How to Make Pesto
Homemade basil pesto is easy! Follow this recipe to make pesto, plus learn how to toss it with pasta, freeze it, and make tasty variations.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on May 7, 2025
Let’s talk about basil pesto! Have you made homemade pesto before? It’s one of my favorite, ultra-flavorful sauces. I love to make it in the warmer months when fresh basil is in season.
Great pesto tastes fresh, herbal, nutty, garlicky and luxurious, all at once. Today, I’m sharing my favorite pesto recipe and my best pesto tips. I’ve followed this formula for years, and it never lets me down.
Homemade pesto is infinitely more tasty than store-bought varieties. Jarred pesto can be expensive, too. It’s cheaper to make your own, and then you can use it liberally! While pesto always seems fancy and gourmet, homemade pesto is very easy to make in your food processor or blender.
Pesto originated in Liguria, Italy, where pesto is made in a mortar and pestle. (In fact, “pestâ” means “to pound.”) I don’t have the patience to crush basil by hand, one handful at a time, so I recommend using a food processor instead.
Watch How to Make Pesto
Uses for Classic Basil Pesto
Pesto is traditionally served on pasta, but don’t stop there. Add it to anything that could benefit from a jolt of fresh basil sauce. You can serve it cold or warm; know that if you heat it up significantly, it will turn a darker color.
If you’d like to incorporate vegetables, pesto pairs well with tomatoes, artichoke, eggplant, bell peppers, mushrooms, peas, new potatoes and cauliflower. Make a meal by adding pesto to any of the following foods.
- Pasta: Generally speaking, the best pasta shapes for pesto are thin spaghetti or angel hair, twisted shapes like fusilli, and bow-ties.
- Zucchini noodles: Use all zoodles or a combination of zoodles with spaghetti.
- Pizza: Keep it simple with pesto and mozzarella, or add veggies like tomatoes, olives, or thinly sliced summer squash.
- Sandwiches: Spread it directly onto bread or stir in mayonnaise to make a more mellow, creamy sauce.
- Salads: Turn pesto into a lively dressing by thinning it with more olive oil and lemon juice, to taste.
- Find more pesto ideas here.
Basil Pesto Ingredients
Traditional pesto alla genovese is made simply with basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, salt and olive oil. These healthy ingredients yield a rich and delicious sauce. I often change up the herbs or nuts and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Read on to learn why!
Fresh Basil
Pesto is the perfect use for your summer garden basil surplus, and you can freeze the extra for later. Don’t have a garden? My favorite sources for affordable fresh basil are the farmers’ market, Trader Joe’s, or those little basil plants (“living basil” or potted) from grocery stores.
Wash and dry your basil well before using it—wet basil waters down the flavor of the pesto and can turn it an unappetizing dark color. You can either shake the leaves dry and let them air dry on a towel or pat them dry.
Kenji from Serious Eats says you can use frozen basil leaves. If you ever have extra basil leaves—rinse, dry thoroughly, and put them in a freezer bag for future pesto!
Variations: Substitute arugula when basil is out of season. Kale, cilantro and parsley also make lovely pestos. You honestly can’t go wrong.
Pine Nuts or Other Nuts/Seeds
Pine nuts are the traditional choice (did you know they’re actually pine cone seeds?). Pine nuts are tender, buttery and high in fat, so they yield smoother, silkier pesto. On the downside, pine nuts are prohibitively expensive.
Variations: I often save money by using raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or hemp hearts instead. Almonds are the most neutral option, so I used them for the pesto you see here. They’re all tasty in their own way.
I typically toast the nuts first to enhance their flavor and add an extra-savory edge to the pesto.
Parmesan
Parmesan is salty and creamy, and tones down basil’s anise flavor. You can use Pecorino Romano for a more prominent cheesy flavor. Parmesan is not typically vegetarian (it usually contains animal rennet), but Whole Foods and BelGioioso offer vegetarian varieties.
If you’re vegan or dairy free, you can use a smaller amount of nutritional yeast instead (see recipe note). Sometimes, if I’m in the mood for extra-bold pesto, I just leave it out altogether or sprinkle vegan Parmesan cheese on my finished dish, to taste.
Garlic
Garlic is a traditional component that adds aromatics and makes the pesto taste more interesting. Don’t skip it.
Lemon Juice
I always add a squeeze of lemon juice to my pesto to brighten up the flavor without adding more salt. It’s optional, but I think you’ll like it!
Salt
Salt amps up all the other flavors and reduces the bitterness of the basil. If your pesto doesn’t taste amazing on the first bite, try adding another pinch or two of salt.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Extra-virgin olive oil is the highest quality and comes from the first pressing of the olives. My favorite brands are California Olive Ranch and Trader Joe’s Kalamata olive oil.
Basil Pesto
Homemade basil pesto is so easy to make! Learn how to make basil pesto with this recipe, plus learn how to properly toss it with pasta, and freeze leftovers. Recipe yields 1 cup pesto, which is enough to toss with about 12 ounces of pasta.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup raw pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans or pepitas
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (about 3 ounces or 2 large bunches)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- (Optional) Toast the nuts or seeds for extra flavor: In a medium skillet, toast the nuts/seeds over medium heat, stirring frequently (don’t let them burn!), until nice and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour them into a bowl to cool for a few minutes.
- To make the pesto, combine the basil, cooled nuts/seeds, Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor or blender. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue processing until the mixture is well blended but still has some texture, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary.
- Taste, and adjust if necessary. Add a pinch of salt if the basil tastes too bitter or the pesto needs more zing. Add more Parmesan if you’d like a creamier/cheesier pesto. If desired, you can thin out the pesto with more olive oil. (Consider, however, that if you’re serving the pesto on pasta, you can thin it with small splashes of reserved pasta cooking water to bring it all together. See notes for details.)
- Use pesto as desired; there’s no need to cook it. Store leftover pesto in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. You can also freeze pesto—my favorite way is in an ice cube try. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag, then you can thaw only as much as you need later.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Replace the Parmesan with 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast.
Make it nut free: Use pine nuts, pepitas or sunflower seeds. (Pine nuts are technically seeds, but if you’re allergic to nuts, there’s a chance you’ll be allergic to pine nuts, too.)
Parmesan note: Most Parmesans are not technically vegetarian (they contain animal rennet), but Whole Foods 365 and BelGioioso brands offer vegetarian Parmesan cheese.
How to toss pesto with pasta: Before you drain your pasta, place a liquid measuring cup in the sink. Then, pour about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water into the measuring cup before you drain off the rest of the water. That pasta cooking water is pure gold—it contains starches that create a creamy emulsion and help attach the sauce to the pasta. Off the heat, toss pasta, pesto and small splashes of pasta cooking water together until you’re satisfied with the consistency (I used roughly ⅓ cup reserved pasta cooking water for ½ pound of spaghetti).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Just picked fresh basil. I’m going to make your pesto recipe now!
Hi Kate, I just made this pesto and it turned out great. I used provolone piquante cheese, because that’s what I had and I added a few gratings of black pepper. Other than that, didn’t change a thing. It turned out great and was so easy to make! Thanks so much for all your great recipes.
I don’t think that I’ve ever had a yummier pesto. Thank you!
Absolutely wonderful. I indulged before it even got into the jars. . Thanks so much. My basil was massive this year in Payson, Arizona
I was looking for a pesto recipe and found quite a few but too complicated, yours was the easiest and oh sooooo good and delicious. Adding the lemon juice not only elevated the taste, but kept it nice and green for the four days I was able to keep it. This is so easy and delicious and was able to make it with no problem in my Ninja Storm.
I’m glad you loved it, Liz!
I’ve never made pesto before but I had so much basil in my garden I decided to try it. I looked at lots of pesto recipes but choose yours since it was so clear plus I loved the tip about pasta water.
It turned out so fabulously delicious even my hubby (who doesn’t like basil) ate a huge bowl of pesto pasta. I used the pesto in spaghetti, tossed with olive oil and some cooked pancetta. I served it to my brother-in-law and his wife, who both teach catering. They loved it and even had seconds.
I’ve even bought a food processor so it’s easier to make. Now I’m off to make my next batch. Lol.
Thanks for the terrific recipe and the perfect tip about pasta water!
Wonderful to hear! Thanks, TM.
Nice one.
I’m an amateur cook ( my husband is the chef in the family) … but I tried this last night and it was amazing! Soooo easy to make and so delicious… Thank you!
Great tip about toasting the seeds and nuts for the recipe, it really enhances the flavor of the pesto.
Womens’ best friend. Man too!
Dear C+K, I made your Minestrone last week… Absolutely Fabulous! Wondering why I ever attempted to mimick Campbell’s Tomato soup! Made the pesto; I’m new to pesto; was lovely on pasta. Bon Apetit’s so-called “best” pesto recipe did not have any acid, i.e. lemon juice… Fail! Didn’t they read Salt-Fat-Acid-Heat? Obviously, you did! Anyways, wicked great website! Your recipes are better and site more high tech than any gourmet magazine; and I subscribe to most!
I’m happy you loved it, Tommy! Thanks for sharing.
Great recipe. Will tweek it a bit next time but only because I like more garlic and now that I’ve made Pesto with lemon… Well, I’ll never leave that out again and will add a dash more. PS I always use sunflower seeds. Thank you
Can you freeze extra pesto sauce ?
Helpful during these times!
Hi Loni! Yes, you can also freeze pesto—my favorite way is in an ice cube try. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag, then you can thaw only as much as you need later.
I’ve never made pesto before but this was delicious! This will be my “go to” Pesto recipients from now on. Thank you!
Thank you for the prompt reply
I made this recipe from the book I recently purchased, trying to get my 9yo interested in cooking too.
He enjoyed the blitzing and the entire family loved this recipe, all having second servings!
I used basil and a mixture of almonds and walnuts.
Excellent pesto!! My husband and I loved it. I used it as a topping on salmon before I baked it and my kitchen smells amazing!! I used fresh organic basil growing in my backyard. Love this recipe!!❤️
Wow! Thank you for the comment about Parmesan… I didn’t know that. Not a veggie, but don’t eat a lot of meat. Just read about what the hell “animal rennet” is… yuck! Will be buying “parmesan” that is not made with that.
Always surprising what you can find in food! Thank you for your review and feedback, Amanda.
Delicious pesto! I used pecans, basil and parmesan.
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Lise.
Didn’t have parmesan, so I used edam instead, and a little less olive oil than the recipe required! Still turned out pretty great, thanks for the recipe!
I unfortunately don’t have lemon right now – could you substitute some type of vinegar? This will be my first attempt at using the purple basil from our garden. :-) Thanks!
Hi Anne! Great question. Do you have any lime by chance? I would substitute that if you have it. Or,use half as much white vinegar. But, I can’t say how that will taste with this one as I haven’t tried it.
My partner is allergic to garlic, but I have a ton of basil to use up. Any thoughts on if this would work without garlic or subbing another allium?
Hi Stephanie, I think the pesto would still be very nice without garlic. You could potentially add a bit of chopped green onion or chives, but I’d try it without first.
Loved it, thank you.
Substituted Sunflower Seed butter for the Pine Nuts.
Next time will try Watermelon Seed butter, ( available from 88 Acres) sparingly, as its sweetened a bit.
Also added some Purple Basil, because I had ( most of) one plant left.
Next time will try a little Truffle Oil, too.
I am really excited to try this recipe soon. I have basil growing in my garden right now! I like the idea of using almonds as a less expensive alternative to pine nuts, plus I had a weird pine nut experience one time…anyway, do you blanch your almonds first? Does it matter? Thanks!
Hi Ashely! No need, unless you have a nut allergy then I would avoid and see my note about a seed alternative. I hope this helps!
This recipe was so delicious. I like the addition of the lemon juice, and thanks for the tip about adding a bit of pasta water! I will be making this again.
Hi Kate. Just made it last night. Sooo delicious and easy to make. I also stored leftover in a ice cube tray ( very smart idea ) .
I tried several different recipes and the are all very good.
Thank you for sharing.
The best i have ever made!
I just made this almost as you have it, except that I had a little more than six cups of basil, harvested early this morning. I packed it down to what looked like 6 cups and added 1 cup of blanched almonds, lightly toasted and cooled, 1 tsp of salt (all we had was coarse), 1 ½ cups of EVOO and 3 to 4 Tbsp lemon juice. It was really thick so we added more and more oil till it wasn’t as thick — maybe an extra cup. I may have had more basil than I thought! I won’t add cheese till we use it. Same with freezing pesto; we find it lasts longer if you don’t had the cheese till the pesto is defrosted and ready to use.
Hey just made this added Kale and hemp seeds ginger
No cheese though very Gooda
I have been making pesto for 40 years, always thinking that it’s not quite right. This is the recipe that gave me the taste I’ve been looking for. Thank you!!
This pesto recipe was bright and tasty! Great for summer!
Tried this. Love it. Best pesto I have ever had. Not too oily, and I made it with almond flour. I like it better than with the pine nuts. Thank you.
Lol. Was up to my elbows today making good use of our end of summer basil.
First I made one recipe as written but given that I had 18 cups of basil I decided to make larger batches. I could fit in 3 recipes (6 cups of basil etc) into the food processor. First I whirled the basil, then added the nuts and then the other ingredients. I combined all the batches into one big batch to get an uniform flavour.
I used 3 cloves of garlic instead of 2, roasted whole almonds and 2/3 of the oil.
The pesto is beautiful and tastes amazing. I am freezing in ice cube trays, 3 tbsp per cube.
I saw in the comments below that the ratio is 1/3 cup pesto to 1/2 lbs uncooked pasta.
Amazing! Used about 4 cups of fresh genovese basil from my newly started garden. P.S. I love that you referenced Kenji from Serious Eats. Great blog and even greater book. Thanks for sharing. Much love from Cali ❤️
Excellent recipe! Perfect to make in the fall to save all the basil before it freezes and to have a stock of pesto for [at least] the winter.
Awesome easy recipe..and love the iced cube freezing.
Very pungent kitchen!..3 varieties of basil in garden this summer,so Thai basil lends whole new peppery anise taste…yum with lemon juice increased..plus more blanched toasted almonds
Thank you!
I make this pesto often, it’s quite good. Well done chef.
As always Kate, your recipes are awesome. We just enjoyed this pesto sauce with spaghetti…basil from my herb garden…yum yum! Thanks again!*****
This is just Awsome best simple recipe ever thank you very much will never have store bought again if I can help it
Can thai basil be used in this recipe?
Sure! It has a slightly different flavor but should work fine.
I won’t be able to eat until Friday :( It’s Tuesday now. Very easy to make with the ingredients that I expected and had on hand—simple. Smells so good from fresh basil and garlic. I toasted the pine nuts first. Thanks for a great recipe and instructions! (Found your’s while browsing Internet for pesto recipes).
When re-mixing pasta water, does it matter if you use the clear part or cloudy part, to get the same good, effect?
Hi Jo! I’m glad you have something to look forward to. You want to get the starchy water, so once it’s cooked. Enjoy!
Kate, I love your recipes and your blog but I just made this and it didn’t work for me
I followed your recipe to a T, I used pine nuts as I had them already and used only 1/2 cup of oil as suggested (I used a measuring jug to measure the 1/2 cup) not a measuring cup.
My pesto turned out really thin (not like your pictures) light coloured and very oily tasting. Could it be the way I measured the oil or something else?
Hi Nikki, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you pack your basil or measure it out?
How long would this last in the fridge?
Hi Carl, See step :)
Absolute best pesto I’ve ever made!! I used half walnuts and half pumpkin seeds, and toasting them first was crucial. I also skipped the park entirely because I’m dairy free and didn’t have any nutritional yeast on hand. WOW! Love it!
That’s great! I’m glad you love it, Amanda.
Hi,
Loved you vegetarian lasagna!! I am trying pesto today.
Thank you!
Yasmín
I hope you loved it!
I threw a handful of spinach in too, and my husband didn’t even notice. I mixed this with homemade pasta, some fresh tomato chunks, and an extra bit of Parm – absolutely a new home favorite!
I’m glad that worked out well, Greta! I appreciate your review.
Hi. For the first time ever, I have just made beautiful basil and baby spinach pesto using your recipe. Never liked the taste of pesto but this is magnificent and certainly won’t last long! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and your tips. Cheers, Pat
I’m glad this one won you over! I appreciate your review, Patricia.
I’ve made your pesto twice now and used sunflower seeds. Boy, this is so yummy. I just love it. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Maddi
South Africa
I’ve made your pesto twice now and used sunflower seeds. Boy, this is so yummy. I just love it. Thanks soooo much for the recipe Kate.
Maddi
You’re welcome, Maddi! I appreciate your review.
I used dry-roasted salted almonds and I did the vegan alternate for the parmesan cheese. Threw in some diced tomatoes, sautéed zucchini, and put it on some pasta. It was really good despite the fact that I forgot to reserve the pasta water. ♀️ It was a tad dry cause of that but I just added some extra olive oil and it turned out pretty well. Next time I think I might try adding your vegan parm for a more intense flavor. Should I add the same amount as the recipe calls for? 1/4 cup?
Thank you for sharing how you were able to change it up. What recipe are you referring to?