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This basil pesto is quick, bold, and worth making from scratch. It takes just a few minutes, freezes well, and lets you control the texture so it works for pasta, sandwiches, dips, or anywhere else you want a punch of real flavor.
Here’s Why This Basil Pesto Recipe Works
Big basil flavor: This fresh basil pesto uses a full four cups of basil, so the herb flavor stays front and center instead of getting buried under oil.
Balanced richness: Parmesan, pine nuts, and olive oil give this pesto recipe its creamy body, but the garlic keeps it from tasting heavy.
Easy texture control: Since you add the oil gradually, you can keep your basil sauce thick for sandwiches and dips or loosen it for pasta and roasted vegetables.
Fast and unfussy: A food processor pesto comes together in minutes, which is exactly how a good homemade pesto should work.
Toss it with pasta, spoon it over my homemade ricotta gnocchi, or spread it on my homemade pizza dough with cheese for a quick pizza. If you like switching things up, my sun-dried tomato pesto is another good one to keep in the rotation.
Toss this pesto with pasta for an easy dinner. My pesto pasta with sun-dried tomatoes is a great place to start.
Recipe Tips
Use dry basil leaves: Wet basil can water down the sauce and dull the texture, so wash and dry the leaves well before making your pine nut pesto.
Add the oil slowly: Drizzling in the olive oil while the processor runs helps the parmesan pesto turn smooth and emulsified instead of greasy.
Start with less salt: Parmesan is already salty, so taste first before dumping in the full teaspoon and regretting your life choices.
Scrape down the bowl: Stop once or twice to scrape the sides so the garlic, cheese, and nuts blend evenly into the pesto sauce.
Freeze extras smartly: Spoon leftover pesto into ice cube trays for small, ready-to-use portions that thaw quickly for pasta, sandwiches, soups, and dips.
Homemade Pesto
Once you make basil pesto from scratch, the jarred stuff is hard to take seriously. Keep some on hand in the fridge or freezer, and you’ve got an easy way to dress up all kinds of meals.
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Basil Pesto
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Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ to 1 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, and cheese in a food processor and process with a blade attachment until well blended.
- With the food processor running, slowly drizzle the oil until you get the consistency you desire.
- Taste the pesto and add part or all of the salt according to taste.
Notes
- Pesto freezes very well. Try freezing it in ice cube trays so you will have perfectly portioned amounts to add to vegetables, pasta, sandwiches and dips.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Great pesto recipe!
Love pesto and yours looks delicious!
Thanks Tina, it’s hard to go wrong with pesto isn’t it
Wow! This looks amazing! I love the pictures!
Thanks Cora
Love Pesto – it was my very first post on my blog! I know you are a Seattleite as well and you can go to the Pike Place Market in September when the basil is on it’s last bloom and buy it for a buck a bunch! Pretty smoking deal! Your recipe is exactly like mine so I already know I love it 🙂
Thanks for the tip Kathi, I will look for the good deal on basil in September. I love going to the Pike Place Market 🙂