Pesto! Make it the classic way with basil and pinenuts, or any number of other combinations using spinach, kale, rocket/arugula and nuts such as cashews, almonds and walnuts using my pesto formula.
Homemade pesto will last for 3 days in the fridge, or months in the freezer. Make a pesto pasta, use for pasta salad, spread it on toast, use as a dip and dollop on everything!
There is no greater purpose for a big bunch of fresh basil than to make a homemade classic Italian pesto, and it’s negligent of me to have not shared my “formula” until now!
While basil is the classic version, there’s a wide variety of combinations available and I use the same recipe for all variations:
My pesto formula
- 2 cups basil – or other (tasty) blitzable leafy greens
- 1/4 cup pinenuts – or other nuts (chopped). Cashews are the best (better value!) sub for a basil pesto.
- 1/2 cup parmesan, store bought shredded OR 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan*
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil – a really good quality one makes all the difference here!
- 1 garlic clove
- Salt and pepper
Combine and blitz – that’s it!
* Why the difference between store bought and freshly grated? Because freshly grated is aerated so you need more by volume for the same amount by weight.
Pesto variations
Here are some terrific combinations I’ve tried over the years. Use the same Pesto Formula above.
- Basil and pinenuts – the classic
- Basil with cashews – a popular dip combination sold in Australia
- Rocket/arugula or baby spinach – with pinenuts, walnuts, almonds or cashews
- Kale or silverbeet – with pinenuts, almonds or cashews (I find walnuts too bitter with kale)
- Parsley – with pinenuts, walnuts, almonds or cashews
- Add a bit of coriander/cilantro to any of the above (only using coriander is too strong, I find)
Pictured below is rocket/arugula with cashews (left) and walnuts (right).
Chunky or smooth?
Pesto can be a bit on the chunky side, or almost like a uniform green paste. It really comes down to personal preferences or what you’re using it for, but smoother pesto yields a better flavour and greener colour throughout whatever you toss it through.
Here’s a comparison of how pasta looks with chunky vs smooth. To be honest, I prefer the look of the chunky because I like the little green bits, but the flavour of the smoother one is way better.
How I blitz pesto to make it really smooth
There’s 2 things that will help you get a really smooth pesto:
1. Ensuring there’s enough liquid to help it blitz. You’d think using the same recipe every time would mean constant results, but it doesn’t – because basil leaves can vary in how much water they hold. (Also, sneaking in extra parmesan doesn’t help!).
So if you’re having trouble getting a smooth pesto, just add more liquid – oil, a touch of water or lemon juice (if you’re planning to use it for a pasta salad or you like a touch of tang in your hot pesto pasta)
2. The blitzing vehicle – Guess what, not all food processors are created equal! If yours isn’t powerful enough to make a really smooth pesto with 1 minute of blitzing, then give up, it’s not going to happen.
Instead, use a blender (you need to be diligent scraping it all out!), a Nutri-bullet (or spice grinder or similar) OR use a stick blender in a bowl.
This stick blender works exceptionally well! Watch the video and you’ll see.
Pesto uses
So much more than just pasta!! I’ve separated them between when I use smoother pesto and chunkier pesto.
- Smoother pesto
- Pesto pasta
- Stirred through risotto or a creamy orzo
- Pasta Salads
- Salad dressings
- Spreading on toast, crostinis
- Chunkier pesto
- Dip (like the store bought ones)
- For dolloping on things – cooked proteins, roasted vegetables, steak
- Potato salads
- Making a dressing (add vinegar/lemon and shake/stir)
See the separate post I shared today for how to make a JUICY pesto pasta. Don’t just keep adding more and more oil, it makes it way to rich! – Nagi x
Basil pesto recipe
Watch how to make it
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Pesto
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 cups (60g/2oz) fresh basil leaves, packed (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup (40g) parmesan, store bought shredded OR 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , best quality
Instructions
- Preheat small skillet over medium high heat (no oil). Add pine nuts and toast until light brown. Immediately remove and let cool slightly.
- Place all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor or blender.
- Blitz until finely chopped.
- With the motor running, slowly pour the oil in. Blitz until smooth (or to desired consistency), adding a touch of extra oil (or water) if required to help it blitz.
- Handheld blender: Place all ingredients (including oil) in a bowl. Blitz with hand held blender until smooth.
Storage and Use:
- Store in a super airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freezer for 3 months. If it's not a super airtight container, smooth the surface and cover with a thin layer of olive oil - basil goes brown when in contact with air.
- Makes enough for: 300g/10oz dried pasta of choice (can stretch to 350g/12oz). See here for how to make a great simple pesto pasta!
Recipe Notes:
- Rocket/arugula, baby spinach, spinach, silverbeet, kale, parsley
- Walnuts, cashews (best sub for pine nuts), almonds, hazelnuts. Haven't tried with seeds like sunflower seeds but I see no reason why they wouldn't work (but I wouldn't use with kale)
- Makes just short of 1 cup of pesto. Use for 300g/10oz pasta of choice to coat generously (3 large servings, 4 smallish servings), or up to 350g/12oz (4 standard servings).
Life of Dozer
Curls or a straighten today? Or just a general hair puff up?
Very nice! Fresh basil is in season here in the U.S. so I tried Nagi’s traditional “Genovese” basil pesto. I liked the sharp, creamy bite of Parmesan cheese and the nutty buttery flavor pine nuts stood out. I highly recommend making this homemade from scratch pesto. One note about SPOP (Standard Pesto Operating Procedure). Transfer the cooked pasta to a bowl, add the pesto, and drizzle pasta water bit by bit. Unlike say a marinara sauce where you simmer the sauce in a skillet and add the pasta and water; homemade pesto loses it’s fresh raw flavor if you heat the pesto under high heat. A nice Verdicchio goes well with basil pesto, but I’m partial to my go to Montepulciano d’Abruzzo for anything Italian. p.s. a shout out to Nagi’s video production team!
Hi Nagi! What is the salad that quickly appears on the pesto video? Is it in your recepies?
Hi Olga, I was just showing one example of the use of Pesto sauce – Pasta salad with tomatoes, shredded roast/poached chicken, red onion and baby spinach – N x
Hi Nagi.
What could I substitute the pine nuts for in the pesto.
Hi Lisa, true pesto contains pine nuts – but see my other variations listed in the recipe notes – N x
Thank you for sharing! My basil & pine nut pesto keeps coming out bitter. Do you know what could be causing this? Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Alejandra, are the nuts old by any chance?
Delicious! I made it with baby spinach and roasted cashews. It was sooo good, we all prefer this version instead of thr traditional pesto. Also blitzed it until it was smooth and it was sooo good!
Thanks Nagi!
Woot! I’m so glad you loved it Chantelle!
Lovely. Thank you for so much insight and knowledge into pasta and pesto and cooking. So many doors have opened for me! Made my pesto with Romano, cashews, and basil. Yummmmmm 🙂
Morning Nagi I look forward to your recipes with anticipation I try them all and with success everyone in the family and friends enjoy them Thank you
Thanks so much Marion, that’s so nice to hear ☺️
How do I get the recipe books if I am already sighned up
Hi John, I can email them to you but they are also in every new email I send out – N x
Thanks it was the e books that I was interested in.
Just made ghis, it’s my first pesto and it is brilliant! Thanks for another winning recipe!
I LOVE this pesto recipe. Handy storage tip – you can scoop teaspoons of it into an ice-cube tray to freeze and then you only defrost as much as you need.
Nagi I love all your recipes, I can’t get enough of cooking all your delicious recipes and everyday I get inspiration from them.
Perfect timing, by basil bush is about to have a haitcut! Just wondering, there are pine nuts in the top list of ingredients but not on the main recipe, is that right?
hi Nagi, do we add toasted or raw pine nuts? I see it listed above but there is no quantity? maybe its just a suggestion?
Oh and can I please ask what brand of food processor you use as I’m ready for a new one.
thanks Nagi.
ps brown Charlie now lives in my fridge too! totally the best.
The video shoes the pine nuts being toasted 😉
Excellent recipe! For anyone lactose intolerant like me, please know that you can make this without the parmesan! Just have people add cheese after to their individual pasta servings. I just add a sprinkle of salt to the top of my pasta and it’s delicious!
I find that pesto last indefinitely in the frig if you top the container it’s in with olive oil. As long as it is completely covered it’s fine
The concern with consuming raw garlic kept in oil longer than 3 days is botulism.
That might be the reason for the recipe stating the short shelf life.
Turned out great!! Just one feedback from my side. The garlic makes it spicy sometimes. I happened to read somewhere that removing the germ of the garlic pod helps to remove the spicy taste (this is especially helpful while making a homemade Tsatsiki).
Thanks for your superlicious recipes!!
So glad to read your tips as I always end up adding so much oil. I love you blog, thanks so much!
Pine nuts don’t show up in the recipe! From your proportions above, it’s 1/4 cup!
Pine nuts don’t show up in the recipe! From your proportions above, it’s 1/4 cup!
Love your recipes and comments!
This is a delightful recipe and the perfect dish for a hot summer day, especially when served with a fresh Caprese Salad and/or Brushetta. I like the idea of the Arugula snugged up next to it 🙂 When I lived in Milan I favored the Genovese style of this recipe which adds green beans and potatoes so that’s how I make it. Good for the heartier appetite and I usually do my own twist to that and add some shrimp. Yummy!