Fresh Sweet Basil Pesto Recipe
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I can’t think of anything more satisfying than making your own Sweet Basil Pesto. The beautiful smell of freshly picked basil, and the beauty of this deep, gorgeous green sauce spinning in a food processor is just as incredible as the dish itself.
You can find pesto made with all kinds of ingredients nowadays. Carrot tops, arugula, and cilantro are just a few of the possibilities. But my absolute favorite way is this Sweet Basil Pesto recipe!
During the summer months, I love growing fresh herbs. I can get a ton of fresh basil from just one basil plant. However, you know me, I plant two. It’s considered an annual where we live so I’ve got to get creative before it’s gone. Homemade pesto sauce is one of my favorite things to make because there isn’t anything quite like using something you have grown yourself to feed your family.
Store-bought pesto just doesn’t match up to a homemade batch of pesto. Once you’ve tasted fresh pesto, I doubt you’ll ever buy it again.
Sweet Basil
Sweet basil has a fresh, aromatic flavor with hints of pepper, mint, and anise. Its taste is slightly sweet and savory, with a mild peppery undertone. Sweet basil is versatile for a wide range of recipes, especially in Italian cuisine like homemade pizza, Tomato Mozzarella Salad, sauces, and Aioli, and side dishes such as our Hasselback Red Potatoes.
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Ingredients for Sweet Basil Pesto Recipe
- Walnuts – We cut the cost a little by using some of each nut instead of using all pine nuts.
- Pignoli – Pine Nuts. You can usually find these in the baking aisle with other nuts. They are fairly expensive. Almonds or walnuts are a good alternative and a little less costly.
- Fresh Garlic Cloves – Grating the garlic cloves helps it blend into the sauce more effectively than it would if you just throw it in the food processor with the other ingredients.
- Sweet Basil – We use 5 cups in this recipe so if you can grow your own, It’s less costly than trying to buy it in grocery stores.
- Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper – To taste.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. A good flavorful olive oil is worth its weight in gold, and uncooked in this dish that flavor shines through. Do not substitute.
- Parmesan Reggiano. Don’t skimp on this. Grated parmesan in a bag has less quality and also has added powder to prevent caking. That powder can ruin a sauce very quickly.
How to Make Homemade Basil Pesto
Add ingredients to your food processor and process.
Place the walnuts, pignoli, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds.
Add the remaining ingredients and finish processing.
Add the fresh basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute.
Add the basil pesto sauce to cooked pasta and serve!
We love serving fresh basil pesto over pasta. It is a hearty meal that tastes fresh and vibrant and is so quick and easy to make.
If you start boiling water when you start making the pesto sauce, this meal will come together beautifully in the time it takes to boil the pasta.
Hostess Tips for the Best Fresh Basil Pesto Possible
The most important thing in making good pesto is to use good quality parmesan cheese. I freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano in a food processor. Putting parmesan in the food processor gives it a great texture. It has a larger grain, that you can really taste. Pecorino Romano is another hard cheese that can be used.
Optionally, you can add lemon zest and a a spritz of fresh lemon juice if you want a fresh citrusy flavor or it’s a great way to cut the herbaceous flavor that traditional pesto is known for.
If making more than one batch, I make them individually.
I have also used Thai Basil and it will work but the flavor is not like sweet basil. It’s sweet, spicy, and anise-like notes, with a hint of licorice. The taste is more robust and slightly peppery compared to sweet basil. If Thai basil is what you have in the garden, use 2/3 Thai basil and 1/3 spinach to temper the flavor a bit.
Frequently Asked Questions
NOTE: The fresh basil plant or leaves don’t refrigerate or freeze well. If you’ve got some picked (on the stems) put them in a container of water at room temperature. The olive oil in this recipe preserves the sweet basil keeping it fresh and vibrant in the freezer.
How to Store Sweet Basil Pesto
Store extra pesto sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for one to two weeks. The extra-virgin olive oil will maintain its beautiful green color and fresh flavor.
Can I freeze Sweet Basil Pesto?
There’s nothing like the fresh flavor of pesto during the winter months. It freezes and keeps beautifully. Once thawed, it looks as vibrant and tastes just as good as the day you made it. I make big batches so I can put some in the freezer. Using 1-cup storage containers that are freezer-safe makes it perfect to serve as an appetizer or mixed into a favorite pasta recipe any time of year. You can also pour pesto into ice cube trays which makes it easy to pop them out when you need a smaller amount.
Some recipes have you drizzling a thin layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto before freezing it. I’ve never found that to be necessary.
What Else Can I Do with Pesto Sauce?
Besides adding this delicious sauce to pasta, it can also be added to garlic toast, served on a charcuterie board as a dip with our fresh Italian bread or Easy Flatbread, used as the sauce on our flat bread pizza, sandwiches, and paninis. You can even use it over grilled meat!
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
Fresh Sweet Basil Pesto Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup walnuts chopped
- ¼ cup pignoli (pine nuts)
- 3 tbsp grated garlic 9 cloves
- 5 cups sweet basil leaves packed
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1½ cups olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup Parmesan Reggiano freshly grated and then measured.
Instructions
- Place the walnuts, pignoli, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute.
- Serve, or store the pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
Originally released on September 9, 2014, this Sweet Basil Pesto recipe has undergone updates to enhance our readers’ experience, including simple details and new images. No changes were made to the actual recipe.
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Love this pesto because of the extra cheese. When you buy this out, it can be too green and not enough cheese.
I am sure that was delicious! home grown and ripened is the best!
I’ve got a really lovely big basil plant in my greenhouse at the moment. Pesto is just the best… Tonight we had some warm tortilla wraps, spread with humous and pesto and then topped with a big ladle full of homemade veggie chilli. Delicious!
This looks and sounds delicious and the photos you took are just gorgeous. Thank you for sharing!
You are very welcome. Thank you for your visiting my site. I appreciate it!
I always enjoy watching the Barefoot Contessa as well! I did meet a great English chef whom I really admire and I couldn’t think of a single thing to say, the moment passed and I kicked myself many times after that!
I have never made pesto with walnuts and it sounds delicious!
That is so funny Petra. I think we have so much in common, and then if I was ever given the opportunity, I would be dumb founded!
Those photos are gorgeous, I’ve always wanted to go to Seattle! Yummy Pesto too
Thanks Michelle. We love pesto! It’s so versatile. The Northwest was so surreal. So many things to do. We will definitely go back! Thanks for visiting!
Beautiful pictures and the pesto looks so fresh and flavorful! Have a lovely weekend!
Thank you so much for visiting!
Beautiful photos from your trip!! I couldn’t agree with you more, I love that area of the US too, I havent’ been to Portland yet, I would love to go though, as I heard it also has a great restaurant scene. But I have been to Seattle a couple time, which is just North of it. Also love the pesto, looks simply so flavorful and delicious! Thanks for bringing this to the Fiesta!! hugs, Sylvia
Thank you Sylvia for your sweetie pie comments. We loved the Northwest area and would love to go back. Too many places I want to go! Thank you so much for visiting!
Hi Julie, this is beautiful bowl of pesto! I enjoy pesto often and agree that a good cheese makes the difference between just a good pesto and a great pesto. The photos of your trip look fantastic. I love Portland, but haven’t been to Seattle. Happy to find your blog through Fiesta Friday!
You are so sweet! I am so happy that you found my blog. We love pesto. I wish I could grow basil all year.
Gorgeous photos, and a beautiful part of the world for sure! Your pesto looks so refreshing and thanks for the “freezing” tip, I had no idea you could do that.
Thanks for your friendly comments Loretta! It’s always great to keep up with you.
I love pesto! Looks gorgeous!
Thank you so much! I love your picture 🙂
I’ve always wanted to visit Portland and Seattle. Your photos are gorgeous. Now I want to visit those places even more. I love pesto and yours look super delicious. Thanks for bringing it to Fiesta Friday!
We didn’t even crack the surface on that trip. There is so much to do and yes it’s so beautiful. Thank you for visiting’
I moved out to the Northwest 23 years ago from Florida and have never looked back. Next time you’ll have to take a little overnight up in the San Juan Islands where we live- it’s pretty amazing.
Can’t ever go wrong with pesto- our basil, sadly is moving towards done but I have a little in the freezer. I put a little squeeze of lemon in my recipe and it helps give it a little perk. cheers… wendy
We will definitely go back to the Northwest. We barely made a dent is seeing it! I was hoping to get one more batch, but it’s done. Rain and 45 degrees did it in. 🙁 Thanks for visiting!
Beautiful pictures and I love your pesto on the bread Julie 🙂
Thank you so much! We love pesto on a french baguette.
Beautiful photos! We visited Seattle this time last year and loved it. Ina’s my go-to girl too. Love her!
Thank you Allison! I appreciate you visit and comments!
We stayed in Seattle (business for Gene) and then on to Vancouver for a vacation. It truly is a beautiful area! Making pesto every summer is always a must and by all means freezing it for later use 🙂
I was in Seattle once for business, but never got to explore much. I haven’t been to Vancouver, but I have heard that it is gorgeous! Next time.
I am a big fan of Ina’s too – I have all of her cookbooks and preordered her new one out this fall 🙂
She never fails me, and I love that she isn’t a snob to the point that you have to make everything when you entertain. I need her “barn” to hold my kitchen gadgets. 🙂
That place is beautiful! I haven’t made pesto yet, but your recipe looks like a great one!! 🙂
It really is beautiful. Our first time in the area and we will return. I like the basil pesto better than some of the other greens, but hey, anything goes right?
What a treat – homemade basil pesto! And so easy to make. The pictures look surreal. 🙂
Thank you so much! Unfortunately, my basil is at the end of it’s life. I will now start getting stingy with it. 🙂
Beautiful photographs of your trip!! Yummy recipe for Pesto as well. 🙂
Thank you Arl!
My neck of the woods! Beautiful photos and what a lovely pesto! 🙂
Thank you Tracy. Lucky you!!!!
I love the Pacific Northwest, there’s just no other place like it!
Your basil pesto looks delicious too! 😀
Thanks Jewels. I agree. We will go back to the Northwest and there isn’t any lack of things to see and do. Thank you for visiting.
I love the photo’s and I love both Portland or Seattle. Both cities are so beautiful, the variation in landscape, seascape is all amazing. I also love pesto and your recipe sounds great.
Thank you so much. Our trip was amazing as is the pesto! I hope you will give it a try.
Your trip photos are gorgeous! I used to live in Seattle when I was much younger – would love to go back one day. And pesto = one of my favourite things ever. Like you said, it’s so versatile! I actually just had some in my lunch 🙂
We had never been to the Northwest, and just fell in love. Pesto is so good. I love that it freezes so we can enjoy it later too! Thanks Polly!