Walnut Pesto Recipe (My Favorite!)
How to Make a Pesto Sauce Recipe with Walnuts
Elevate your meals with this rich and flavorful walnut pesto! Made with fresh basil, crunchy walnuts, garlic, Parmesan, and a splash of lemon juice, it’s blended to a slightly coarse, creamy sauce. Perfect for tossing with pasta, spreading on sandwiches, or drizzling over roasted veggies. Quick to make and easy to store!
If you don’t have walnuts, you can make pesto with pine nuts, too!
Start by tossing your fresh basil leaves, walnuts, garlic, salt, black pepper, grated Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a small food processor. These ingredients are going to give your pesto that perfect balance of fresh, nutty, tangy, and cheesy flavors.
Blend everything together until it looks finely chopped—kind of like a thick, green paste. Then, with the food processor still running, slowly drizzle in the rest of the olive oil. This helps smooth things out and gives the pesto a nice, saucy texture. If it still feels a bit too thick, just add a little more olive oil until it looks right to you.
Don’t forget to pause every now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything blends evenly. Once it’s all mixed up, give it a quick taste and see if it needs a bit more salt or seasoning.
And that’s it—your walnut pesto is ready to go! You can use it right away on pasta, sandwiches, or roasted veggies. If you’re saving it for later, just spoon it into a container with a lid and pop it in the fridge. It’ll stay fresh for up to a week. Pro tip: pour a thin layer of olive oil on top or press some plastic wrap right against the surface to keep it from turning brown.
Walnut Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Place fresh basil leaves, walnuts, garlic, salt, black pepper, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a small food processor.
- Blend the ingredients until the mixture is finely chopped.
- With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil until the pesto reaches a slightly coarse, saucy consistency. Add more olive oil if needed to achieve your preferred texture.
- Pause occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, ensuring everything blends evenly. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if needed.
- Your pesto is now ready to use! If not using immediately, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week.
