Basil Pesto Recipe

This authentic Italian Pesto recipe is a vibrant sauce with fresh basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic and freshly squeezed lemon juice. There are so many ways to use Pesto, from tossing it with pasta or gnocchi to spreading it on sandwiches or drizzling it over a salad. It’s so versatile!

Homemade pesto is surprisingly easy to make from scratch, and it keeps really well, so I always have it stashed in the freezer.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Pesto Recipe Video

Watch me make the best (and easiest) basil pesto. This one has so much fresh and vibrant flavor. Even my kids love it, especially tossed with hot pasta! This pesto recipe is also the secret ingredient in Chicken Pesto Pasta and Chicken Pesto Roll-Ups.

The Best Homemade Pesto

I’m always comparing this homemade pesto to the Costco pesto (which is the best store-bought one I’ve found), and this fresh pesto recipe wins. The lemon juice keeps the color bright and beautiful and adds fresh flavor without needing too much extra salt (store-bought pesto tends to taste saltier).

What is Pesto? Pesto is essentially a vibrant Italian green sauce made by crushing together fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. It’s a sauce that originated in Genoa, Italy, with the term pesto derived from the Italian word “pestare” which means to crush or to pound. It was originally made using a Mortar and Pestle, but we find it’s faster and easier in a food processor, which is a little controversial, but I do appreciate my time-saving tools.

Ingredients

Most of the ingredients needed for this pesto recipe are things you probably already have on hand. If you don’t have basil growing in your garden, it’s best to buy it fresh the day you are making the sauce.

• Basil – use fresh basil leaves. The common basil leaves for pesto are large-leaf basil, sweet basil, or Genovese basil. Rinse, drain, and dry your basil leaves. If you want to change up the flavor, you can also add some fresh herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, mint, or green onions.
• Parmesan cheese – you can use pre-shredded or freshly grated. You could also substitute with Pecorino Romano.
• Extra virgin olive oil – this is the best oil for pesto, and use the best quality oil you can source – it adds tons of flavor to the sauce.
• Pine nuts – these are typical for pesto
• Garlic cloves – we use 2 large cloves, which add a nice punch
• Lemon juice – use freshly squeezed juice from 1 large or 2 smaller lemons. Do not use lemon juice concentrate.

Can I substitute Pine Nuts?

While traditional pesto sauce is made with pine nuts, they can be a bit expensive. You can make pesto without pine nuts and try a variation with walnuts, pistachios or blanched almonds. You can also make it nut-free with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

To get the most flavor out of your nuts, toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat, tossing often until golden and fragrant. Cool before using them in the recipe.

What Type of Basil Should I Use?

There are many varieties of basil. A few of the most popular include Italian large leaf (sweet basil), Thai basil, and lemon basil. Any of these can be used for pesto, but each has a slightly different flavor profile.

For a traditional basil pesto flavor, use the Italian large leaf. Most people typically think of this leaf as “normal” basil. It’s also referred to as sweet basil or Genovese basil and is the type of basil most commonly sold in grocery stores. It’s the same basil I use for Green Goddess Dressing.

How to Make Basil Pesto

• Prep Basil – Gently rinse fresh basil leaves and pat dry or use a salad spinner to remove excess water.
• Process Sauce – Place all of your ingredients in a food processor or a high-powered blender and pulse until smooth. Be careful not to overblend in a blender – the consistency should still have a little bit of texture, as in the photos below.

Serve Pesto with

Basil pesto adds incredible flavor to a variety of dishes. Of course, there are obvious uses for pesto, like mixing it in with your favorite pasta dish, but there’s so much more you can do with it!

• Spread on a chicken sandwich for an elevated lunch.
• Pizza sauce – try it on our overnight pizza dough or our quick pizza dough instead of pizza sauce or drizzle on as a topping for pizza.
• Pasta sauce – delicious in Chicken Pesto Pasta and Gnocchi or over Homemade Pasta or spaghett.i
• Salad dressing – Thin it down with oil or vinegar and make a basil pesto salad dressing. You can also drizzle basil pesto over Caprese Salad instead of balsamic glaze.
• Filling – it’s excellent in Chicken Pesto Roll-ups
• Marinate or toss with your favorite grilled or roasted veggies.
• Topping for meat – spread pesto over pan-seared steak, baked chicken breast, baked salmon, roasted pork tenderloin, grilled steak, and of course, roasted beef tenderloin.

More Easy Homemade Sauces

The flavors and ingredients of pesto and these homemade condiment recipes are way better than storebought. Once you make your own homemade dressings and sauces, you won’t want anything else.

• Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
• Tartar Sauce Recipe
• Horseradish Sauce Recipe
• Chimichurri Sauce
• Ranch Dressing
• Caesar Dressing
• Homemade BBQ Sauce