This is how I make classic basil pesto at home. It's incredibly simple and flavorful and uses only a handful of fresh ingredients.
Recipe by Sally on July 30, 2022
Prep time: PT10M
Total time: PT10M
Rating
4.8 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
homemade basil pesto, how to make basil pesto
Ingredients
2 cups (60g) fresh basil leaves*
1/3 cup (48g) pine nuts*
1/3 cup (25g) freshly grated or shredded parmesan cheese
3 small cloves garlic (raw or roasted, see recipe Note below)
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Categories
Appetizer
Cuisine
Italian
Steps
Pulse the basil, pine nuts, cheese, and garlic together in a food processor or blender. Scrape down the sides, then add the oil, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse until everything is blended together and relatively smooth. Add a drizzle more olive oil to thin out, if desired. Taste and add pepper (and/or more salt) if desired. I always add a pinch of pepper.
Store pesto in a jar or sealable container, tightly seal, and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Reviews
Thaddeus on 2025-07-26 (2 stars): Recipe produces an overly salty pesto. I even backed off the parmesan cheese to only 3 tablespoons. Just a sprinkle of coarse sea salt So, in order to have the right pesto for dinner (it's 10:30 am), a trip to the supermarket is required for the pine nuts. And there will be no parm in my next batch.
Barb on 2025-08-02 (5 stars): Delicious and easy! I added pasta and shrimp. Everyone loved it. Also added red pepper, olives and sun-dried tomatoes.
Molly on 2025-08-15 (5 stars): Yummy. Made it 2x love this. Use with Salmon and tomato
Lindsay Young on 2025-09-07 (5 stars): This is the best pesto recipe I’ve ever used. It is a little saltier and more garlicky than some other recipes, which I honestly prefer. I put this on everything but my favorite is to put it inside of a cheese omelette. I had harvested 3 basil plants taller than me at the end of summer and made about 30 jars of pesto with it using this recipe. I have gone through 6 jars so far! Absolutely love it!
Hana on 2025-09-22 (5 stars): I tried it and I made it a bit dry on purpose with just a pinch of salt to prolong its shelf-life and keep basil green from one week to roughly 2 weeks. When I needed a few spoons I added olive oil to them and a bit of salt. Note: Quality of taste does grow less by the pase of days. Instead of pine seeds I used almonds.. the only nut I had on hand.
Erin Mauck on 2025-10-04 (5 stars): I made mine with Pistachios and fresh garlic. Delicious! I put mine in ice-cube trays to freeze, then place them in a labeled baggy in the freezer. It is so nice to have pesto at the ready whenever I want it. Love the lemon.
Beth on 2025-10-07 (5 stars): We made pesto pizza. EXCELLENT!
Rebecca on 2026-02-25 (5 stars): Super easy and delicious! We left out the nuts because we needed to omit for our group, but still delicious. The lemon is a nice addition and brings out flavor.
Michael Williamson on 2026-03-23 (4 stars): Sally: your recipe is basically the one I "developed" (hit & miss experimentation, based upon the dozens of recipes I've read) EXCEPT for a couple of ingredients: I like to put in some lemon zest (more "brightening" of the flavors) and an anchovy or two. I'd like to think I came up with the anchovy hit, but I think it more likely I saw it in a recipe. The anchovy amps everything up. Try it, you'll like it!
Note: even if I don't use you recipe for this or that, I will almost always see your take on what I'm fixin'. You da bomb.
