Basil Pesto

By Florence Fabricant

Updated May 8, 2026

  • A close overhead shot shows a glass bowl of grass-green pesto, with visible flecks of basil and Parmesan.
    Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(9,984)
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

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves (no stems)

  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts (or walnuts)

  • 2 large cloves garlic

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

1 gram carbs; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 87 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 9 grams fat; 55 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein

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 is best eaten within 24 hours, but it will keep up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Cover the surface with a thin layer of oil to help prevent it from browning.

Ratings

5 out of 5
9,984 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 ...

GreenSageSJ

Can't believe it's not even June & I have so much basil already in my garden I had to make a double batch of pesto! Used traditional pine nuts (way more than called for) & parm (way more than called for). As others noted, it's bland w/o a squeeze of lemon juice & a pinch of salt. BTW, "pesto" is from Italian verb "pestare," which means "to pound. So, you can sub walnuts, macadamias, or cashews if that's you've got. You can do it nut-free, cheese-free. It's still pesto.

Olivia

Absolutely without a doubt needs lemon and salt

Janiceoutwest

Good recipe but I’ve made it 3 times and each time got only 1 cup out of it.

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