Homemade Basil Pesto Sauce
Posted Jun 16, 2019, Updated Aug 15, 2024
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This homemade basil pesto sauce recipe is easy to make in 10 minutes with 6 ingredients, including fresh basil and toasted pine nuts! Learn how to make pesto sauce with our step-by-step tutorial and video!
I grow fresh basil in my garden just so I can make this homemade pesto sauce! It’s one of my favorite condiments that tastes amazing on just about everything – pasta, chicken, meatballs etc.
Homemade pesto is even more delicious than store-bought varieties, but it’s easy to make in 10 minutes with 5 ingredients!
Toasted pine nuts add a depth of flavor to the bright and fresh basil and savory parmesan cheese. It’s hard not to eat it by the spoonful straight from the blender.
Using a blender or food processor makes it the perfect consistency that can be adjusted to your tastes, and it can be served in so many different ways! It’s like summer in sauce form!
Basil Pesto Sauce: Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fresh basil. This ingredient is the star of the show in this basil pesto recipe. I don’t recommend making any substitutions for fresh basil, as it will dramatically affect the final taste.
- Olive oil. The flavor of a high-quality olive oil will really shine in this pesto recipe. Another neutral oil like avocado oil is an acceptable substitute.
- Pine nuts. If basil is the star of this recipe, toasted pine nuts are the co-star. They are key to making a classic pesto recipe, and shouldn’t be substituted if you’re going for a 100% authentic flavor. If you must, you can try using other nuts like walnuts, pecans or almonds.
- Minced garlic. Fresh roasted garlic is a great substitute.
- Parmesan cheese. Again, the quality of parmesan cheese used will make a difference in the final taste of this pesto sauce. I recommend freshly grated parmesan for the best flavor.
- Salt & pepper. I always cook with sea salt and freshly ground pepper! I recommend starting with a small amount of salt, tasting and then adjusting to your liking!
How to Make Pesto Sauce
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this homemade pesto sauce is SO easy to make. Simply toast some pine nuts, blend the ingredients together and enjoy! The hardest part is not eating all of it with a spoon directly from the container of your blender!
Toast Pine Nuts
This pesto recipe begins with toasting the pine nuts. Please note that pine nuts can go from raw to burnt very quickly. Since pine nuts are an expensive ingredient, you want to be sure to watch them closely and stir them every 30 seconds, so they don’t burn. It should take 4-5 minutes to toast them.
The pine nuts need to be cooled to room temperature before used in this basil pesto recipe, so once they’re toasted transfer them from the warm pan to a small cookie sheet or baking pan for them to cool!
Make the Pesto
While the pine nuts are cooling blend the olive oil and fresh basil together until they are well combined but not completely smooth. By blending these ingredients first, it ensures easier blending once the other ingredients are added.
You may also use a food processor and you will get equally delicious results!
Next, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until you reach your desired consistency. You may need to pause, scrape down the sides of the container, and continue blending depending on the size of your blending container.
Note on Pesto Consistency
Some people like their pesto sauce a little bit chunky, some like it smooth. The great thing about making your own homemade pesto is that you are in charge and you get to choose! Since I’m feeding kids and I’m weird about texture, I like to blend our basil pesto until it’s mostly smooth!
Serve
You can either store this pesto recipe to use for later, or serve it immediately
To serve on pasta, stir it into warm, freshly-cooked noodles and you won’t need to heat or cook the sauce.
Here are some serving suggestions:
- Make Pesto Pasta. The most obvious way to enjoy this pesto sauce is to serve it tossed in your favorite pasta! Make your own homemade whole wheat pasta! Or make pesto tortellini.
- Use it to make this baked pesto chicken – an easy & healthy weeknight dinner.
- Use is as a pizza sauce. Spread this pesto sauce over some homemade pizza dough and top with cheese! You can also mix it into this homemade pizza sauce.
- Grilling. Brush it on meat or veggies in their last few minutes of grilling for peso kabobs, chicken breasts, zucchini, etc.
- Spread it on a sandwich. Use this pesto sauce to amp up the flavor in any sandwich! Turkey, BLTs, club sandwiches, you name it, this pesto will be delicious on it.
- Add it to roasted or sautéed veggies. After cooking veggies in olive oil, add some of this pesto sauce for a delicious side or main dish. Add it to these balsamic roasted vegetables, roasted broccoli, roasted brussel sprouts, etc.
- Salad dressing. Dress a salad with this pesto sauce.
- Pasta salad. Add it to your favorite homemade pasta salad recipe or use it exclusively as the dressing to make a pesto pasta salad!
- Grains. Mix it into rice, quinoa, etc. for a simple but delicious side.
Store/Freeze
Store pesto sauce in glass jar with a lid (leave room at the top for the sauce to expand in the freezer) for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.
Thaw slowly in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature.
Homemade Pesto Recipe FAQs
Yes, it is easily scaled to the amount of pest you have in your garden or on hand. Halve, double, triple it to your liking!
Yes! I recommend freezing this homemade pesto recipe in silicone ice cube trays. Once the cubes are frozen, remove and store in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the freezer! Then you can use just the right amount of homemade pesto whenever the craving strikes!
This homemade pesto sauce will last for up to one week in the refrigerator, and two months in the freezer!
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Homemade Basil Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup pine nuts (toasted)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
Toast Pine Nuts
- Heat ¼ cup pine nuts in a small sauté pan over medium heat, stir once you notice them starting to brown. Once they start to brown the process happens fast so watch carefully and remove from heat once all nuts are roasted (about 5 minutes), and let them cool.
Make the Pesto
- Put olive oil and basil leaves into the container of a Vitamix (or another high-powered blender or food processor). Blend for about 60 seconds until the ingredients are combined but not totally smooth. You may need to pause, scrape down the sides, and then continue blending.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper and blend until your reach your desired consistency (about 30-60 seconds). You may need to pause, scrape down the sides of the container, and then continue blending.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired, pulse to combine.
- Use in your favorite recipes.
Video
Notes
- Fresh basil. This ingredient is the star of the show in this basil pesto recipe. I don’t recommend making any substitutions for fresh basil, as it will dramatically affect the final taste.
- Olive oil. The flavor of a high-quality olive oil will really shine in this pesto recipe. Another neutral oil like avocado oil is an acceptable substitute.
- Pine nuts. If basil is the star of this recipe, toasted pine nuts are the co-star. They are key to making a classic pesto recipe, and shouldn’t be substituted if you’re going for a 100% authentic flavor. If you must, you can try using other nuts like walnuts, pecans or almonds.
- Minced garlic. Fresh roasted garlic is a great substitute.
- Parmesan cheese. Again, the quality of parmesan cheese used will make a difference in the final taste of this pesto sauce. I recommend freshly grated parmesan for the best flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wonderful, tasty, simple recipe! This is my first year growing fresh basil. I substituted roasted pecans as I don’t care for pine nuts. I served over cheese tortellini. Even my pickiest eater loved it!
Love your recipes, the clear instructions and the helpful videos! It’s so difficult to find much-loved traditional recipes without “new and improved” proprietary ingredients added, that change the traditional flavor.
I love Pesto! For the 2 cups of basil, did you pack the raw leaves into a measuring cup, or measure loosely? I prefer walnuts to pine nuts. Do I need to toast the walnuts first?
Thanks!
I know nothing about Pesto…..so I’m going to try your recipe soon. I’ve heard about, but never even tasted it. I’ll try to remember to let you know what I think. Is this an “acquired” taste?
I am actually making this recipe tonight for dinner. It is absolutely not an acquired taste – it’s love from first bite.
Great recipe! I have one suggestion for those who don’t have ice cube trays. Fill a zip lock bag (I use sandwich size) with just enough pesto to make it about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick when laid flat. Freeze it flattened out. When frozen, take it out of the bag then use a large knife to cut it into serving size squares. Store squares in a zip lock bag in the freezer. Use only as much as you need.
It was so good. I can’t wait to have it with pasta tonight!
This is the standard pesto recipe. You explained it very well, and your substitution suggestions were right correct. I especially like the time you took to explain to specify the importance and method of toasting the pine nuts.
I so wish I had had time this year to plant basil, because I LOVEEE Homemade pesto, and yours looks absolutely wonderful. It’s one of my favorite pasta sauces.
Thank you Emily! It’s such a classic summer sauce!