It's surprisingly easy to make pesto sauce at home. This flavorful sauce has just seven ingredients and takes about ten minutes to make. It is wonderful on pasta and just as good as a topping for grilled meats, grilled or baked fish, and roasted vegetables.
I love the flavor of basil. One of my favorite appetizers is Caprese salad, and the basil is a big part of why I'm so enamored with it. So, it's no wonder I love pesto sauce - it's delicious and fresh-tasting. Whenever I see a bunch of fragrant basil leaves at the store, I immediately buy them and make this recipe! It's superior to store-bought sauces that are often made with soybean oil.
Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients
- Fresh basil leaves: You'll need about 1 cup packed. Wash and dry them before using.
- Minced garlic: You can mince a garlic clove or use jarred minced garlic, but freshly minced tastes better.
- Pine nuts: Just 2 tablespoons add lots of flavor and a great texture.
- Olive oil: Please use extra-virgin olive oil.
- Grated parmesan cheese: Make sure you use finely grated cheese and not coarsely shredded cheese.
Variations
- One way to vary the original recipe is to use cashews instead of pine nuts.
- You can also use light olive oil instead of extra-virgin oil, especially if you find the sauce is bitter.
- If you'd like to make pesto without basil, you can use spinach. It won't be as good, but it's still very tasty.
- If you'd like to try a different cheese, finely grated asiago or pecorino romano are good substitutes for parmesan.
Instructions
Making pesto sauce at home is surprisingly easy. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
You start by placing basil leaves, garlic, and pine nuts in your food processor. Process for just a few seconds, until coarsely chopped.
Add kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Process until smooth and fully combined, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape the sides with a spatula if needed.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and mix in the parmesan cheese. That's it! The sauce is ready to serve, although the flavors develop more after it's had some time to rest.
Expert Tip
After you're done mixing the sauce, check its consistency. If the sauce seems too dry, add a tablespoon of olive oil. If it's too liquid, add a tablespoon of parmesan. The photo below shows the consistency you're looking for:
Recipe FAQs
Yes. You can make it with baby spinach leaves. I must say, though, it won't be the same. Basil is far more delicious than spinach.
I don't recommend it. Fresh kale, even young kale, typically has a bitter taste. If you don't want to use basil, it's better to use baby spinach leaves.
It could be the basil or the olive oil. To mask the bitterness, add another minced garlic clove garlic and an extra tablespoon of parmesan.
Cheese is an important part of the classic recipe. It adds amazing flavor and it also helps achieve the right texture. However, you can omit the cheese and double the amount of pine nuts with fairly good results.
Serving Suggestions
While pesto sauce is perfect for pasta and pasta salad, it's also great with proteins. It's excellent with chicken, for example. This simple baked pesto chicken is wonderful. And it also goes well with seafood - check out this easy recipe for pesto shrimp.
But you don't have to incorporate this sauce into a recipe. You can simply use it to top a variety of foods. It makes a superb topping for grilled chicken breast, skirt steak, and roasted vegetables.
You can also use it as a dipping sauce for almond flour bread or keto focaccia.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for 3 months. It's best to freeze this sauce in individual portions, using ice cube trays or small containers.
More Pesto Recipes
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Recipe Card
Homemade Pesto Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves - packed, washed and dried, large stems removed; 35 grams
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
- ¼ cup olive oil - extra-virgin
- ¼ cup parmesan - grated
Instructions
- Place the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in your food processor. Process for a few seconds until coarsely chopped.
- Add the salt, pepper, and oil. Process until smooth and fully combined, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary.
- Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and mix in the cheese. (See Notes below).
- Use immediately, or cover, refrigrate, and allow the flavors to meld for a few hours. Stir again before using.
Notes
- After you're done mixing the sauce, check its consistency. If the sauce seems too dry, add a tablespoon of olive oil. If it's too liquid, add a tablespoon of parmesan.
- The sauce is ready to serve immediately after mixing it, but the flavors develop more after it's had some time to rest.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for 3 months. It's best to freeze this sauce in individual portions, using ice cube trays or small containers.
Nutrition per Serving
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Owen says
I never realized homemade pesto was so easy to make - and it's so much better than the sauce I used to buy. I'm not low carb so I used it in pasta. Wow. Me and my girlfriend were blown away by the flavor.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm glad you liked this recipe, Owen! I agree - it's so much better than store-bought sauce.