Basil Pesto

By Florence Fabricant

Updated May 20, 2025

Basil Pesto
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(9,723)
Comments
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Pesto is a mouthful of bright summer — basil made more so. You can buy it in a jar or in the refrigerator section of your grocery store, but there is nothing better than making it yourself. Fresh basil can be found in abundance at farmers’ markets in the summer. Just clean, take the stems off and throw the leaves in a food processor with nuts and garlic. Dribble in the oil and you’ve got a versatile sauce for pasta, chicken or fish.

Why You Should Trust This Recipe

First published in 1986, this essential sauce recipe was created by Florence Fabricant. She began writing for the Times in 1972 and is the author of 12 cookbooks.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 cups
  • 2cups fresh basil leaves (no stems)
  • 2tablespoons pine nuts (or walnuts)
  • 2large cloves garlic
  • ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½cup freshly grated Parmesan
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)

87 calories; 9 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 55 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine basil leaves, pine nuts (or walnuts) and garlic in a food processor and process until very finely minced.

    Image of ingredients in food processor for making pesto.
  2. Step 2

    With the machine running, slowly dribble in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth.

  3. Step 3

    Add the cheese and process very briefly, just long enough to combine. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

    Image of adding cheese to a food processor for making pesto.

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FAQS

  1. Pesto can be frozen for up to 3 months. Transfer the fresh pesto to an airtight container and top with a very thin layer of oil before freezing. Some people freeze pesto in designated ice cube trays until firm, then transfer the frozen cubes to an airtight container. For a fresher flavor, make and freeze pesto without the cheese, then add the grated cheese once thawed.

Ratings

5 out of 5
9,723 user ratings
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Comments

RECMSOJ

Dying to try this - I make a poor man's pesto every time my kids want pasta with tomato sauce, but want the real thing. Never used fresh basil, so how do you measure 2 cups? Is it packed down in the cup, or fluffy, or how do you judge?

Steven B.

Weigh the basil. America's Test Kitchen (in their Cook's Country magazine) did a taste test with the various amounts of basil that people measure as 1 cup. The result was that using 18.7 grams as 1 cup of basil leaves was preferred. This means that for this recipe you will want to use 37.4 (round up to 38 or even 40) grams of basil leaves.

Andrea

Well.... just this is just the very essential recipe but pesto is more complex . In Liguria near Genova where pesto is originally coming from the recipe add two main components : small round boiled potato and long green beans , the potato will give consistency the green long beans will take down the pungent flavor of basil rounding the chlorophyle on a melting flavor of grass . Cheese , only pecorino not any cheese and not "pecorino romano" , just "sweet" seasoned pecorino ...

Josh

I liked this recipe but, like most folks, felt it needed a bit more pop. I added maybe a teaspoon of salt (a few pinches), some black pepper, a couple shakes of dried chilis and a bit of lemon. I also agree with other that you can back off the olive oil a bit. Overall, the recipe was a great base to work off of and personalize!

Virge Lorents

Re: the nuts in pesto, cashews are yet another good way to substitute pignolis. They are “creamier” than walnuts. Should you want to go to the origin of basil pesto, Sanremo, in the northwest corner of Italy, is “molto bene.”

isabelle

Absolutely needs an acid - lemon or even lime. If I can’t find parm I use extra sharp cheddar. Apparently the leaves get bitter if chopped too fast or too long (with a food processor) fyi. I just adjust oil and lemon until right texture. Finally pine nuts can sometimes be super expensive or impossible to find, and the best replacement nut is cashew in my opinion!!!

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