Basil Pesto

Name: Basil Pesto
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 20 Tablespoons
Ingredients: 3 cups fresh basil packed; 1/3 cup pine nuts; 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese; 1 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 2 garlic cloves; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 3/4 cup olive oil

User Reviews

4.6

72 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
Servings
20 Tablespoons
Calories
99 kcal
Course
Condiments
Cuisine
Italian

Basil Pesto

Quade Maldonado

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Here’s all you need to know to make the BEST Basil Pesto! This basil pesto recipe is a step by step guide to making the sauce, freezing it, defrosting, using it, switching up nuts, and even making a basil pesto without nuts!

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Ingredients

Servings

3 cups fresh basil packed
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons lemon juice juice from 1 large lemon
3/4 cup olive oil

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Notes

BASIL PESTO TIPS:
Use Fresh Basil.
You can use extra garlic and lemon if you prefer an extra zest of flavor to your pesto.
Nuts are a MUST to emulsify your pesto sauce. Any type of nuts work, and if you’re making a nut free basil pesto, use hemp seeds.
To keep your basil pesto fresher and stay longer in your fridge, always keep a thin layer of olive oil on the top of the jar.
Follow the freezing tips above foe easy frozen and easy defrost pesto.
Use the fresh basil pesto endlessly (see above uses).
Do I need to Blanch basil for pesto? You can do that to keep your pesto green and fresh, however it’s a lengthy process and you can skip it completely. Make sure you add the layer of olive oil mentioned above.
Why is my pesto bitter? Because the olive oil when crushed in a food processor releases a substance which creates the slight bitter taste. To avoid this, I add a touch of sugar to my basil pesto recipe and make sure the sauce is well seasoned with salt.
Use Fresh Basil.
You can use extra garlic and lemon if you prefer an extra zest of flavor to your pesto.
Nuts are a MUST to emulsify your pesto sauce. Any type of nuts work, and if you’re making a nut free basil pesto, use hemp seeds.
To keep your basil pesto fresher and stay longer in your fridge, always keep a thin layer of olive oil on the top of the jar.
Follow the freezing tips above foe easy frozen and easy defrost pesto.
Use the fresh basil pesto endlessly (see above uses).
Do I need to Blanch basil for pesto? You can do that to keep your pesto green and fresh, however it’s a lengthy process and you can skip it completely. Make sure you add the layer of olive oil mentioned above.
Why is my pesto bitter? Because the olive oil when crushed in a food processor releases a substance which creates the slight bitter taste. To avoid this, I add a touch of sugar to my basil pesto recipe and make sure the sauce is well seasoned with salt.