your time and stay safe!
Second time I made this basil pesto. Absolutely delicious.
I’m so glad you love it! Thank you for your kind comment.
Hello, Im going to make this recipe for my family at the weekend but we are too much people. Im wondering how many cups makes this recipe in order to know how many ingredients I will need. I know you said 12 servings, but could you please tell me in cups? Thanks in advance
Hi! You can adjust the serving size so the recipe will tell you how much of each ingredient you will need. If you need to make more, click on the 2x in the recipe card to double the recipe.