You need just seven ingredients and a blender or food processor to make this easy homemade pesto at home. It’s so simple and delicious that you’ll never want to eat store-bought again!

Homemade pesto in a glass jar with basil leaves

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with pesto. I love it so much I could eat a whole jar in one sitting, but about 15 minutes after eating it, I usually feel like I’ve just been punched in the gut. Maybe it’s the raw garlic? Or the sheer quantity? The jury’s out.

But I put on my food scientist hat and decided to whip up this homemade pesto. And guess what? 15 minutes later, no bellyache! I’m not usually one to draw conclusions so quickly…but in my super scientific study of n=1, the store-bought gave me bellyaches and the homemade did not.

Reader rating

★★★★★

“I just had this tonight on pasta. Perfect! I topped the pasta with some sautéed zucchini and eggplant.” —Bond

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Homemade pesto in a glass jar — Pesto originates in Northern Italy (like Hugos!), Genoa to be exact. When I visited the area a while back, it was clear that the Genoese people are serious about their pesto. It was pesto this, pesto that, pesto everywhere. Pesto heaven.

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Traditional pesto is made using a mortar and pestle, or chopped finely by hand. But because we can’t all be Italian grandmothers, we’ll be using a food processor for this one. Jump to the recipe card for the quantities.

Fresh Basil: Fresh basil brings a major herby flavor to the pesto.
Parmesan Cheese: Aim for fresh parmesan here – avoid the powdered stuff! True parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano) is not vegetarian as it contains animal rennet. For a vegetarian option, check Whole Foods.
Pine Nuts: Feeling fancy? Toast these in a skillet for a few minutes to add a roasted flavor to your pesto.
Garlic: Be sure to use fresh, blemish-free garlic.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The flavor of the oil shines through in pesto, so use the good stuff.
Salt & Pepper: Finish it off with salt and pepper, to taste!

Ingredients to make pesto in a food processor

Pesto in a food processor — The color of your olive oil will cause the color to vary in just how green it is.

how to use your pesto

Pesto is delicious with any Italian recipe, like pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and salads! But these are my favorites!

Chickpea Pesto Wraps: Cooked on a sheet pan and perfect for freezer meal prep!
Pesto Chickpea Eggs: Fried eggs cooked over crispy chickpeas!

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Easy Homemade Pesto

5 from 2 ratings

By: Sarah Bond

Prep: 10

Total: 10

Servings: cup

You need just seven ingredients and a blender or food processor to make this easy homemade pesto at home. It's so simple and delicious that you'll never want to eat store-bought again!

Ingredients

▢ 2 ½ cups packed fresh basil, stems removed, 50 g
▢ ¼ cup pine nuts*, 20 g
▢ ½ cup fresh grated parmesan, 50 g
▢ 3-4 cloves garlic
▢ ½ tsp each salt and pepper
▢ ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, 120 mL

Instructions

Blitz: Place basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor and blend until evenly mixed and finely ground. With a spoon or spatula, scrape down the sides to ensure everything is nice and mixed.
Pour: With food processor running, slowly pour in the oil.

Notes

*Add toasty flavor by toasting pine nuts in a skillet until golden brown.

To store pesto, transfer to a clean container and top with a bit of olive oil. Cover and place in fridge for up to a week.

You can make pesto with just about any leafy green you have on hand. The formula is simple: greens + nuts + olive oil + garlic + cheese. Once you know the ratio, you can swap ingredients based on what’s in your fridge.

Carrot Greens Pesto: 2 cups carrot top leaves + ¼ cup pine nuts
Watercress Pesto: 2 cups watercress + ¼ cup walnuts + 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Spinach Pesto: 2 cups spinach + ¼ cup almonds

Nutrition

Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.

did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!

Homemade pesto in a mason jar — *A photo from when I originally posted this homemade pesto recipe!*

5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

2 Comments

Mama Bond says:

July 23, 2015 at 8:25 pm

I just had this tonight ony pasta. Perfect! I topped the pasta with some
Sautéed zucchini and eggplant. With a glad of
Chilled Orvieto. Yum!!

BARBARA ANN BRADLEY says:

February 11, 2021 at 11:43 am

Radish greens also work well.

Easy Homemade Pesto

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grab these ingredients

how to use your pesto