No need for store-bought pesto anymore. This recipe is so easy with just 5 ingredients. And it takes just 5 min to make too!

Easy Homemade Pesto

basil leaves

garlic (peeled)

pine nuts

Parmesan

salt and black pepper (to taste)

olive oil

To make the pesto, combine basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

You can freeze into small ziplock bags. Take out of freezer as needed. 

Thank you for the great recipe! I love how quick and easy this pesto is to make. Fresh and vibrant, it’s perfect for busy weeknights. Can’t wait to try it with some fresh basil!

I adore this pesto recipe!  And so do all the people I share the pesto and recipe with.  I do toast the pine nuts, and I’ve also made it with toasted walnuts.  It is great either way.  And it freezes nicely so when my green thumb hubby comes in with gigantic bundles of basil, I fill a drawer in the freezer with “pesto penguins” - I have a silicone ice cube tray that makes large penguin shaped cubes, which are not only adorable but one penguin is a perfect serving size on pasta, so I can just take out as many penguins as I need to defrost!

Great and easy pesto recipe!  I toasted my pine nuts because I think it gives them a nice flavor!  When my basil goes crazy again I most definitely will make this!!!

Can I freeze the Pesto?  Have lots of Basil in my garden.

Hi,
can you freeze this pesto mix? if i made ion bulk, separated into portions, etc?

I just made this pesto recipe and it’s great!

With a few tweaks for personal preference, this recipe is simple and amazing. I had more basil so I added more garlic, lemon juice and cheese. Very tasty straight off the fork. Cant wait to try it for pasta salad

Delish!  When I eat the store-bought stuff, I don’t feel well. I wondered what I was going to do since I love pesto. I winder no more. And this was a breeze to make!!

First time making pesto with pesto, sweet, and spicy basil from my garden. It was delicious tossed with spaghetti and salmon. I can't wait to make it again with toasting the pine nuts and garlic.

This is a great recipe -- pretty much exactly the same ingredients/ proportions I've been using  for 40-some years.   I picked up some good tips from the comments.  Especially like the idea of lightly toasting the pignoli nuts beforehand.  Also agree with many that (for our taste), only 2 (but large-ish) cloves of garlic is just right.

Here's my tip:  I started making this back in Brooklyn in the early 1980's, when fresh basil was only available for about 3 weeks every June.  Some Italian source said keeps indefinitely in fridge under an inch of olive oil -- and they were right.  I also took their advice to use a nice heavy crock.  Every June I'd make about a quart, into crock, under 1" EVOO.  It kept its flavor for about... nine months!!

Do I need to cut the stems off of the basil leaves? Thanks!

Pesto is fabulous!  But I wonder where the five minutes preparation comes from!1. It took 20 minutes just to clean and pull the Basil leaves off the stalks. How packed should the 1 cup basil leaves be ?

The simplest pesto recipe turned out to be a Best!

I haven't made pesto in ages, and I'll definitely be using your recipe.  I love pesto in so many things - sandwiches, pasta, etc.  Homemade is always the best!

I love this recipe and have made it several times. So easy!! And delicious.

This pesto was so good! It was simple and easy to whip up with my pasta.(I didn’t put any cheese in it and used cashews instead of pine nut)

This is the best recipe! Just made 3 batches - my first for the summer! Thank you!

easy homemade pesto

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total: 5 minutes

Servings: 1

Ingredients

Instructions

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