How to Make Homemade Pesto

Homemade pesto is a favorite olive oil-based sauce made with fresh basil and pine nuts. With this recipe, you can make any homemade pasta dish taste like its from an Italian restaurant!

Also known as pesto alla Genovese, this is an Italian genoa sauce made from just a few ingredients like olive oil, basil leaves, pine nuts, parmesan, and garlic. This authentic thick and aromatic green sauce recipe is easy to make in just a few minutes with five ingredients and can be used as a dip, salad dressing, and pasta sauce. Honestly, it is so good I like to spread it on a thick piece of crusty French bread and eat it that way. This is a recipe that anyone who likes basil has to try.

Pesto is cheesy and flavorful with its unique mix of herbs and aromatics. When I crave pasta, I sometimes try to avoid the cream-based or tomato-based sauces that we have all the time. Nothing bad with them, of course, but if you are looking for something fresh, light and delicious, this homemade pesto is perfect for a simple pasta dinner.

This pesto recipe will make it taste like it came from a gourmet restaurant. It is also perfect for hoagies, chopped sandwiches, shrimp, pizza, salad, and gnocchi. In fact, this sauce can turn any plain dish into something special. The garlicky, cheesy, fresh taste adds a nice touch to veggies, breads, and even fruit plates.

This delicious green paste is perfect as a dip for chips, crackers, and toast, as well as fresh vegetables and fruits. I have also enjoyed dipping chicken tenders, wings, ham, and turkey sticks into pesto as a party tray or appetizer. The best thing about this recipe is that it can be used in all sorts of ways, even as a marinade for meat and seafood.

Turn it into a main entrée like my sausage pesto tortellini casserole or make a delicious side dish of pesto pasta salad with veggies. Of course, they sell pesto at the store, but the sodium and preservatives included are off the charts. Make it yourself with this recipe and it will be nothing but healthy fresh ingredients. 

Why you will love this recipe

• Put it on everything: So versatile, it can be used on everything from sandwiches, salads, casseroles, to pizza.
• It is so fast: It will only take about five minutes to smash everything up and mix it together.
• Healthy food: While store-bought food is full of sodium, home-bought food made with fresh ingredients is full of antioxidants, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
• Save money: It can be made for a fraction of the price it would cost at the store.

What you’ll need to make homemade pesto

Special items:

• Food processor – To crush and mix everything.
• Bowls – For serving.

Ingredients:

• Basil leaves – This herb can be sweet, a bit spicy, and pungent, which makes them perfect for this bold sauce. Ground up with garlic, oil, and pine nuts, the leaves add a fresh and natural earthy background with a kick of heat.
• Pine nuts – They add a buttery, sweet, and rich taste with a creamy texture. I sometimes use cashews if pine nuts are not available.
• Garlic—Freshly ground garlic gives this pesto its signature rich and salty taste. Make sure to use fresh garlic, not powdered.
• Olive oil – Although Italians claim “authentic” pesto has to have olive oil made in Genoa, Italy, I use Pompeian Smooth extra virgin olive oil because of its mild and delicate taste and texture.
• Parmesan cheese – Once again, Italians say that the only cheese to use for pesto is from Genoa. However, I find that the local deli cheese works wonderfully as long as I shred it myself. Do not use the pre-shredded or prepackaged stuff, though. That is dehydrated cheese full of sodium and preservatives.

How do you make pesto:

Once you have prepared the ingredients, then, it is only a matter of time before you can taste your final product! Follow these easy steps:

1. Mince: Use a food processor to mince the fresh basil leaves, garlic, and pine nuts. Then, turn the food processor to LOW.
2. Add oil: Slowly pour in the olive oil and process until smooth.
3. Add cheese: Throw in the parmesan cheese (if using) and combine until throughly mixed.
4. Serve: Scoop out and serve!

Expert tip

Are we making illegal pesto?

According to the 1992 Pesto Confraternity of Genoa, anyone who does not live in or near Genoa has not had and is not making real authentic pesto. That is because the real thing has to be made with ingredients that come from the area of Genoa. Actually, the olive oil, cheese, and basil have to have European Union DOP status to show they are from the right area of Genoa. These genuine home-grown ingredients have to be used in producing the pesto for it to be considered real pesto.

However, I’m afraid I have to disagree. In this age of technological expertise and fast transportation, same quality products can be grown all over the world, so anyone can make authentic pesto with the correct ingredients anytime they like. So, as far as taste and quality, I think we have that covered.

As far as legality, the Italian police reported eight companies (including Nestle) for making pesto with what they referred to as “non-local” ingredients. However, no charges stuck, and pesto continues to be sold all over the world. Now, if you do want to try the true authentic pesto, take a trip to Genoa. It is very popular there. 

Recipe variations and add-ins:

• Different nuts: Cashews, almonds, walnuts, or pecans are all popular choices for pesto, if you can’t have pine nuts.
• Other greens: The main substitutes for this recipe include spinach, kale, parsley, and arugula instead of basil.
• Add more herbs: For extra flavor, try adding cilantro, oregano, cumin, or dill.
• Make it zesty: Another way to add extra flavor is to include some finely grated zest, such as orange, lime, or lemon.
• Other cheese: Instead of parmesan, try pecorino sardo, romano, parmigiano Reggiano, or asiago. 
• Pesto Modenese: Add salami and rosemary, and you will have pesto Modenese.

Serving suggestions:

Here are some of my favorite ways to serve pesto.

• I love this homemade pesto as a spread on sandwiches and pinwheels like my Tuscan chicken pinwheels.
• This is also a great dip for chips, veggies, and crackers alongside some hummus and salsa.
• I also enjoy it drizzled on steamed veggies. 
• These pesto chicken kabobs can be made in 30 minutes with just five ingredients.
• Drizzle some of this sauce on top of a bowl of leafy greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers for a fast salad for lunch.
• This heirloom tomato pizza with peppers, mozzarella, and pepperoni would be delicious with some pesto drizzled on it.

Frequently asked questions

Is pesto healthy?

Yes, but the sodium levels of commercially available ones are off the charts, making it ideal to prepare at home where you can control the ingredients. This dip is made with two main ingredients: olive oil and basil. We all know that olive oil has lots of antioxidants and even if it has fats, they are the monosaturated kind which is healthy. Meanwhile, the fresh basil leaves have many health benefits, too.

They are packed with antioxidants and nutrients with negligible calories. Also, they can help with regulating blood sugar levels and lowering blood pressure. Basil is a good source of vitamin K which helps in blood clotting. Hence, consult your doctor regarding the intake of basil if you are on medication especially related to blood pressure and sugar.

Can I eat pesto straight from the jar?

Although it may cause stomach upset because it is so rich and oily, pesto is fine to eat from the jar. It contains a high amount of fat as well. Since it is liquid, it will go down easily but sneak up on you. In other words, if eaten by the spoonful, one may not realize how much they have eaten until they are feeling way too full. For that reason, it is best if eaten with a carbohydrate like pasta, chips, or bread.

What are the best noodles for pesto?

Any pasta with some texture like penne (penne rigate), rigatoni, manicotti, shells, or tortiglioni that have ridges that can hold onto the sauce. Cavatappi is also a good choice because of its corkscrew shape. Shellbows are a fun new shape sort of like elbow macaroni but wider and they have ridges on the outside, so they hold sauce inside and outside.

Can I use it for other recipes?

Pesto is not for just pasta. In fact, some of the best uses for pesto do not involve pasta at all. The creamy fresh paste is perfect for meat dishes like caprese chicken, pesto turkey and corn, shrimp pesto, and beef basil soup. It can also be the star in breakfast dishes such as gnocchi and pesto baked eggs or breakfast pizza. This savory green sauce is popular as a dip, spread, and topping as well. 

Why is my pesto so bitter?

Several things can cause bitter pesto. First, the olive oil could be old or rancid. Always check it before using it to make sure it is still fresh if it has not been used in a while. This will ruin the whole batch. Toss it out and start over. Also, heating the pesto can cause it to turn bitter. Both basil and olive oil are sensitive to heat. The basil can lose its flavor and the oil can turn bitter. Try adding honey or sugar to mask the bitterness.

Can you make pesto using frozen basil?

Technically, people freeze fresh herbs all the time and use it for their recipes. But, personally, I will not use frozen basil to make pesto because freezing changes the color and texture. Or, if you freeze it properly by blanching the leaves first, they can retain the color, but the flavor is unlike the fresh ones, and the texture changes, too.

How to store:

• Refrigerate: Leftover pesto can be stored in a sealed jar or another airtight container for a week. 
• Freezing: If keeping it longer, pour leftovers into ice cube trays to freeze. Once it is frozen, pop them out and put them into freezer bags so you can get one or two as needed.    
• Defrost: They taste best if defrosted overnight in the fridge.

More homemade sauces to try:

Recipe tips:

• Use any kind of pasta with pesto but the kind with ridges and rough exteriors will hold the oily sauce the best.
• Before using, always check your olive oil if it has not been used in a while. If it has not been used in a while, it can turn bitter and ruin the pesto.
• Do not expose the pesto to high temperatures, as it could cause it to turn bitter. If this happens, try adding sugar or salt.