4.6 from 72 votes
Basil Pesto
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!
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
Servings: 20 Tablespoons
Calories: 99 kcal
Course:
Condiments
Cuisine:
Italian
Ingredients
- 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
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.