Basil pesto
A fresh, bright basil pesto with pine nuts, parmesan and olive oil, ready in ten minutes and nothing like the jar.
Make this once, then cook it into 17 different dishes.
- Time10 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £1.27 a head
- Makesabout 240 g, enough for 3 pasta dinners for 4 people
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan, until pale golden. Tip onto a plate and cool completely.
2 min 30 s - 2
Put the pine nuts, garlic and salt in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- 3
Add the basil leaves and pulse in short bursts until chopped. Pulsing, not running the machine continuously, keeps the pesto from heating and turning dark.
- 4
With the motor running or pulsing, pour in the olive oil in a slow stream until the pesto is loose but not oily.
- 5
Stir in the parmesan and lemon juice by hand. Taste: it should be fresh, nutty and salty. Add more salt, lemon or cheese as needed.
- 6
Use straight away, or spoon into a clean jar and press the surface flat. Cover with a thin layer of olive oil. You should have about 240 g.
About basil pesto
Basil pesto is a raw Italian sauce from Genoa, made by crushing fresh basil with pine nuts, garlic, parmesan and olive oil. Its full name, pesto alla genovese, comes from the Italian pestare, meaning to pound, because it was traditionally made in a marble mortar.
It tastes fresh, green, nutty and savoury, with a clean basil perfume. Homemade pesto is far brighter than jar pesto, which is often cooked, made with cheaper oils and sometimes with cashews. It is stirred through pasta with a spoon of the cooking water, spread on sandwiches and pizza, dolloped into soup or used as a marinade.
One batch makes about 240 g, enough for three pasta dinners for four people at 80 g each. The tips give nut free and dairy free versions.
Tips
- Pulse rather than blitz, and use cold ingredients. Heat from the blades turns basil dark and bitter.
- Toast the pine nuts and let them cool fully before blending. It brings out the flavour, and warm nuts will heat the basil.
- For a nut free pesto, replace the pine nuts with 40 g toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds. The flavour is a little earthier but very good.
- For a dairy free or vegan pesto, leave out the parmesan and add 2 tbsp nutritional yeast and an extra pinch of salt.
- To loosen pesto for pasta, mix with 2 to 3 tbsp of the hot pasta cooking water, not extra oil.
Storing and freezing
Keeps up to 4 days in the fridge in a clean jar under a thin layer of olive oil. Freezes well for up to 3 months in ice cube trays. Do not keep fresh garlic in oil at room temperature, as it can grow harmful bacteria.
Dishes you can make with basil pesto
Linguine with Pesto, Burrata and Blistered Tomatoes
EFMinestrone alla Genovese
EFHFPesto Chicken and Tomato Traybake
GFPesto Baked Cod with Crushed New Potatoes
GFEFPesto, Tomato and Mozzarella Pizza
EFPesto King Prawn Courgetti
GFEFLCBaked Gnocchi with Pesto and Mozzarella
EFInsalata di Patate al Pesto (Pesto Potato Salad)
GFEFLasagne al Pesto (Genoese Pesto Lasagne)
Pesto Crusted Salmon with Tenderstem Broccoli
GFEFHPPesto Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough with Tomatoes
HPPesto, Tomato and Ricotta Tart
Questions
How do I stop pesto turning brown?
Pulse rather than blitz, keep ingredients cool, and add a little lemon juice. Cover the surface with a layer of olive oil when storing. Colour change is harmless, but affects flavour.
Is homemade pesto nut free or vegetarian?
Not as written. Pine nuts are not one of the 14 legally listed allergens, but some people with nut allergy react to them, so we do not call it nut free. Parmesan is made with animal rennet. It is gluten free and egg free. See the tips for swaps.
Can I freeze pesto?
Yes. Freeze it in ice cube trays or small tubs for up to 3 months. For best flavour, freeze before adding the cheese, and stir the parmesan in after defrosting.
How much pesto do I need for pasta?
About 80 g of pesto for 320 g dried pasta, serving four people. Loosen it with a little cooking water. Always stir it in off the heat, because high heat dulls the flavour.
Can I make pesto without a food processor?
Yes. Use a pestle and mortar, crushing the garlic with salt first, then the nuts, then the basil, and finally stirring in the cheese and oil. It takes longer, but the texture is lovely.
More base recipes
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
