5 Minute Basil Pesto
5 Minute Basil Pesto Sauce is such an easy sauce recipe! All it takes is a few everyday pantry essentials to whip up this tasty and versatile sauce. Basil pesto is the perfect way to add tons of flavor to all sorts of dishes.
Suitable for Gluten Free and Keto diets.
I knew OH was the one on the day he first made me his homemade Basil Pesto Sauce. I made the happy mistake of telling him this. Well, that led to some hilarious proposals down lonesome country lanes with orange and purple dusky skies. Pesto, you rock my world.
5 Minute Homemade Pesto Sauce is super easy to make and the secret to the best pesto ever => the pesto trinity of equal quantity of nuts, basil, and cheese. But feel free to play around with the quantities of these main ingredients to your taste.
I tend to use unsalted cashew nuts for this as they are a pantry staple in my house. You can use them raw, but roasting the nuts first definitely makes a difference to the flavor of the pesto. So test both ways and see which you prefer.
This is going to be another one of your go-to sauces for easily adding variety to mealtimes via dips, pasta dishes, wraps, salads, glazes, marinating meats, and sooooooo much more.
Why You’ll Love This
- Made with pantry ingredients you already own.
- Quick sauce that is ready in 5 minutes or less.
- Great for meal prep and freeze friendly.
- Flavorful, adaptable and versatile.
- Kids and adults LOOOOOOOVE it.
Tools Needed
- Food Processor.
- Olive Oil.
- Best ever Sea Salt Flakes.
How To Make Basil Pesto
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Put basil, Parmesan, cashew nuts, minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper into a food processor and whiz into a paste.
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If you like your pesto chunky then whiz for a shorter time than you would if you want it smoother.
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Transfer paste into a container and slowly drizzle in olive oil, mixing all the time till pesto is saturated. I add in about half a cup (100-120mls) for this amount of pesto but OH happily adds in more.
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Adjust seasoning and serve.
I believe in eating spoonfuls of pesto straight out of the jar. Yeap, it is that good. My other current thing is using pesto instead of tomato sauce on pizzas. And adding it to mashed potatoes, well that is just YUM.
Basil Pesto Sauce Tips
- This is a basic sauce recipe; feel free to adjust ingredients as necessary.
- For a smoother basil pesto sauce blend for longer, blend less if you prefer a chunkier sauce.
- If you want it to be more of a sauce then add a little bit more oil.
- To roast the nuts, bake them in the oven at fan-assisted 140C/ 160C/ 350F/ Gas 4 for about 15 minutes.
- Using roasted garlic instead of raw adds additional flavor to this.
- If using raw garlic in pesto is to crush it first, as you don’t want to end up with large chunks of garlic when eating it.
Recipe Variations
Other ingredients to add into this homemade sauce to change up the flavor:
- Different nuts – pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or sunflower seeds (if avoiding nuts).
- Different greens – arugula, cilantro, mint, parsley.
- Different oils – canola oil, walnut oil.
- Some heat – red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, siracha.
- Veggies – sundried tomatoes make an awesome addition or can be used instead of cheese.
Meal Prep And Prep Ahead
Prep ahead – Make ahead and keep it in the fridge for a week. Pesto turns darker if left in contact with air. However, this is perfectly fine to eat. To try and avoid it turning dark, you can cover the surface of the pesto with a layer of olive oil.
Freeze it
- Transfer into these very handy Ziploc freezer bags.
- Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
- Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Chef’s tip => Even better freeze it in ice cube trays for so you can grab these for small single-serving portions or to flavor soups, baked goods, etc.
Serving Suggestions
More Amazing Fast Sauces
- 5 Minute Honey Mustard Sauce.
- 5 minute Yum Yum Sauce.
- 5 minute Lemon Butter Sauce.
- 5 Minute Remoulade Sauce.
- 5 Minute Ramps Pesto.
- 5 Really Easy Sauces.
- Chipotle Aioli.
- Really Easy Sriracha Aioli.
- Pesto Aioli.
- Homemade Chimichurri Sauce.
Thank you for reading this basil pesto recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you.
First update August 2017. New update April 2020.
Get The Basil Pesto Recipe:
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Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 5 cup (100g) basil leaves
- 1 cup (100g) Parmesan cheese
- 2/3 cup (100g) roasted cashew nuts
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup (100mL) extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Put basil, Parmesan, cashew nuts, garlic cloves, salt and pepper into a food processor and whiz into a paste.
- If you like your pesto chunky then whiz for a shorter time than you would if you want it smoother.
- Transfer paste into a container and slowly drizzle in olive oil, mixing all the time till pesto is saturated. I add in about 1/2 cup (100mL) for this amount of pesto but OH happily adds in more.
- Adjust seasonings to taste and then serve.
Recommended Products
Notes
Basil Pesto Sauce Tips
- This is a basic sauce recipe; feel free to adjust ingredients as necessary.
- For a smoother basil pesto sauce blend for longer, blend less if you prefer a chunkier sauce.
- If you want it to be more of a sauce then add a little bit more oil.
- To roast the nuts, bake them in the oven at fan-assisted 140C/ 160C/ 350F/ Gas 4 for about 15 minutes.
- Using roasted garlic instead of raw adds additional flavor to this.
- If using raw garlic in pesto is to crush it first, as you don't want to end up with large chunks of garlic when eating it.
Serving Suggestions
Nutrition
Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post. https://www.gmdrecipes.com/delicious-homemade-margherita-pizza-recipe/
No more store bought for me. I’m making this fresh, easy and delicious one from now on.
I love basil pest and am waiting for the weather to warm to grow my basil outside. I usually use pine nuts in my pesto but cashews intrigues me. Definitely trying this version.
I’ve never tried pesto with cashew nuts before, but this is delightfully delicious. 🙂
Bintu! YUMMY! This was easy and so so good. I had it on my tortellini salad. I bet it would be great on hot pasta too. Or even to dip veggies. Thanks for this quick and easy pesto.
Only 5 minutes?? You bet I am in!! This pesto looks like a thing of dreams!! 🙂
I don’t think there is anything better in the world than pesto ha. I love that you used cashews I use them sometimes too and it makes it so nice and creamy!
That homemade pesto sauce looks amazing! I usually just grab a jar at the store.
Yes! I am looking forward to plant my basil too again. Just so that I can make pesto again. I like it too with arugula. Yours looks so fresh, love the color!
Pesto is such a perfect condiment and sauce. You’ve made a beautiful recipe with the added cashews.
I LOVE basil pesto. I wish I had more of a green thumb so I could grow my own basil for it. I’m always so impressed by people that do! This looks amazing, and I love your idea of adding it to mashed potatoes! I’ve never given that a try before.
Don’t know why I’ve not made this
I can almost smell the aroma
I love basil pesto, so easy and delicious! My favorite is to add it to puff pastry with tomato.
I like to make HUGE batches of pesto and freeze them in ice cube trays. That way I’ve got perfectly portioned pesto anytime I want it. Your photos are magnificent, as always!
Visiting from #SITSSHAREFEST, too! 🙂
YUM! This looks awesome. I kind of want some now, because my dinner didn’t cut it. 🙂 I really must try this!
Visiting from SITS Sharefest and very glad I did! We love pesto here too — and make it a variety of ways. I don’t think we’ve ever tried cashews though! We’ve used walnuts, pinenuts, and almonds. Think we’ll have to give cashews a try too! Every summer we plant basil and make pesto all throughout the season and we try to make enough to freeze and last us through the winter too.
Found you via the SITS girls link up! This looks delicious! I have lots of basil growing in my windowsill, but I have never made pesto before! I love basil in the summer and can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jessica, Pesto is easy and once you have made your own you tend to never ever buy it from shops again.
Love this recipe! It’s a great way to use up all the extra basil growing in my herb garden. When I make it I also add the juice of 1 lemon.
How cute that you knew you’d found love over home made pesto! My ‘pesto moment’ was when Jonny dug up a patch of turf in a field, let a fire and proceeded to slow roast me a leg of lamb.
Angels started singing and everything 🙂
Janie x
Awwwwww. OH would much rather do the fire and the lamb if he could.
Not to say that you’re pesto obsessed, but I have an obsession with pesto too. It’s so easy and yummy!
Just stopped by after some time off, and I’m loving all the delicious foods you’ve been cooking up 🙂
I am proud to be pesto obsessed. I am working on other variations of this for my best mate who is allergic to nuts.