Basil pesto is my go-to summer sauce! It’s ultra-flavorful, deliciously aromatic, and versatile enough to slather on just about anything. All you need are a few fresh ingredients, such as basil leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, nuts, garlic, and a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Why You’ll Love This Basil Pesto
Every time I get a whiff of this basil pesto, I’m instantly transported to the Italian Riviera, where my memories conjure up a vibrant table full of fresh food. Nothing compares to the fresh scent of newly pureed basil leaves! If you’ve made my homemade marinara sauce before, you know that homemade sauces are exponentially better. And this homemade pesto is no different. It’s fresher, brighter, and so much more robust than anything you’ll find in a bottled jar. So here’s why you’ll want to keep this sauce in your regular rotation:
- It’s authentic. This recipe is inspired by the fresh pesto I’ve enjoyed on countless trips to Italy.
- It comes together in 15 minutes. Just toss everything in and blend. So easy!
- It stores well for the week. If you have an abundance of fresh basil in your garden, add this pesto to your summer meal prep. It’ll keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
Basil Pesto Recipe Ingredients
- Olive oil & lemon juice: Since there’s a good amount of olive oil, I recommend using a high-quality brand. I love Lucini Italia (linked in the recipe card below).
- Nuts: A mix of raw pine nuts and cashews adds heft to the pesto. And do make sure to get raw nuts, as you don’t want extra salt or “roasted” flavors added to the sauce.
- Basil leaves: In peak summer, fresh basil is everywhere! Choose bright, vibrant leaves with no wilting.
- Aromatics: Garlic, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper round everything out.
Parmesan cheese: Skip the pre-grated stuff and use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano. It’s easy to grate yourself, and with the extra flavor fresh cheese imparts, you’ll be so glad that you did.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Pesto
Step one: Toast the pine nuts and cashews in a skillet on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until they get just a bit of color.
Step two: Add the olive oil, lemon juice, pine nuts, cashews, basil leaves, garlic, salt, pepper, and Parmesan to a food processor or blender. A blender will give you a smoother consistency, while a food processor keeps it a bit more textured. Your choice!
Step three: If you’re using a food processor, pulse until the ingredients are all pureed. If you’re using a high-powered blender, slowly turn the speed to high and use the tamper to push down the ingredients until it’s perfectly creamy.
Ways to Use Basil Pesto
- Make classic Italian dishes. Classic basil pesto pasta is a no-brainer, though I’m partial to this healthier zucchini noodle caprese. You could even layer it in my zucchini lasagna or this pesto ground turkey dinner.
- Freshen up salads. For salads, toss it in this pesto chicken salad or dollop it on a caprese salad for fabulous summer dishes.
- Spread it on any dinner protein. Spoon it over baked salmon or baked chicken for a summery spin.
- Add it to breakfast. Make easy pesto fried eggs, or a green eggs and ham situation on top of breakfast toast.
- Swirl into hummus. Add a pop of flavor to your hummus (it’s great mixed with my classic hummus or beet hummus) with a spoonful of pesto on top.
How to Store
Store pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. To help preserve it, make sure there’s a light layer of oil covering the surface. You can also freeze pesto! Pour it into a silicone ice cube tray, freeze, then transfer to a container or bag—it will keep for up to 3 months. When ready to use, just thaw a cube and stir it into your meal.
Common Questions
I often skip the cheese when making this recipe for a dairy-free or vegan option. Thanks to the creamy cashews, it still has a rich, satisfying texture. You won’t miss the cheese!
Yes! You can swap in some seeds to replace the nuts, like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
More Homemade Sauces
- Chimichurri Sauce: My second favorite herby summer sauce!
- Tartar Sauce: The best with crispy, grilled fish.
- Horseradish Sauce: Perfect pairing for hefty meats.
- Bearnaise Sauce: The best way to elevate a steak.
- Or give these other sauces and dressings a try!
If you try this basil pesto recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
- Food Processor My favorite for blending pesto!
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup olive oil, or more as needed
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup raw pine nuts
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 2 cups packed basil leaves
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, optional
Instructions
- Toast the pine nuts and cashews. Add the pine nuts and cashews to a skillet on medium-low heat and toss gently for 5 minutes, until lightly toasted. Transfer them to your food processor or blender.
- Blend the pesto. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, basil leaves, garlic, salt, pepper, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. If using a food processor, pulse until the ingredients are mixed. If using a blender, slowly turn the speed to high and use the tamper to push the ingredients into the blades until the pesto is smooth and creamy.
- Serve. Pour the basil pesto into a bowl and enjoy or add it to your favorite recipes.
Lisa’s Tips
- Storage tips: If you’re meal prepping for the week, a jar of pesto will come in extra handy! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. To keep it extra fresh, make sure there’s a thin layer of olive oil on top before sealing. It’ll help preserve the vibrant color and flavor, and you can always add an extra drizzle of oil if needed.
- Freezing tips: You can also freeze basil pesto for quick and easy meals down the line! Just pour any leftovers into a silicone ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Then, transfer the cubes to a storage container or freezer bag. They’ll keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. When you’re ready to use one, simply thaw a cube and stir it into your favorite meal.
- Blending tip: If you’re using a high-powered blender, don’t halve or reduce the quantity. You need a minimum amount of ingredients for your blender to process the sauce properly.
- Toasting the pine nuts and cashews is optional, but it does add a wonderful flavor to the pesto.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally posted July 2018, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
I made this with sprouted pumpkin seeds instead of the cashews and pine nuts. I used extra lemon juice. I made in a food processor.
Sounds amazing! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Absolutely delicious!!! Thanks for sharing.❤️
So delicious and tasted better than any store-bought pesto I have ever gotten!!!! 100% recommend!
Hi Bridget – Homemade basil pesto is always the way to go!
I enjoy your recipes… Thanks!
Thanks so much, Carol. I’m happy to hear that!
Hi I have a nut (all nuts) and seed allergy (some seeds, incl sunflower). Is there anything else that I can substitute for the nuts?
Thanks for this recipe. My neighbor and I made this recipe last year and we’re using it again this year. We have decided toasting the pine nuts is the way to go. This recipe is easy and delicious. Great way to use up the basil and since the pesto is ok to freeze, we get to enjoy it longer.
Hi Melanie – Happy to hear you and your neighbor are loving this homemade basil pesto!
I made this recipes but without roasting the pine nuts and did not add any cheese. I added a bit too much lemon because after blending it the pesto was very watery. I added some roasted macadamias because I did not have any pine nuts left and it helped to turned it into a pesto paste. I did not get to a point to try the pesto on any salad or with anything else because I could not stop eating it once I tasted it while it was still in the blender. Delicious! I used fresh basil leaves from a bush that is growing in the back garden. Thank you Lisa for all your delicious recipes. Downshiftology is my one stop shop for finding an easy quick healthy recipe. You rock!
Hi Nico – Happy to hear your basil pesto still turned out great!
Sooooo delicious! I’ve never made pesto before. However, Lisa is turning me into quite the cook! EVERYTHING I have made from the website or her book is sooo good! This pesto is no exception! I poured the pesto over roasted spaghetti squash garnished with sun dried tomatoes my friend made with tomatoes from my garden and some capers. Amazing!
Hi Felicia – Happy to hear you’re loving this basil pesto!
I love this pesto. I did not have pinenuts, so subbed in pistachio nuts. Delicious.
Glad this worked out great with pistachio instead!
What great flavor!!! I’ve had some not real great pesto and this one is a keeper! Very easy to make. I’ll be making this again! Thank you Lisa!!!
Glad you’re loving this basil pesto recipe!
What a great recipe, easy and worth the effort! It’s so much better than store bought pesto. I like the option of controlling the amount of olive oil to an achieve desired consistency. Everyone LOVED it at the 4th of July cookout.
Glad this pesto sauce was a hit for your July 4th cookout Katrin!
I have a lemon allergy. Is there another acid that would be a good substitute or could I just omit without too much disappointment in flavor?
Hi Heather – you try substituting with lime juice, orange juice, or white wine vinegar. :)
Hi Lisa!
I made this exactly as listed, and it was amazing, but am wondering about the nutritional info. My batch yielded 18 tbsps and when I enter the ingredients into my lose it app recipe calculator, it says 98 per tablespoon versus your calculation of 90 for 2 tablespoons. Ty!
I use this recipe all the time. We like ours a little stronger, so we use more garlic, a bit more lemon juice, a bit more salt. Yummy!
Easily the most delicious pesto recipe I’ve ever made. Rather than waste a drop of it, I used a dollop from scraping out the Vitamix container on one of your Zucchini & Prosciutto Egg Muffins. So delicious!
Fabulous recipe! I added walnuts instead of cashews and a little arugula – came out great! So great to have these healthy but not boring recipes! thank you Lisa!
Yay! Glad this pesto still turned out great with walnuts :)
Whenever I learn to make a new dish, my go-to is to always look up Downshiftology’s recipe, it never disappoints for a nutritious and tasty version. This pesto is no different, I nailed it the first time by following all the tips and quantities. Thank you for making me look like a wonder cook among those whom I cook for!
You’re more than welcome, Sandy! Thank you for making my recipes. :)
Can I use 100% cashews? I don’t have pine nuts .
Yes, that’s fine.
Love all of your recipes, they are my do too just about everyday. I was wondering if I could replace the basil with English spinach 🤗
You’ll need basil for this recipe!
Hey there, Firstly, congrats on the book. 😁
Could I substitute the basil with Coriander and not add the cheese for a vegan coriander pesto?
Thanks so much Dayne! As for a cilantro pesto, you can do that. Although, you might want to look up some recipes to see what other ingredients they add to complement the cilantro :)
How do you make the sauce thinner without it losing flavor? I couldn’t imagine using water. I want to use it plentifully as I would marinara sauce.
You can add a bit more oil into the mix.
Pasta water or broth.
Can you tell how to store herbs in ice tray in freezer?
Hi Cheryl – you can simply chop them up, add them to the tray and top with olive oil or butter, then freeze!
Thanks for this quick and simple recipe! Delicious 😋
Added this to Trader Joe’s lentil penne with pan seared shrimp.
This basil pesto was absolutely delicious. I served it as a dipping sauce for roasted chicken, but could have just as easily eaten it with a spoon! The consistency of mine was a lot more smooth, than the textured version in the recipe/video, so I may have over mixed it in the blender. Either way it was a 10/10. My boyfriend who doesn’t like anything green even approved!
Happy to hear both you and your boyfriend enjoy this recipe!
Anything I can substitute pine nuts with?
You can substitute with any other nuts.
Amazing! So easy, fresh and delicious, I think I will be putting it on everything! I hope my garden basil can keep up! Thanks for another great recipe Lisa!
I’m sure this turned out amazing with fresh garden basil!
Perfect! My husband loves it too! This pesto is addictive!!!
Glad both of you enjoyed this homemade pesto :)
As a dairy free option, do you think substituting nutritional yeast for parmesan would help with the “cheese” profile? Have you tried it? I know it’s optional, but I didn’t want to waste any pine nuts if I didn’t have to.
I haven’t tried that, but I think it’s worth a shot!
Hi Lisa,
I had plenty of basil so I made this recipe with a couple of substitutions instead of buying store bought pesto. Parmigiano Reggiano and pine nuts are so expensive so I used Pecorino Romano (left over from making Cacio E Pepe Spaghetti) and walnuts. It turned out well.
I suppose if I can afford a VITAMIX I can afford the expensive ingredients but I like to tweet recipes to use ingredients I have on hand rather than buying stuff I might not use for a while.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for sharing this pesto recipe mum and Hubby loved it! :)
Glad you and the hubby enjoyed this recipe :)
Love your recipes! I really wanted to try this one but I’m allergic to all nuts (including pine nuts and cashews). Do you have any suggestions for replacing them?
You could swap the nuts for seeds, like sunflower seeds.
Hi Lisa:)
Enjoyed the recipe very easy to make and plenty of left over to freeze. I switched it up a little and used 1 cup of fresh basil and 1 cup fresh spinach. It was a big hit. Which pasta do you recommend to use for this recipe?
Angel
Glad you enjoyed this! I normally use this with my zucchini noodles. You can take a peek at my zucchini noodle caprese recipe :)
Thanks and I will use the zucchini noodles this week:)
I have heard that it is better (safer) to leave the garlic out of the recipe (if you are freezing it) until you thaw and are ready to serve as the combination of garlic and oil can cause botulism. Some recipes also suggest omitting cheese (again, if freezing) until ready for use. What are your thoughts?
Hi Mary – my understanding is that the botulism concern is related to storing garlic in oil at room temperature. If it’s stored in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a couple of months, it should be fine.
This is my favorite pesto recipe!! Love it with pasta or on a sandwich. I also like to mix it with mayo to make a pesto-mayo dipping sauce
I have tried dozens of Pesto recipes and this is hands down my favorite! Im dairy free and the cashews make this so creamy, that it mimics a cheesy version! It is my go to when using up all the basil I have going wild in my garden!
Hi Olivia- So glad you enjoyed this recipe :)
Your amazing recipes are always 100% with my Vitamix ❤🙏
Hi Lisa! I wanted to make this recipe but I have two questions:
1. I have a classic Vitamex (not one of those cool fancy ones haha). I also don’t own a food processor. Can I still put nuts in the blender or is it not powerful enough? I don’t want to ruin the blades/motor.
2. I have a cashew allergy. Can I replace the cashews in this recipe with almonds?
Thank you!
Hi Summer – yes, you should have no problems with the pine nuts in the blender as they’re pretty soft. And I’d recommend replacing the cashews with more pine nuts. :)
Simply the best I pesto I’ve ever made and so easy! Way better than anything I have found in stores. I will save this recipe forever!!
Hi Samantha – So glad you loved this recipe :)
Has the video been removed? I’m not seeing it here.
Hi Tammy – there may have been a glitch, but I’m seeing it there now. :)
Hello!
My son is multi-allergic. His big ones are dairy and peanut but, cashew is also on the list. Could I sub the cashews in this recipe with something else?
Thank you!
Hi Angelique – you could omit the cashews and just use pine nuts. Or you could use another nut like walnuts. It’s certainly flexible. :)
Love this recipe but without cashews, homemade pesto always test better than store one.
I am so happy I made this for #freezerprep as I will be able to use delicious pesto cubes for months to come. I love this pesto on pizza, pasta, zoodles, in savory oats, and so on. It’s a perfect recipe for when you find a huge batch of basil at a good price or if you’re fortunate enough to have a good green thumb. I didn’t have Parmesan but I did add some nutritional yeast for a hint a cheesy-like flavor.
Yes! This makes for the best freezer meal prep using a silicone ice cube tray. I’m always happy knowing I can easily toss a basil cube into a stir fry or with some zoodles. :)
Why buy Pesto from the store if it’s so easy to make right? Especially if it’s so delicious like your recipe! Thanks Lisa!
Also within only a few minutes you can mix up a healthy homemade pasta like this. My family loves it!
I got my Vitamix about two weeks ago and was sad because I thought I wouldn’t be able to find a Basil plant but I found a small one today at Whole Foods. I’m making some today! Should I use 2/4 cup pine nuts since I don’t have cashews? I have walnuts too if they can take cashews place?
Yes, you can add more pine nuts (or walnuts) if you’d like.
Hi Lisa, I love your pesto recipe. How many days does it last?
This will last for 4-5 days in the fridge, but you can freeze it as well! I freeze it in my silicone ice cube trays for future use. I show how to do that on my kitchen gadgets video. :)
Hello Lisa, I love to use vitamix with ur recipes! How long does pesto last?
The pesto will last for about 4-5 days in the fridge. :) And thanks so much!
Yum! Yum! Came in perfect timing. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear! Hope you enjoy the recipe. :)
Made this today to go with the zucchini dinner (from your ‘what I eat in a day’ video). Well well well. We all knew we would enjoy it, we’ve made pesto from your recipe, the fact it tastes so good with the zucchini cake to no surprise. Our daughter (10 years old) doesn’t really like zucchini but had two helpings of them!!! She really liked how the pesto “masked” the zucchini! Feeling full so will wait a bit before making mango/yoghurt dessert.
I think “masking” is 100% okay when you’re slathering the zucchini noodles in healthy basil pesto (more greens). Haha. And look at that – two helpings. Yay! Glad both the pesto and the zucchini noodle caprese was a success! x
Now this is the perfect topping for pasta in summer and I have a ton of basil out in the garden right now!
Thanks for posting this. I can even use it on top of garlic pizza! YUMMY!
Yes, it’s perfect to top on pasta (or zucchini noodles) and so many other recipes. Enjoy!
That basil pesto looks so delicious! I do love pesto, I’d have it on everything if I could!
I tend to slather it on everything in the summer months as well. ;)
I have a bunch of a basil in my garden, I need to make this!
It’s one of my favorite uses for all that fresh basil. :) Enjoy!
I always make my own pesto these days and basil is of course the classic. Haven’t tried with cashews, mind you – for next time!
Yes, the cashews definitely add a lovely flavor (especially when toasted). Hope you enjoy my version!
Fresh pesto sounds delicious!
Yes, it’s so fresh and perfect for this time of year!