Fresh Basil Pesto Sauce Recipe

How to Make a Homemade Pesto Sauce

There’s nothing quite like the fresh, vibrant flavor of homemade basil pesto—whether it’s tossed with pasta or spread on warm bruschetta. It’s incredibly simple to make from scratch, and once you try it, you’ll never go back to the store-bought version! This pesto sauce is made with pine nuts, but you can also make pesto sauce using walnuts, too!

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This pesto recipe uses fresh ingredients making it more delicious than ever!

How to switch it up / Variations

You can totally play around with the ratio of the ingredients. If you love garlic, just add more. 

Love some freshness? Add some lemon juice.  

You can also make it with an immersion blender or traditionell mortar and pestle.

Can I make this ahead?

Yes, covered with oil the pesto stays good for at least a week – but always check before you eat it. 

Can I make more?

Totally, just double the ingredients and make in batches. You can also freeze pesto. Put it into an ice cube tray so you always have small portions ready. 

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Basil Pesto Sauce Recipe

Pesto Genovese

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup pine nuts
• ▢ 1 garlic clove
• ▢ ½ cup grated parmesan
• ▢ 2 cups basil leaves
• ▢ ⅓ – ½ cup olive oil

Instructions

• Heat up a small pan over medium heat, add the pine nuts and toast them until golden brown for 3-4 minutes (note 1)
• in a food processor blend the pine nuts with the garlic
• add the cheese and the basil leaves and about ⅓rd of the oil and blend again in short pulses (note 2)
• slowly add more oil until the desired consistency is reached (note 3)
• add salt and pepper to taste and keep covered in the fridge (note 4)

Notes

 

Note 1: Be careful to not leave the pan out of sight and keep stirring. The first 60-90 seconds it will look like nothing happens but then browning starts very quick and the nuts can burn super fast.

 

This step is not mandatory but highly recommended. It will take the taste of the pesto to the next level. 

 

Note 2: Don´t blend it too long once the basil is added. Too much mixing can turn the basil bitter

Note 3: The amount of oil depends on how fluid you like your pesto and what you want to use it for. Add a bit more for a pasta sauce and a bit less to use it as a spread or stuffing.

Note 4: If you always keep the pesto covered with olive oil it will last very long because the oil acts like a cover and doesn’t let any air touch the ingredients.