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Fresh, Basil Pesto is one of those recipes you’ll want to keep on repeat. Whether it’s spooned over grilled chicken, brushed onto roast meats, or tossed through a big bowl of pasta or zucchini noodles, this homemade pesto instantly transforms a simple meal into something vibrant and full of flavour.
What makes this basil pesto recipe so irresistible is its versatility. You can pair it with just about any savoury dish for a fresh, herby kick that store-bought versions can’t come close to. With only five ingredients and a trusty food processor, learning how to make pesto at home has never been easier, and once you taste it, you’ll never go back.
What Makes This Basil Pesto Work?
This basil pesto is fresh, bold, and perfectly balanced, with sweet basil, creamy pine nuts, nutty Parmesan, and rich olive oil. Made in minutes with just five ingredients, this homemade pesto tastes cleaner and fresher than anything from a jar, proving that learning how to make pesto at home is always worth it.
What Goes Into Basil Pesto?
With just a handful of fresh, quality ingredients, this basil pesto recipe comes together in minutes and packs in incredible flavour.
- Basil Leaves: Fresh, fragrant basil gives pesto its vibrant green colour and signature herbal aroma.
- Pine Nuts: Lightly toasted to bring out their rich, buttery flavour and add a subtle crunch.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly shredded for a nutty, salty depth that ties everything together.
- Olive Oil: Smooth, good-quality olive oil helps blend the ingredients into a silky, luscious sauce.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients with measurements.
How To Make Basil Pesto
- Toast the Pine Nuts: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and toast the pine nuts until golden, tossing occasionally. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly.
- Load and Pulse: Add cooled pine nuts, basil, garlic, and Parmesan to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Emulsify with Oil: With the processor running, stream in the olive oil in a thin flow. Continue until the pesto looks smooth.
- Season and Adjust: Add a pinch of salt and pulse to combine. Taste and adjust with more salt or oil to reach your preferred texture.
Basil pesto isn’t just for pasta. Spread it over Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas for a fresh, herby finish, drizzle it onto Greek Lamb Souvlaki with a Garlic Yogurt Dip for a Mediterranean twist, or serve it alongside Garlic Browned Butter Baked Asparagus for an easy, flavour-packed side.
Recipe FAQ’s
Toasting enhances their nutty flavour, but if you’re short on time, you can skip this step and still have a delicious basil pesto.
Basil oxidises quickly. Minimise air exposure, use fresh basil, and add a little extra oil to keep it vibrant.
Definitely. Substitute pine nuts with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for a nut-free basil pesto recipe that still tastes amazing.
Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pine nuts lightly toasted
- 2 cups basil leaves washed and packed
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese fresh shredded
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Heat a skillet (or pan) over medium-high heat; toast pine nuts until golden, tossing occasionally in the pan. Add the pine nuts to the bowl of your along with the basil, garlic and parmesan cheese; pulse until finely chopped (scrape down the sides of the food processor if needed).
- With the processor running, gradually add the olive oil in a thin stream until the pesto comes together and is well combined. (Scrape down the sides of the food processor again, if needed). Season with salt to your taste.
Notes
Nutritional Label: Based on 2 tablespoons of pesto per serve
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Considering $ and availability, I typically add a 2:1 ratio of spinach to basil and sometimes a little but of curly parsley. The spinach is a pretty neutral taste and makes a lot more pesto. Two cups basil leaves doesn’t make much!
Always add fresh lemon and have used various nuts–pine, macadamia, sunflower–or none at all.
That’s the beauty of pesto.
We’ve been making pesto for many years and absolutely love it. This season has been a bumper year for basil and have already made 5 batches. We give it to friends and family, but not too much. We freeze plenty for the winter months, when no one can afford to buy fresh basil. Favorite is pesto with bow tie pasta and grilled shrimp.
i use shelled sunflower seeds taste just as good as if you had used pine nuts and its a whole lot cheaper
The Pesto was great – I will definitely make it again. I was excited to see a pesto recipe that was recommended for the mini-prep since that’s the only food processor I have. But it doesn’t really work – There’s no opening in the lid for adding the oil. I made due by processing the other ingredients as finely as possible then transferring them to a bowl and adding the oil slowly using a whisk. Thanks for a great recipe.
Lovely this recipe, perfect proportions, thank you.
Just found this pesto recipe! Really Good! Throw in a little lemon juice and zest, and it’s absolutely perfect.
I have a pine allergy and eating pine nuts scares me. Can I use another type of nut – maybe like walnuts instead? other than that the recipe looks great
Yes, that sounds great! Enjoy!
I have used pecans instead. Tasted great.
I just used pumpkin seeds because that is what I had.. flavor is still good and nutty! Maybe it’s a little dryer, I just added more oil. I always use what’s on hand.
My 1st time making pesto, and it was fantastic! Directions were easy to follow, too! Thanks for sharing!
YAY! That is great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing! XO
Great recipe post for the Pesto as well the follow up one with the chicken. Enjoy the writing and been shadow reading the blog for a little while now. Keep up the inspiring food posts.
Hi. Im sorry to say, I’d have married you, not just to eat what you make you, to see and experience it too. Sorry for bad english. Youre a miracle. Please provide nutrition information too. Yoi have a die hard fan from india. Cheers.