At this point, I’m confident that you’ve had the gorgeous green basil-nut-garlic-and-cheese spread known as pesto. In this recipe post, I tackle the Basic Pesto Ratio so that you can make any number of Different Pesto Recipes, including pesto without basil and pesto without pine nuts. Variety is the spice of life, don’t you think??
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What is Pesto?
Most traditionally, green pesto is a combination of basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and grated parmiggiano-reggiano (or Pecorino sardo) cheese that is ground to a paste using a mortar and pestle.
Fun Fact: Ever notice how pestle sounds kind of like pesto? Well, that’s not an accident! The same Latin root - “pistus,” meaning crushed or pounded - gave rise to both words.
The beginnings of this classic pesto are known to have originated in Northern Italy - Genoa to be precise! This tasty sauce is therefore also sometimes referred to as pesto alla genovese.
While the first mention of “pesto” doesn’t arise until the mid-19th century in the cookbook La Cuciniera Genovese, it seems that pesto’s predecessors have been around since Roman times.
Even though the preferred herb for making pesto is basil, that original recipe recognized that basil is a seasonal herb in Northern Italy; as such, use of either marjoram or parsley were mentioned as acceptable substitutes.
Below, I’ll help you figure out how to make your own variation on this delicious Ligurian sauce using whatever nuts, cheeses, herbs or greens that you have on hand.
About This “Recipe”
Making homemade pesto is simpler than you might think, and it is SO MUCH TASTIER than the shelf-stable jarred kind you can find at the store.
Although the Genovese combination is absolute perfection, I love creating quick pesto variations with alternative ingredients that I happen to have in my kitchen using a base ratio!
My favorite ratio for making pesto is 1.5 : 2 : 2 : 8 - here's that ratio broken down by ingredients:
- 1.5 part nuts
- 2 parts oil
- 2 parts grated cheese
- 8 parts leaves or herbs
- plus garlic, lemon, and salt and pepper to taste
Note that this “recipe” is quite vague. That’s on purpose! The idea is to give you a framework with which you can build your own perfect pesto recipe using whatever you have on hand. In case you didn’t know it, pesto is an awesome way to clean out your crisper drawer.
Ingredients
Now that you know what I consider the golden ratio of pesto recipes, we’re ready to get into an ingredient breakdown. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Nuts (or seeds) – Pine nuts are traditional, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only good choice! Try using pistachios, walnuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, or macadamia seeds. Need to make a nut-free pesto? Try sunflower seeds instead! Note that for the best flavor and texture, you should use toasted nuts instead of raw.
- Oil – Extra virgin olive oil is what the Italians would reach for, but again, you have options here. Other oils that I enjoy are grapeseed oil or avocado oil. You can also get fancy and use any finishing oil that you’d like, including walnut or pecan oil. Please note that if you opt for an oil with a low smoke point, you should consider that when preparing foods for high heat applications like the grill. It may be better to use your pesto as a finishing sauce or dip in these instances.
- Cheese – Pecorino romano or Parmesan would give you the most traditional pesto alla genovese vibes, but any hard, crumbly, aged cheese will do the trick! I like using aged cheddar, aged Manchego, or aged gouda as well.
- Greens – Basil is but one option in a room full of winners. Try making your pesto with spinach, arugula, kale, watercress, parsley, cilantro, marjoram, swiss chard, or even carrot tops or beet greens. My unofficial motto here is “if it’s green and leafy, we can make it into pesto!”
- Extra Flavoring Agents – Garlic is a non-negotiable for my pesto, but feel free to omit it if you prefer. I also find that fresh lemon juice helps to both brighten the flavor of the sauce, as well as helping keep your greens looking bright and fresh for longer. You’ll also want to add kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Did you come up with a winning pesto recipe that everyone should know about? Be sure to let me know in the comments below, or tag me on Instagram so I can cheer you on!
Equipment
While tradition may call for a mortar and pestle, I find that I prefer to make my homemade pesto in a food processor - it’s just so much more convenient! Depending on the size of your batch, you can also get away with using a small prep processor.
If you do not have a food processor on hand, feel free to go old school or swap in your blender!
How To Make Any Green Pesto Variation
First, place your cloves of garlic in the food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped.
Add in the toasted nuts, lemon juice, greens of choice, and salt; pulse everything until nuts are finely chopped and ingredients are well blended. Then, with the processor running, add olive oil gradually until the mixture is well combined.
Finally, add grated Parmesan and pulse 2 or 3 times. Season with more salt and pepper to taste then, voila!
A Note on Red Pesto
If you’d like to turn your beautiful green sauce into a pesto rosso (a.k.a. Pesto alla sicilliana or “red pesto”), simply add in sun-dried tomatoes and/or roasted red bell peppers to taste.
Serving Suggestions
There are truly so many different recipes you can use homemade pesto for! Here are a few examples to get the creative juices flowing:
- Pesto Aioli - Make a killer dip for your fries or crudites (or an excellent spread for your sandwiches) by mixing mayonnaise with your pesto.
- Risotto - Adding a few spoonfuls of pesto to your creamy rice dish will have the whole family clammoring for more.
- Tartine - This is fancy French for an open-faced sandwich. Add some pesto to your avocado toasts, mix with ricotta and top with roasted cherry tomatoes, or add to cooked chicken or tuna for a delightfully light brunch or lunch.
- Roasted Potatoes - Tossing roasted baby potatoes in your gorgeous green pesto is a recipe for major flavor.
- Pesto Babka - Try making a savory swirled bread by using pesto as the filling for your babka!
- Pesto Pasta - Add pesto to any shape of pasta that you like. Serve warm, or chill it for a tasty summer side dish.
- Pizza Toppings - Instead of reaching for a tomato-based pizza sauce, try using pesto instead.
- Dolloped in Hummus - Take a plain container of hummus and turn it into a masterpiece by adding a scoop of pesto in the middle!
- As A Sandwich Spread or add to Focaccia - Pesto grilled cheese? Sign me up!
Expert Tips
Homemade pesto is pretty simple to pull off. Here are some of my best tips for ensuring that your experience is as painless as possible:
- Wilted is okay, rotting is not. I love using up whatever bits and bobs of herbs and greens I have in my crisper drawer at the end of the week to make different pesto variations. If your greens are a little wilty or saggy, they’ll be perfect! If, however, they are releasing juices and starting to rot, they’re unfortunately better suited for the compost pile.
- Stems are great if they’re tender! Don’t feel like you have to cut off the stems of your cilantro, parsley or spinach for making homemade pesto. So long as they are tender and not woody, stems are perfectly welcome in the batch.
- Pulse over process. To get a bit of texture in your pesto, I suggest pulsing the ingredients rather than whizzing them to oblivion. However, you’ll need to…
- Process to emulsify. If you don’t want your pesto to split, you’ll need to do a bit of emulsification. Make sure the processor is running while you drizzle in your oil to ensure that the ingredients meld well.
- Top with a layer of oil. If you aren’t going to use your pesto right away, you’re going to need to prevent oxidization from ruining the batch. The name of the game here is keeping air away from the greens. Spread your leftover pesto into a container, making sure all sides are touching the container. Then, cover the pesto with a thin layer of oil - whatever kind you used to make the pesto will do great! When you’re ready to serve the leftovers, either stir the oil in for a thinner sauce or simply pour off the excess.
Frequently Asked Questions
If stored in the fridge with a thin layer of oil to prevent oxidization, homemade pesto should last for about 5 days.
If you want to store it for longer, I suggest freezing it into ice cube trays. Since pesto is quite pungent, I find that a cube or two is usually enough to dress up any meal. After they have frozen solid, the cubes can be popped into a zip-top bag and frozen for up to 6 months!
Please note that your ice cube trays will have a lingering taste of garlic if you use this method. I suggest keeping a separate tray for freezing anything with pungent aromatics, as plastic is quite porous and will tend to keep the flavor.
Honestly, I haven’t found a green that I don’t enjoy turning into pesto! Any fresh herbs like marjoram, dill, parsley, cilantro, or even mint can make for wonderful new interpretations of this classic Italian sauce.
Dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, chard, arugula, and watercress are also lovely. Finally, feel free to use pesto as a way to keep your kitchen waste free: carrot or beet greens are 100% edible and 100% delicious when turned into pesto!
Technically speaking, no. If you make a pesto-like sauce without nuts (or seeds, if you are nut free), then it actually becomes a French pistou. All that said, pistou is also super delicious and can be used in just as many applications as nutty pesto.
More How-To Posts
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Basic Pesto Sauce Ratio & Countless Different Pesto Recipes
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Spatula
- Air tight container for storing
Ingredients
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- ⅓ Cup (41 g) Pistachios, or any nut, shelled & toasted for 5 minutes at 350°F
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- 4 Cups (96 g) Fresh Basil, or alternate greens of your choosing
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ½ Cup (108 g) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ Cup (50 g) Parmesean
Instructions
- Place your clove of garlic in the food processor; pulse until finely chopped.2 Garlic Cloves
- Add the toasted pistachios, lemon juice, basil, and salt; pulse until nuts are finely chopped and ingredients are well blended.⅓ Cup Pistachios, 4 Cups Fresh Basil, 1 Lemon, Salt and Pepper to taste
- Add olive oil gradually and process until the mixture is well combined.½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Finally, add parmesan and pulse 2 or 3 times. Voila! Pistachio Pesto.½ Cup Parmesean
Notes
- Wilted is okay, rotting is not. I love using up whatever bits and bobs of herbs and greens I have in my crisper drawer at the end of the week to make different pesto variations. If your greens are a little wilty or saggy, they’ll be perfect! If, however, they are releasing juices and starting to rot, they’re unfortunately better suited for the compost pile.
- Stems are great if they’re tender! Don’t feel like you have to cut off the stems of your cilantro, parsley or spinach for making homemade pesto. So long as they are tender and not woody, stems are perfectly welcome in the batch.
- Pulse over process. To get a bit of texture in your pesto, I suggest pulsing the ingredients rather than whizzing them to oblivion. However, you’ll need to…
- Process to emulsify. If you don’t want your pesto to split, you’ll need to do a bit of emulsification. Make sure the processor is running while you drizzle in your oil to ensure that the ingredients meld well.
- Top with a layer of oil. If you aren’t going to use your pesto right away, you’re going to need to prevent oxidization from ruining the batch. The name of the game here is keeping air away from the greens. Spread your leftover pesto into a container, making sure all sides are touching the container. Then, cover the pesto with a thin layer of oil - whatever kind you used to make the pesto will do great! When you’re ready to serve the leftovers, either stir the oil in for a thinner sauce or simply pour off the excess.
- Storing. If stored in the fridge with a thin layer of oil to prevent oxidization, homemade pesto should last for about 5 days. If you want to store it for longer, I suggest freezing it into ice cube trays. Since pesto is quite pungent, I find that a cube or two is usually enough to dress up any meal. After they have frozen solid, the cubes can be popped into a zip-top bag and frozen for up to 6 months!
- Please note that your ice cube trays will have a lingering taste of garlic if you use this method. I suggest keeping a separate tray for freezing anything with pungent aromatics, as plastic is quite porous and will tend to keep the flavor.
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