Easy Pesto Sauce

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings: people

Calories: 143kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Easy Pesto Sauce really is easy. Perfect for pasta or sandwiches, or on a pizza! So packed with flavor and so easy!

Print Recipe

Equipment

Food processor

Ingredients

5 teaspoon pine nuts toasted
2 cups fresh basil
3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from one medium lemon
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese grated
Kosher salt and black pepper
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Toast the pine nuts. Keep an eye on them, they burn easily! Set aside until ready to make the pesto.
5 teaspoon pine nuts
In a food processor, add the basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until thoroughly chopped. Remove the lid and scrape the sides of the mixture back down into the base of the processor, or blender.
2 cups fresh basil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, Kosher salt and black pepper
Place the lid back on, and with the motor running, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Turn off the motor.
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Video

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video near the top of the recipe for visual guidance.

Add the oil slowly, keeping an eye on the consistency. The pesto should be 'runny.' Depending on how tightly you packed the basil when measuring it, you may need less (or more) of the oil called for.

The pesto will thicken in the fridge. Allow it to come to room temperature (on the counter for an hour or two) until ready to serve. Give it a good stir first.

It will keep in a jar with a lid in the fridge for up to 10 to 14 days.

Nutrition

Thank You! https://gethealth.info/easy-pesto-sauce/%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-12921":{"type":"food","name":"Easy Pesto Sauce","slug":"wprm-easy-pesto-sauce","image_url":"https:\/\/howtofeedaloon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Easy-Pesto-Sauce-IG.jpg","rating":{"count":3,"total":15,"average":5,"type":{"comment":3,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":1,"amount":"5","unit":"tsp","name":"pine nuts","notes":"toasted","unit_id":23264,"id":4943,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"5","unit":"tsp","unitParsed":"tsp"}}},{"uid":0,"amount":"2","unit":"cups","name":"fresh basil","notes":"","unit_id":23258,"id":4974,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"cups","unitParsed":"cups"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"3","unit":"cloves","name":"garlic","notes":"roughly chopped","unit_id":23260,"id":6159,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3","unit":"cloves","unitParsed":"cloves"}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"1","unit":"tbsp","name":"fresh lemon juice","notes":"from one medium lemon","unit_id":23263,"id":4299,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"tbsp","unitParsed":"tbsp"}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"\u2153","unit":"cup","name":"Parmesan cheese","notes":"grated","unit_id":23259,"id":5822,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u2153","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"uid":5,"amount":"","unit":"","name":"Kosher salt and black pepper","notes":"","id":4340,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"\u2153","unit":"cup","name":"extra-virgin olive oil","notes":"","unit_id":23259,"id":4446,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u2153","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}}],"originalServings":"6","originalServingsParsed":6,"currentServings":"6","currentServingsParsed":6,"currentServingsFormatted":"6","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"collection":{"type":"recipe","recipeId":12921,"name":"Easy Pesto Sauce","image":"https:\/\/howtofeedaloon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Easy-Pesto-Sauce-IG-360x360.jpg","servings":6,"servingsUnit":"people","parent_id":"7097","parent_url":"https:\/\/howtofeedaloon.com\/easy-pesto-sauce\/"}}}